Christian Living

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650 words

Listening to God and then to yourself will bring success

by Dan Langerock

All of us need guidance in our lives as we progress through life. Choices and their consequences are not always clear-cut, so we are often left wondering which course to take.
God knows this about us, so He offers His help in this area. He can see the outcomes for the choices of our lives better than we can.

1) Wanting to listen to God If we care about what He wants for our lives, then we will want to listen to what He has in mind for us. Jeremiah 29 tells us He has plans for each of our lives to give us a future and a hope. A plan that will help us, and not lead to disaster. If we want God involved in our lives then we will ask for His guidance.

When our children get married or move out of the house, we are often tempted to help them by offering advice that may not be wanted or appreciated. We see all the mistakes and consequences ahead for them, and we want to fix them. This behavior on our part can strain the relationships with our children, and perhaps our friends as well.

God wants to help us with what is happening in our lives, but He doesn't impose His will on ours. Psalm 37 tells us He is interested in helping with every detail of life. He is ready to assist when we want it by trusting Him, but He won't supercede our desires with His will. He has given us the same choice for salvation; we can choose the way He has set forth through Jesus His Son, or we can choose our own way that leads to destruction. He is not willing that any should perish, but we are the ones who must make that choice.

2) Obeying what we hear When we ask for guidance, it is still up to us to obey what we hear from God. Using the example of children again, we can tell them all day long what to do but if they never obey, how will they profit from what was said? If we have a preconceived idea of what we want when we come to God, we are less likely to take that advice to heart and obey than if we come with an open mind and heart. God knows better than we do what our needs are, but if we ask for His guidance then the logical next step is to obey what He tells us. Otherwise it is like going to the doctor then refusing to do what he prescribes for us. This same principle works in both the physical and spiritual realms.

3) Listening to ourselves Once we have decided to want God's leading in our lives, then obeyed what He has told us, we must check ourselves to make sure we are actually doing what God intended. We may think we are obeying yet we don't see the expected results. By stepping back and listening to ourselves and watching what we are doing in an impartial manner, we can see what could be missing. If what you have started is not prospering then you need to do some thinking about how you are going about God's leading, and ask God to show you the reason you are not meeting with success. Are you really obeying God or putting a different label on what you wanted in the first place?

If we are truly honest with ourselves, we can answer these questions with God's help. I believe that when God is approving of what we are doing for Him, He will cause it to prosper. Seek Godly counsel in all that you attempt, don't just go off on a tangent. If you are on the right track, it will be apparent to those whom you ask for advice as well.

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