DIVINE GUIDANCE

       With the premise that God is Alive, and that He is good natured, and that He gives good stuff to His own, tapping into D.G. could only be a good thing. From the start of my Christian experience in ’72, D.G. seemed natural, & it paid off quite well. I got lost on Ft. Carson, CO in a snow, & said “Lord, show me where to go.” Turn right, turn left, go straight, right in there . . . Through that D.G. I met my excellent wife of 43 yrs. My son has a similar story of getting lost in Japan – just no female prize for him.
     “Divine Guidance” is a benefit of FAITH. Sometimes there’s guidance even before we ask. I believe the key to this is WANTING D.G. – it honors the Holy Spirit & it’s a clean heart attitude. We have found that MUCH D.G. just happens – doors shut & doors open on their own, things just “click” so well, God is obviously involved. This is an awesome benefit of walking with J.C.
     Now much of D.G. is from the Word. We heard recently, “God never stops talking to us till we close the Book.” Bob Riggs. This means familiarity with scripture produces MUCH guidance. The general content & principles of the Book are loaded w/ clear examples on many subjects: Genesis stories contain interesting perspective on God’s early dealings. Proverbs for practical tips galore. The teachings of Christ are rich with guiding principles. Then one could ask, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” Well, if we aren’t even spending time in the gospels of Matt., Mark, Luke, & John; we might not know what He would do. Then the epistles of the Apostles & Paul are excellent & touch many subjects. Shame on the Christian who neglects the Word . . . It’s so dynamic & alive & a part of the victory in Christ, (not just on the subject of D.G.). “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
      In a general sense, D.G. is a primary principle of the Bible. There is a premium account of D.G. in Acts 8:26-35 where Phillip was told by an angel to go to the Ethiopian eunuch of the queen & explain what he was reading from the scroll of Isaiah. The Holy Spirit also “spoke” to Phillip. Now today Divine Guidance seems to be more subtle. It might be the still, small “voice” of our conscience echoing in our mind. Maybe God will send someone, or some situation that sheds light specifically on our direction question. Maybe a book will fall into our hands. Intuition may dawn in an unusually strong manner on the subject. And I personally wouldn’t rule out dreams & visions – God has given me some very clear guidance this way. See Joel 2:28
     But what to do when we are “read-up”, “prayed-up”, & wanting D.G., & NOTHING is clear on an issue where we need direction. We can be sure God will lead, but the Divine answer may be “wait”. And humans usually want things now or yesterday. Patience can be in short supply. We have used a “fleece” at times (see Judges 6:36-40) – maybe tossing a coin after praying for direction. (Once we tossed it 2 times & took 2 out of two heads to mean “yes”.) Other times NOTHING was clear & we figured it was a NO. Of course scripture has something to say on this subject:
--  “Thou dost guide me with thy counsel, and afterward thou wilt receive me to glory.” Psalms 73:24
--  “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways                 acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
--  “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full                day."  Proverbs 4:18
--  “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones            strong. . .” Isaiah 58:11a
     The concept of Divine Guidance is found in the Book from cover to cover. And it’s a totally valid benefit or principle of the Christian faith experience. It can be a valuable asset to the saved individual, but w/o salvation it’s probably just rubbish, or a silly myth. Choose Jesus, He is alive. And realize that D.G. (and lots of other goodies from above), are waiting to be “picked”. See also link 28 “What’s In It For Me”.

Many other interesting Titles:  www.gospelnotes.org                                                    * * F. J. Stone * *  
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