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bigmike

God’s Word Leads Those Who Listen
“Be not ignorant, but rather be understanding what the will of God is for your lives” (Ephesians 5:17).
In one of his plays, William Shakespeare wrote, “There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them how we will.” What the great poet of England was saying is that the hand of God guides us, and, at times, His guidance overrides our human will.
Today, many people would question the statement by the poet of Stratford. They believe that when God created the world, He started the world spinning like a top. Then He went back to His heaven and He left us to find our own way. And by the looks of the world today, it seems that our friends might be right; yet it seems to me that God would have a cruel sense of humor to have created us and then to have lost all interest in our well‑being.
The Bible says God has a will, no less than a plan and a purpose for our lives even today in the morning of the twenty-first century. Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said, “Don’t be foolish, but understand what is the will of the Lord” (Ephesians 5:17). Now, those words of direction are much needed in an uncertain world, where the very foundations seem to be corroded and giving way.
What is God’s plan for your life and how do you find it? I’m thinking of the mother who wrote telling how her daughter was injured in an automobile accident and the surgery recommended by the doctors was highly experimental. What should she do? She asked that God would indicate His will in the decision. I am thinking of a businessman who has been offered another position with less pay. Could that be possibly the will of God? How do you determine what God wants you to do?
The first test to determine God’s will is to ask what the Bible says regarding a given decision. In the pages of the Bible, God has given us guidelines—in precept or principle—regarding everything that will confront you in life: marriage, the place of sex in your life, how you relate to the world, how you control your thinking and your impulses. Years ago, the Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Now, the second test of God’s will is this: “How do I recognize the hand of God in the circumstances?” At times we are brokenhearted when a door is closed. But have you considered the possibility God closed that door so He could open another one for you to enter? Generally one door closes before the next opens. What do you do? Curse the darkness or wait patiently for the light of God’s direction for the next step?
Briefly let me warn you of a great danger. It is always dangerous to base God’s direction on circumstances apart from what God says in the Bible. Many today make that mistake—it’s a deadly one. They follow the philosophy of situation morality that really says the end justifies the means. Or, translated into life today, it means love becomes the basis of sex, and the good intentions or the outcome is more important than breaking the laws of God and man. Never fool yourself into believing that the end justifies the means.
The man or woman who determines to live by the guidelines of God’s Word will often walk apart from the crowd, but he will walk in the company of men and women who dare to follow the voice of conviction and integrity.
Finally, God gives direction to us through the inward impulse or witness of the Holy Spirit, who resides in the heart of every true believer. That means, when you pray—and you pray earnestly—and you say, “God, what does Your word say, and what do You want me to do,” God will give you a witness. He will open doors, He will close doors, and you will know. Then, do it.
Resource reading: Ephesians 5.

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