Did you ever know, one day, without a doubt, without question, no reservation, none, exactly what it was that God was telling you to do and the next day not have a clue? When that happens to me, yeah it happens to me, I usually get convicted by the first chapter of James vss 5-8 where it says something to the effect that if you want to know what to do you should ask God, but beware, if you ask Him you need to have the faith that He is going to answer you and if you don’t you’re just like a wave tossed to and fro in the ocean. The Bible says in vs 7, “For that man ought not to expect that he will receive an answer from the Lord, being a double minded man, unstable in all ways.” Ouch!

So why do I doubt? Why do I not believe what God has told me? The real question for me is, how do I know without a doubt, that it was God? There’s really only one way and that is to know His voice, to know without a doubt what He would say. We only get to that place by being in His Word and following Him. Jesus said in John 15:7, “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you will, and it will be done for you.” (NKJV) [If you are reading from a different translation you’ll see this as less demonstrative. I like the NKJV here.]

So I’m thinking , I have to abide in Him and His words have to abide in me. And when I do that then I don’t need confidence to ask because I will be living in such close proximity to Him that I will be covered by His dust. Anything that comes from Him will settle on me and my nature will be replaced by His nature. Then I can respond to life in the way that He responded and would respond today. So, even when that guy cuts me off on the road, I can still react in love.

So what does that have to do with knowing what is from God and what is not? It’s relationship. When we have a close relationship with someone we know what is in their inherent nature and what is not, so if someone comes to you and says something about your close friend you know whether your friend is capable of that report about them or not.

The same is true with God. I hear Him say, “Go over there and jump all over that sales clerk for being so rude.” Probably not from God. I hear, “Perhaps that sales clerk is having a bad day and that’s why they’re being so rude. Maybe you could be nice to them.” Probably from God.

Ok, that’s a duh but what about the tough decisions in life? Maybe tomorrow.

So what do you think?

Non Cupidi Vindictae

Marty