"There is much in our obeying as our Lord did- straightway. Then the Lord gives His servants grace to follow out their convictions as soon as they feel them, then they act courageously." -Charles H. Spurgeon |
God's Guidance
by David Buttram
"Question: As a Christian I want to do what is right. I pray that God will lead me in making right choices. I am afraid that the devil will place wrong thoughts in my mind to mislead me.
Answer: When we give our heart to the Lord and become a Christian, we begin a life-long journey to Heaven. Like early day settlers who moved from the East to the West, so do we pass through a land that is unfriendly even hostile. We are attacked by enemies who would hurt or destroy us. We encounter natural obstacles and barriers. We are possibly our own worst enemy by harboring feelings of being alone- a feeling of being vulnerable, and a sense of defeat.
It was never God's intention to just save us from our sins and turn us loose to fend for ourselves. That would be unfair, even cruel. What God has done is to provide us with the means to safely make the journey and arrive victoriously at Heaven's gates.
The foundation of knowing God's will is His Word, the Bible. The Bible is our . It is a spiritual manual to instruct and direct us. From it we learn how to conduct ourselves toward Him, the world, the church, and even ourselves.
The Bible was given by the inspiration of God for our doctrine, reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
(2 Timothy 3:16). Throughout history, men and women have looked to God's Word for direction. King David, Paul, and the other early saints of God depended on what little of the Bible they had at the time.
Many issues in our lives can be resolved by looking within the Bible, which has been
preserved and protected by God for a holy purpose:
"...to be a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
(Psalm 119:105). When Jesus left earth, He promised a special gift to aid and guide
Christians. He said,
"And I will pray the father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever"
(John 14:16). Don't dismiss the importance of this verse and be robbed of a spiritual blessing. Here, Jesus is promising to pray to the Father to send another comforter. The word "paraclete" that is translated to "comforter" is a Greek word meaning "one who walks along side of." That means one who constantly accompanies us. In good times and bad, He is there. In seasons of tests and trials, He is present. For how long will the Comforter be "along side" of us? Jesus said,
"For ever."
Sadly, there are those who teach that God does not speak to believers today. That all ended when the Bible was completed, they believe, but Jesus said,
"For ever."
I have been told, "Brother Buttram, we live in a different dispensation now." Again, Jesus said,
"For ever."
The steps of a good man (living in His will) are
"ordered by the Lord"
(Psalm 37:23). "Ordered" simply means prepared or established. We are then assured that each step a Christian takes has been prepared and established by the Lord.
If we ask God for wisdom in making a decision or working out a problem, we should be prepared to raise our spiritual antennae to receive the answer.
The answer may come as God speaks by changing circumstances. He may speak to you through Bible study or through an anointed sermon. He may speak to you by means of that still, small voice deep within your being.
When you pray for God's will or purpose, be reminded that God wants you to succeed and prosper. He wants you in the center of His perfect will, and just as an earthly father would give only his best to meet his child's request, so our heavenly Father gives us the very best.
As for mistaking the devil's voice for God's voice, Christians must learn to recognize the difference. His sheep (you and I) know our Master's voice. In addition, we also must depend on the Comforter who is always with us to discern or distinguish whose voice we hear."
Quoted from the Gospel Tract Harvester Newsletter, July 2003, page 14.
"I have compassion on the multitude" -Jesus Christ |
A Letter To Ruth
from Jesus
"Ruth went to her mailbox to find she had only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it- there was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:
Dear Ruth:
I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit. Love always, Jesus.
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer."
With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen pantry. "Oh my, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner!" She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least."
She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with a grand total or twelve cents to last her until Monday.
Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?"
Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans she hadn't even noticed the two figures huddled in the alleyway- a man and a woman dressed in little more than rags.
"Look lady, I ain't got a job, and my wife and I been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's gettin' cold and we're gettin' kind of hungry and, well, if you could help us, we'd really appreciate it."
Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad, and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.
"Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important Guest for dinner tonight, and I was planning on serving that to Him."
"Yeah, well, okay lady I understand. Thanks anyway."