I. Introduction

A. Illustration - Brennan Manning, in his book Ruthleess Trust, wrote, When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for three months at "the house of the dying" in Calcutta, he was seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning there he met Mother Teresa. She asked, "And what can I do for you?" Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him. "What do you want me to pray for?" she asked. He voiced the request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States: "Pray that I have clarity." She said firmly, "No, I will not do that." When he asked her why, she said, "Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of." When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, "I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God" (as cited on PreachingToday.com).

B. Mother Teresa understood the important truth that our God is a nurturing God who guides and directs us in our daily lives. This morning we’re continuing our series called Trauma Care for the Soul by looking into this spiritual discipline of guidance. It’s essential that we understand it because we can’t walk with God from day to day without it. Let’s start out by reading Psalm 91:1-7 from the New Living.

C. Psalm 91:1-7 from the New Living – (NEW SLIDE) Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety, he is my God, and I am trusting Him. (NEW SLIDE) 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from the fatal plague. 4 He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. (NEW SLIDE) 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor fear the dangers of the day, 6 nor dread the plague that stalks in the darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. (NEW SLIDE) 7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.

II. Our Resting Place

A. I got an email this week that talked about someone who had heard a blind person call in to talk to a radio preacher. The blind person cried and lamented that they couldn’t stand the thought of one more Christian telling them, “If you had more faith, you wouldn’t be blind.” The preacher asked, “Do you carry a white cane with you?” “Yes.” “Then the next time someone asks that, hit them on the head with your cane and tell them, “If you had more faith, that wouldn’t hurt!” The problem was that the people who were saying that to the blind person didn’t understand the truth about God’s protection. (NEW SLIDE) God promises to protect that which is most important about us – our eternal soul – and to perfect that which is most important to Him – our character. God will shelter and protect our soul from Satan and his attacks, but God will allow things we would call negative into our lives in order to build His likeness and His character in us.

B. Look at verse one. What do those who love God and follow Him find? Rest. What kind of rest? Rest for their souls. What will He rescue them from? Every trap and from the fatal plague. Who sets traps for us? Satan. What is the fatal plague to us? Sin. God is more than able and willing to keep us from falling into temptation and sinning. He promises to shield our souls if we will trust in Him and rest in Him. (NEW SLIDE) Even if everybody around us is falling into temptation and sinning, we are still safe as long as we trust in God and keep our eyes on Him.

C. What does all that have to do with the spiritual discipline of guidance? Simple. You won’t follow someone you don’t trust. And you won’t trust God if you view the negative things that happen in your life as a sign that He isn’t protecting you. We would love for Him to eliminate anything unpleasant or that we don’t like from our lives. We tearfully question Him about why some of the really bad stuff that’s happened to us has happened to us. If He’s protecting us, why do bad things happen? Why do people go out of their way to hurt us? Why do devastating accidents and disasters happen to us? Why do things go south on our jobs or in any other part of our life? (NEW SLIDE) God is allowing these negative things because He will never stop anyone from sinning who is determined to sin. He won’t stop us, and He won’t stop anybody else. He will work as hard as He can to get them to see the truth, but He won’t stop them or us from sinning. But God is also allowing these things to teach us to rely only on Him. (NEW SLIDE) God is also allowing these things to develop our character – to make us more like Him. So we can trust Him. We can trust Him to lead and guide us every day. This spiritual discipline of guidance does work, because the God behind it never stops working.

III. Three Sources of Spiritual Guidance

A. God in His mercy has provided us with three forms of spiritual guidance. He is the source of all three forms. (NEW SLIDE) First, God gives us guidance through the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. 17 It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. (NEW SLIDE) The truth is that God will never guide us into doing anything that is contrary to His written word. That’s not a real popular truth in this world of moral relativism – deciding your own truth. The Bible is the first place we should look when we’re seeking God’s will. What truth is there that applies directly to our situation, or directly answers our question? Who in the Bible has dealt with a similar situation, and what did they do? What does the Bible directly command us to do? Are we doing it? What principles have we been forgetting about that are keeping us from hearing God’s voice leading us into His will? The Bible is the first form of guidance God gives us.

B. (NEW SLIDE) Second, God gives us guidance through His Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:25 – If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Pretty clear what we’re called to do, isn’t it? Matthew 4:1 – Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil. God has a purpose in leading us into seemingly bad situations. Luke 2:27 – That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. Simeon got in on a huge blessing because the Spirit led and he followed. Acts 8:29 – The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.” An ordinary believer obeyed, and led a man to the Lord. Romans 8:14 – For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Jesus said, in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” It’s crucial that we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit through daily time in prayer. (NEW SLIDE) Listen to that still, small voice inside, check what it says against the truth of God’s word, and then do it. Even though times might get tough, keep following the Holy Spirit for in the end you will be who and where God wants you to be. God guides us through His Holy Spirit

C. (NEW SLIDE) Third, God gives us guidance through other Christians. Proverbs 11:14 – Without wise leadership, a nation falls; with many counselors, there is safety. Other Christians can be an important source for helping us understand and follow God’s guidance in our lives. But we have to watch out for two dangers – asking immature Christians, and running into Border Bullies. (NEW SLIDE) Christians become mature by developing a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ through daily prayer, Bible study, and other spiritual disciplines. Their daily walk shows that they are filled with the Spirit and God’s love is overflowing out of their hearts and lives. Since they are plugged into God, they can help us discern what direction God is guiding us into. Since immature Christians don’t have that deep relationship or connection with Jesus Christ, they simply don’t know what God wants them or anyone else to do. They may be spiritually gifted with wisdom or knowledge and be of some help, but work to verify any guidance immature Christians give. And this is not a knock on immature Christians – all of us start there. We’re only in trouble if we stay there. The second danger in asking other Christians for help in discerning God’s direction is running into Border Bullies. This term comes from Bruce Wilkinson’s book The Dream Giver and refers to those Christians who try to keep us from moving out in the direction of God’s dream for us. They aren’t trying to be mean or malicious. It’s just that, when we begin to take risks by stepping out of our comfort zone in following God, they begin to get scared that they’re next. Our faith shows their lack of faith and that causes them much discomfort, but the fear is so strong that they will try to relieve the discomfort by discouraging the dreamer from continuing. Again, Border Bullies aren’t bad people – all who follow God’s leading were once Border Bullies. (NEW SLIDE) If the reasons other Christians give for not continuing are based on fear or discomfort, they’re playing the role of Border Bullies. However, if those Christians you ask have sound biblical reasons for you to go or not go a certain direction and they have the maturity to interpret the Bible correctly, listen to them. God is using them to guide and direct you.

D. God has great things in store for us and He wants to guide us into that wonderful future. He will always use those who follow His guidance and direction to make that future happen. Henry Blackaby wrote, When God was ready to judge the world with a flood, He came to Noah. When He desired to build a nation for Himself, He turned to Abraham. When He heard His children groaning under Egyptian bondage, He appeared in a burning bush to Moses. They were three of the most ordinary of men. But God had work to do, and He knew just who to do it with. (NEW SLIDE) God has always given His people assignments that are too big for them to handle alone, so that a watching world can see—not what we can do—but what God can do (as cited on SermonCentral.com). That’s why the spiritual discipline of guidance is so important. If we allow Him to lead us into His direction and the world sees us walking a markedly different path and making a difference in our world, they will want to get to know Him. That’s what God wants – a Church that points the way to Him by how they live in following His direction each and every day.

E.Illustration – Nazarene theologian W.T. Purkiser wrote, (NEW SLIDE) Nothing takes God by surprise. He knows the future and can therefore guide us through its trackless ways (as cited on SermonCentral.com). We can trust our nurturing God to lead us in the best paths for us through the Bible, His Holy Spirit, and other Christians. Let’s do our best to follow His guidance so we won’t wind up like Thomas Huxley.

F. Illustration - In his book "Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life", the author Charles Swindoll tells a story about the 19th Century agnostic Thomas Huxley (some of you might know that it was Huxley who promoted Darwinism and Humanism in his attacks on Christianity). Huxley was in Dublin and was rushing to catch a train. He climbed aboard one of Dublin’s famous horse drawn taxis and said to the driver -"Hurry, I’m almost late ... drive fast". Off they went at a furious pace and Huxley sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. After a while Huxley opened his eyes and glanced out the window to notice that they were going in the wrong direction. Realizing that he hadn’t told the driver where to take him he called out ‘do you know where you're going?’ The driver replied "No, your honour, but I am driving very fast’ (as cited on SermonCentral.com). We can get nowhere awful fast if we don’t follow God’s guidance in our lives. As Richard Foster writes, (NEW SLIDE) God has to help us let go of our tiny vision in order to release the greater good he has in store for us (as cited on PreachingToday.com).

IV. How Do I Know God’s Will?

A. To keep us from going nowhere fast and to help us let go of our tiny vision of what we think God wants to do, we’ve got to use His guidance to find His will. Dr. Henry Cloud suggests nine steps to find God’s will.

B. (NEW SLIDE) First, get a clear vision of Who God is, being in view of God’s mercy constantly. In other words, be an object of God’s mercy and grace instead of merely trying harder. The Bible message is that God does the sacrificing and serving for you and unto you first. Get a clear vision of Who God is.

C. (NEW SLIDE) Second, offer yourself as a living and holy sacrifice to God. Go to Him with no expectations of what He wants for you. Empty yourself. This is true worship – not my will, but Thine. Offer yourself as a living and holy sacrifice to God.

D. (NEW SLIDE) Third, just say no to what you are not. Say no to what people think you ought to do. There are lots of times when well-intentioned people tell you what they think you should do, but they haven’t checked out what God thought about it first. And they haven’t thought about who God created you to be. When you’re seeking God’s will, you’ve got to listen to Him first. Just say no to what you are not.

E.(NEW SLIDE) Fourth, have a clean mind. Get rid of any expectations from your past. Start with a clean slate. Don’t ever confuse the size of a ministry with what God is doing. In other words, we tend to think that if a ministry is big God must be in it and if it’s small God isn’t. Clean the slate of your mind of that expectation – of any expectations that move you to try to impress others with what you want to be God’s will, even parental expectations you carry from your childhood. Have a clean mind.

F. (NEW SLIDE) Fifth, get small. Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought. Remember – you can’t do it all and you can’t do it all well. Nobody’s that gifted or good. When we humble ourselves before God He will share His will with us – but not before. Get small.

G. (NEW SLIDE) Sixth, get sober. No, I don’t mean stop boozing! Develop an accurate judgment of yourself. Be humble about it because it will help you be honest. Don’t be self-deprecating, because then you will sell God short on what He can do through you. Be honest and accurate and humble in your assessment of the gifts and abilities God has given you. Be sober.

H. (NEW SLIDE) Seventh, use your gifts according to the faith that God has given you. God has gifted you according to His will – it’s up to you to trust Him enough to step forward and use them for His glory. God has great things in store for you – if He didn’t, there would be no point in spending even one second in this discipline of guidance. He gifted you – use those gifts! Use your gifts according to the faith that God has given you.

I. Eighth, grasp your uniqueness. When it’s all said and done, in the final analysis the only thing that keeps you from moving forward with God is you. God created you a specific way for a specific purpose. When you take the time to see His guidance, to find out His will for you, that will is going to create a desire in you to accomplish His will if you let it. Don’t let fear keep you from becoming all God has for you to become. Don’t let fear keep you from doing all that God has for you to do. Grasp your uniqueness.

J. The bottom line is that we know that God has a will for each of us, and for us as a church. We have a choice – to play it safe and accomplish nothing eternal, or to risk moving forward to become all that God has called us to become. If we do, God’s vision for us will become a reality and many, many people will come to mature faith in Christ because we moved forward with God. Let’s make it very, very hard for people in our area to go to hell! Seek God’s guidance daily, obey what He tells you, and watch Him work!

V. Conclusion

A. Please bow your heads and close your eyes out of respect for each other’s privacy. What’s God been speaking to your heart this morning? How are you doing at listening to His guidance and direction for your daily life? How are you doing at listening to His guidance and direction for your future? Let’s spend a few quiet moments listening to the Holy Spirit whisper to our hearts.

B. What’s God been speaking to your heart? If the desire of your heart today is to surrender to God’s guidance and direction in your daily life and for your future, then raise your hand as a sign of that surrender, and I’ll pray for you. Let’s pray.