Pursuing God’s path and not creating our own is something we all desire because we know on our strength alone, we will not overcome, we will not be successful. How do we get to a place where we are hearing God’s voice, feeling the needle of the Holy Spirit compass guide us? It begins with building a foundation with God and knowing the truth that is written. When we read the written Word, let it saturate us and live out our life biblically instead of worldly, we become more sensitive to God’s voice, building up our vertical relationship and strengthening our discernment. Jeremiah 6:16 says “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it”. Choice creates a crossroad; for example, if you are deciding on getting food you can either eat at home and save money or go out and spend. You have to do one or the other, doing both is not an option and doing nothing will leave you hungry. Every major life altering decision requires having discernment and God’s hand in it; you can either go to the left which is paved by God or to the right where you pave the way yourself. The decision seems easy, go the way that’s already paved; but if you are not hearing God’s voice and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, the decision seems almost impossible. I am not perfect, not even close but I try to seek God with all of my heart (Jeremiah 29:13); His advice, counsel and voice are so dear to me that I want every decision to go through Him first. I call it a Godly filter.
In our prayer time we tend to ask God for something, whether that is healing, a new job or finances. God hears every prayer, every word we speak; in fact, He knows before the words part from our lips (Psalm 139:4). God will answer our prayers and respond, but not always in the way we want or think He will. For example, one could be praying for God to bless their finances; to our worldly eyes we think of an increase of finances, but God’s answer could be learning how to steward and become more responsible with what you already hold.
I have been in a season where I lost my job in August 2020 and have since been exhaustingly searching for a new one. Honestly, finances are rough right now, but I know in this season with limited resources, God is teaching me financial responsibility. I am not a fan of sitting still and having loads of free time, I enjoy working, serving and growing deeper in relationships with people. If you know me or can take a great guess, it has been more tiring sitting here without a job than it is actually working for me. This is a season that is very important to have my eyes open where God is leading and my ears to be keen to what God is speaking to me. Five months have gone by and the emails stating “thank you for your interest but we have chosen another candidate” have flooded my inbox. One would think, “the first job offer, I’m taking it”; but not for me, before any acceptance or decline of a position, I bring it to God first. I know where God has called me in my life and one of the “Godly filter” questions I ask myself is, will this position move me along my calling or stray me farther from it? Asking yourself this question alone demonstrates the importance of God’s voice in your life!
Through fasting and prayer, I ask God to heighten my senses, to transform them from worldly to Godly. It is an everyday surrender and pursuit because the world can look so appealing in short term. The path God has paved may not be easy or on your timeline, but it is the path for kingdom building. Just because something is here and you’ve been waiting does not make it God ordained, the enemy comes in disguise to distract and to deter you from your calling, from your lessons to be learned and growth to be gained. Keep His voice close and His word the foundation of everything you do.
God over convenience.