Is it God's Will?
by Beka
(c) 2004

"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence:
and his children shall have a place of refuge."
Proverbs 14:26 NIV

I have a lot of guilt that I deal with about IF I am doing God's will. Know what I mean?

I'm in a recovery process which apart from a miracle I will be in until I die. But I'm on my way back from the worst, toward better wellness. Before I could get started back, I had to get a few things straight in my mind and heart.

One of these things was to trust God's oversight. I've found if I really trust God, I can move forward in the best of my own thoughtful, careful decision-making. I can TRUST GOD to stop me or turn me if I am going a wrong way.

Thanks to this better trusting, I've been able to step out in several areas of my life where I've always before been fearful. OR in areas where in the past I've been tempted toward an OH WELL, stubborn, or risky attitude, instead of a trusting God attitude.

One day, trying to help a friend with some difficult decisions, I found myself back in my old, negative self-doubting kind of thinking. Did I say the wrong thing? Did I give ungodly advice? Should I just keep my mouth shut? I said to God, "I hope you helped me." Suddenly, in the middle of second-guessing myself, I realized I was questioning GOD's power to help me. HHMMMMMMM

DUH - of course He helped me. I am His. I try to stay close to Him. I try to learn His Word. My heart was right, I was careful and thoughtful before speaking and I remained open to the Holy Spirit. I felt certain I'd not taken a selfish mode, or closed my mind to God's leading. I had ignored no spiritual "nudges". That doesn't mean I did say all the right things but it does mean God was in it.

"Watch your life and doctrine closely.
Persevere in them, because if you do,
you will save both yourself and your hearers."
1 Timothy 4:16 NIV

God rarely puts the "writing on the wall" - does He? If I understand this right, He "leads" through His Word (the Bible), through His Example (Jesus), and through His Essence that abides in me (the Holy Spirit). If I am accepting His Word, His Example and His Spirit in my life, then I have to set aside the fear that I might take a wrong step, because that is NOT trusting Him.

Trusting God is KNOWING that He is there and WILL Protect and Guide my thoughtful stepping out. He'll guide me by "nudging" me spiritually if I am straying. He'll protect me by catching me if I "fall".

It's right for me to analyze my actions or words, but not with an attitude of self-doubt. I should always be double-checking what I am saying or doing, but ONLY with a spirit of openness, learning and obedience. I should always be waiting for, listening for and hearing God's "nudgings" in my life, pursuing God's will for me.

"If a man cleanses himself from the latter (ignoble purposes),
he will be an instrument for noble purposes,
made holy, useful to the Master
and prepared to do any good work."
2 Timothy 2:21 NIV

If I'm pursuing sin, God may have to scream and yell and throw things at me to get my attention! - because He loves me and won't give up on me THAT easily. But, if I'm pursuing HIS WILL, He only has to whisper. I should just Listen with all the faultiness of my ability to listen, and trust Him to work His Will in and through me anyway. I need only to trust Him, while I Walk On.

In the Fear of the Lord is strong confidence.

"As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life
for evil human desires,
but rather for the will of God."
1 Peter 4:2 NIV