Post by Reggie on Sept 27, 2011 9:41:35 GMT -5
Question Submitted:
When you want something or want to do something real bad, something that on the surface is not bad. Moreover, you have different emotions about it how do you discern between what Gods is telling you to do and the devil is trying to get you to do?
Answer:
Without a specific example of the “something” referred to in the question this can be a hard question to answer. Because we use so many factors to discern if the prompting and leading we are sensing is truly from God, Satan trying to trick us, or even just our own desire. There are some things to keep in mind however, when trying to discern which it might be.
God will NEVER under any circumstance contradict His written Word, the Bible. If whatever we are prompted to do does not line up with the truths found in God’s Word, it is not God prompting us.
God will not contradict a previous personal command He has given us. If God told us something or gave us an answer on something one week, next week He will not give us different answer. He will at times have us do something for a period of time then later have us stop, but He will not contradict Himself in what He guides us personally through Rhema Words from Him to do.
Numbers 23:19 NKJV
19 “God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Hebrews 13:8 NKJV
8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
We will have peace about whatever it is that we feel lead to do. God will not lead us into something we do not have peace over. We may feel a bit scared, inadequate, or intimidated but we will not be at spiritual unrest over the matter. If we have spiritual unrest, we should question whether God is the source of the prompting.
John 14:27 NKJV
27“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (Jesus speaking)
If confusion is present that is a sign God is not influencing that part of the decision.
1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV
33For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints
We need to make sure our hearts long for what God desire and that we seek Him in every decision. Scripture tells us He will guide us if we let Him.
Proverbs 3:5,6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Shall direct -
as found in the Hebrew language to mean the following -
3474. rv'y:
yaÆshar, yaw-shar’; a prim. root; to be straight or even; fig. to be (caus. to make) right, pleasant, prosperous:— direct, fit, seem good (meet), + please (will), be (esteem, go) right (on), bring (look, make, take the) straight (way), be upright (-ly)
God tells us exactly in His Word how to obtain that information we need to make wise godly decisions.
James 1:5,6 NKJV
5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
From the Greek Language we can know -
wisdom, 4678
4678. sofiva soáphia, sof-ee´-ah; from 4680; wisdom (higher or lower, worldly or spiritual):— wisdom
o God provides the information we need both for the world and for the spiritual life. Any and all information needed for living and following should be found by seeking God for His godly wisdom. Making each of our decisions based on His wisdom will ensure our abundance in life.
liberally, 574
574. aJplw`" haploµs, hap-loce´; adv. from 573 (in the obj. sense of 572); bountifully:— liberally.
o There is no desire on God’s behalf to withhold information from us that we need. He will grant us any form of godly wisdom we need, if we will only ask. The problem comes in two areas. One, we do not ask. And secondly, we ask - then we doubt what we believe God to be telling us.
wavering. 1252
1252. diakrivnw diakrinoµ, dee-ak-ree´-no; from 1223 and 2919; to separate thoroughly, i.e. (lit. and refl.) to withdraw from, or (by impl.) oppose; fig. to discriminate (by impl. decide), or (refl.) hesitate:— contend, make (to) differ (-ence), discern, doubt, judge, be partial, stagger, waver.
Here is where the rubber meets the road. Once we have heard from God regarding His godly wisdom for us, we must not depart from the course He has set before us. However, for many we hear from God, then fear sets in and doubt takes over. We begin to tell ourselves things like, “What if that was not God I heard”, “What if I am wrong about what God said exactly or what I heard”, or “What if something or someone other than God was speaking to me.” Before you know it we are so confused and filled with so much doubt about what we should or should not do we become paralyzed with fear. That paralysis leads to lack of productiveness, and lack of action taken, which leads to lack of abundance, growth, and change in our lives. Once we have heard from God, what is His wisdom for us, along with the duration of time in which He is asking us to invest in the matter; we should move forward despite any second-guessing. Will we make mistakes, yes, but if our hearts are sincerely seeking to do God’s Will according to God’s Wisdom, God will take care of any mistakes we make. Ask Him what to do, and then do it despite the little voice of the Wicked One who wants to make you doubt.
Here are some great Scripture references, which can be studied on the matter of making decisions -
Decision—determination to follow a course of action
A. Sources of:
Loyalty Ruth 1:16
Prayer 1 Sam. 23:1–13
The Lord 1 Kin. 12:15
Satan 1 Chr. 21:1
The world Luke 14:16–24
Human need Acts 11:27–30
Disagreement Acts 15:36–41
Faith Heb. 11:24–28
B. Wrong, leading to:
Spiritual decline Gen. 13:7–11
Repentance Heb. 12:16, 17
Defeat Num. 14:40–45
Rejection 1 Sam. 15:6–26
Apostasy 1 Kin. 11:1–13
Division 1 Kin. 12:12–20
Death Acts 1:16–20
C. Good, manifested in:
Siding with the Lord Ex. 32:26
Following God Num. 14:24; Josh. 14:8
Loving God Deut. 6:5
Seeking God 2 Chr. 15:12
Obeying God Neh. 10:28–30
When you want something or want to do something real bad, something that on the surface is not bad. Moreover, you have different emotions about it how do you discern between what Gods is telling you to do and the devil is trying to get you to do?
Answer:
Without a specific example of the “something” referred to in the question this can be a hard question to answer. Because we use so many factors to discern if the prompting and leading we are sensing is truly from God, Satan trying to trick us, or even just our own desire. There are some things to keep in mind however, when trying to discern which it might be.
God will NEVER under any circumstance contradict His written Word, the Bible. If whatever we are prompted to do does not line up with the truths found in God’s Word, it is not God prompting us.
God will not contradict a previous personal command He has given us. If God told us something or gave us an answer on something one week, next week He will not give us different answer. He will at times have us do something for a period of time then later have us stop, but He will not contradict Himself in what He guides us personally through Rhema Words from Him to do.
Numbers 23:19 NKJV
19 “God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Hebrews 13:8 NKJV
8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
We will have peace about whatever it is that we feel lead to do. God will not lead us into something we do not have peace over. We may feel a bit scared, inadequate, or intimidated but we will not be at spiritual unrest over the matter. If we have spiritual unrest, we should question whether God is the source of the prompting.
John 14:27 NKJV
27“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (Jesus speaking)
If confusion is present that is a sign God is not influencing that part of the decision.
1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV
33For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints
We need to make sure our hearts long for what God desire and that we seek Him in every decision. Scripture tells us He will guide us if we let Him.
Proverbs 3:5,6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Shall direct -
as found in the Hebrew language to mean the following -
3474. rv'y:
yaÆshar, yaw-shar’; a prim. root; to be straight or even; fig. to be (caus. to make) right, pleasant, prosperous:— direct, fit, seem good (meet), + please (will), be (esteem, go) right (on), bring (look, make, take the) straight (way), be upright (-ly)
God tells us exactly in His Word how to obtain that information we need to make wise godly decisions.
James 1:5,6 NKJV
5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
From the Greek Language we can know -
wisdom, 4678
4678. sofiva soáphia, sof-ee´-ah; from 4680; wisdom (higher or lower, worldly or spiritual):— wisdom
o God provides the information we need both for the world and for the spiritual life. Any and all information needed for living and following should be found by seeking God for His godly wisdom. Making each of our decisions based on His wisdom will ensure our abundance in life.
liberally, 574
574. aJplw`" haploµs, hap-loce´; adv. from 573 (in the obj. sense of 572); bountifully:— liberally.
o There is no desire on God’s behalf to withhold information from us that we need. He will grant us any form of godly wisdom we need, if we will only ask. The problem comes in two areas. One, we do not ask. And secondly, we ask - then we doubt what we believe God to be telling us.
wavering. 1252
1252. diakrivnw diakrinoµ, dee-ak-ree´-no; from 1223 and 2919; to separate thoroughly, i.e. (lit. and refl.) to withdraw from, or (by impl.) oppose; fig. to discriminate (by impl. decide), or (refl.) hesitate:— contend, make (to) differ (-ence), discern, doubt, judge, be partial, stagger, waver.
Here is where the rubber meets the road. Once we have heard from God regarding His godly wisdom for us, we must not depart from the course He has set before us. However, for many we hear from God, then fear sets in and doubt takes over. We begin to tell ourselves things like, “What if that was not God I heard”, “What if I am wrong about what God said exactly or what I heard”, or “What if something or someone other than God was speaking to me.” Before you know it we are so confused and filled with so much doubt about what we should or should not do we become paralyzed with fear. That paralysis leads to lack of productiveness, and lack of action taken, which leads to lack of abundance, growth, and change in our lives. Once we have heard from God, what is His wisdom for us, along with the duration of time in which He is asking us to invest in the matter; we should move forward despite any second-guessing. Will we make mistakes, yes, but if our hearts are sincerely seeking to do God’s Will according to God’s Wisdom, God will take care of any mistakes we make. Ask Him what to do, and then do it despite the little voice of the Wicked One who wants to make you doubt.
Here are some great Scripture references, which can be studied on the matter of making decisions -
Decision—determination to follow a course of action
A. Sources of:
Loyalty Ruth 1:16
Prayer 1 Sam. 23:1–13
The Lord 1 Kin. 12:15
Satan 1 Chr. 21:1
The world Luke 14:16–24
Human need Acts 11:27–30
Disagreement Acts 15:36–41
Faith Heb. 11:24–28
B. Wrong, leading to:
Spiritual decline Gen. 13:7–11
Repentance Heb. 12:16, 17
Defeat Num. 14:40–45
Rejection 1 Sam. 15:6–26
Apostasy 1 Kin. 11:1–13
Division 1 Kin. 12:12–20
Death Acts 1:16–20
C. Good, manifested in:
Siding with the Lord Ex. 32:26
Following God Num. 14:24; Josh. 14:8
Loving God Deut. 6:5
Seeking God 2 Chr. 15:12
Obeying God Neh. 10:28–30