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Transcript:
Hello, welcome to Walking in Step with God. I’m Steve McDonald. Today we explore the topic “Find guidance on your journey with God” as we continue our series “God’s invitation to you”.
Throughout this series, we have been exploring the ways God seeks to cultivate a relationship with each of us. God wants us to know that He will guide and direct us throughout the most challenging of circumstances. He also wants us to know that accepting His unfailing love into our lives can bring us a level of peace and joy that is only possible with Him.
Today, we are going to talk about some ways we can find guidance during our walk with Him. As I have touched on many times before, a relationship with God requires believing in something that our senses cannot detect. Our senses work in the physical realm – sight, touch, smell. Our relationship with God works in the spiritual realm. To foster and maintain a close connection with God, we must learn about our spirit and how it connects with His. Let’s dive into the ways we can find guidance in our faith in both the physical realm and the spiritual realm.
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Welcome back. Let’s continue in our discussion of ways to find guidance during our journey with God.
Counsel
Wisdom is the most powerful source of guidance. We gain wisdom from our experiences. One way to find guidance in our walk with God is to speak with individuals who have experience walking with God.
In my personal walk of faith, I have learned from the wisdom of aunts, uncles and even my grandmother. Each of these individuals had decades of experience in their walk with God, and they helped me to understand elements of my faith that I found confusing, challenging or both!
These lived experiences from others also helped me to validate my experience. Earlier this year, I witnessed what I believed to be supernatural events taking place in the ministry. These were not positive events. They were very troubling and concerning. The events I experienced are often labeled as ‘Warfare’ in the Christian community. I explained the events that took place to a relative who I know has been walking with God for decades. She very matter-of-factly explained that the events I witnessed are typical and to be expected. She would explain that there are forces that will do anything necessary to impede individuals seeking to grow God’s kingdom.
This wisdom helped me to understand what to expect in this ministry and even what to expect as I grow closer to God each day. If you are looking for answers, seek counsel in your faith community, including family and friends. If you attend a place of worship, there are typically counselors or elders who can provide guidance and direction as well.
Prayer
The best counselor of all is God Himself. Even as we are walking with God, we can turn to Him for guidance along our journey. God knows we don’t know what we don’t know, so often there are situations where we just don’t know the right way to go. We can trust that God will provide us with guidance in the big things and the small things.
When we need to make decisions in life or need guidance on how to practice our faith, turn to prayer. In prayer, we can bring our concerns, our questions, our doubts, and even our praise before Him. In all of these scenarios, God will provide us with feedback and guidance.
I will add that the -way- in which God will provide feedback and guidance may not be in the way you expect. It is important that we recognize that our timing is not God’s timing. Our timing and expectations for events that are taking place in our reality may not match what God knows to be perfect timing. For example, I have learned to refrain from asking God to provide me with information for something by a specific deadline. I have learned is that a deadline is -my- perception of a limit or boundary. God has no limits and no boundaries. Instead, I share with God that He is already aware of what I perceive to be a deadline, but that I ask for His guidance in the timing that -He- sees fit.
I encourage you to use prayer as your 24/7 hotline to the One who knows what is best for every situation and every circumstance, including your journey with Him.
God’s Word
In my experience, the most important resource for knowing how to walk with God is God’s Word. God has shown time and time again His ability to touch hearts and minds of individuals to share His words of wisdom. I know God speaks instructions to His children because God gives me instructions for this ministry regularly. When instructions and guidance are given, they are not ambiguous or incomplete. It is for this reason I know and understand the accuracy of God’s Word to the prophets.
God’s Word is truth and reveals instructions and guidance for every area of our lives. God’s Word reveals His character, His conversations with prophets, and His divine instruction on how we are to live out our lives in a way that honors Him.
I confess, for most of my adult life and before my walk with God, I completely ignored God’s Word. I was gifted with a Bible and it went right on the shelf and collected dust. Once I began reading, I realized the depth of knowledge and wisdom I had been missing for all of my life. Following God’s Word is an important step in your walk of faith.
I invite you to learn more by staying tuned in this message (and every message I speak) for our ‘Going Deeper With the Word’ segment. In this segment, we explore God’s Word and the power of the words within. Today, we will explore examples of God’s guidance to us as we walk hand-in-hand with Him. Stay tuned.
Wrap Up
In today’s message, we explored several ways to receive guidance and direction during our journey with God. First, we explored the importance of finding counsel. Wisdom about a journey of faith can be an invaluable resource. Individuals who have spent years, even decades, in their walk with God can provide us with insights about their encounters that guide our own experience and walk of faith. In my walk of faith, counsel has been instrumental in helping me to navigate circumstances in my life that were difficult to unpack on my own. God will even -send- counsel to you if He knows someone can offer you a perspective that is unique to your situation. I invite you to find counsel in your faith community or at your place of worship. The next idea we discussed was the importance of prayer. As I have mentioned many times, prayer is our 24/7 direct line to God. God’s guidance is the best guidance there is. He knows you, everyone you know, and every detail of the situation you bring before Him in prayer. We can approach God in prayer about our day-to-day circumstances as well as ask for guidance about our walk with Him. Ask God in prayer to provide you with guidance on how to live a life that honors Him. Ask Him for guidance on how to respond to those who actively oppose you in living a godly life. God will provide the guidance you need at the time you need it. Lastly, we discussed the importance of God’s Word. God’s Word is an instruction book on how to live out our lives as well as how to live a life with Him. Throughout God’s Word, He speaks through prophets and provides directions and instructions for His people. God’s Word is truth and is timeless across the centuries. I invite you to learn more about God’s Word in our Going Deeper With the Word segment later in this message and in every message.
God does not expect us to have everything figured out for a walk of faith. Often, we learn about faith later in life after living in the world without it. The good news is that no matter when we start our walk with God, He is ready with open arms to receive us and show us the way to His love.
If you are just getting started in your walk with God, know that God sees where you are and will help you step-by-step. Seek out God and He will meet you right where you are. Ask Him all of the questions you have and He will provide guidance and answers.
If you have walked with God for some time, remember that you are always learning with God. Even if you are tempted to think you know everything there is to know about God, remember – there is always so much more!
Wherever you are in your walk with God, trust Him with your life and your journey with Him each day..
Are you interested in discovering more about the guidance offered in this message? Learn more in the companion article Going Deeper with the Word: Find Guidance on Your Journey With God
