How Does God Guide You in Making Hard Decisions? (Part 1 of 3)
“I talk to him and ask him what to do and what college to go to,” says Abraham, 8. “God helps me make a decision like if I should hit my brother.”
Decisions, decisions. If you’d like to enter college in one piece, you would be wise to refrain from hitting your brother. Hit mine instead. Just kidding.
“One day I wanted to beat up my sister, but God told me not to do it,” says Jonathan, 8.
I’m glad you listened, Jonathan. Never, ever hit a girl. Don’t even think about it. Some boys who hit girls grow into men who hit women. I hesitate to use the word “men” because real men don’t hit women. Only cowards resort to this kind of violence.
If you want to make life easier for yourself, decide in advance to follow God’s standards. Then when occasions arise, there will be fewer things to decide. You can act without hesitation upon your convictions. In a culture where morality is relative, you’ll have to swim against the stream. Just make sure your convictions are biblically based.
“When I had a new dog, I had to choose if I wanted to keep him or give him away,” says Ambee, 11. “I had a pool in the back yard, so he didn’t have any room to play. So that night, God told me to give him to Mr. Carol. He had three acres. I did, and the dog is still alive and running happily.”
Ambee’s story is a great example of discovering God’s will. Nothing in the Bible says that if you have a dog in a small back yard, you should give it to someone with three acres. However, promises abound for those who depend on God for guidance.
One of my favorites is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all you heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Don’t think God is too busy to direct you in small things. Notice that God promises guidance to those who trust and acknowledge him in everything.
God’s revealed will is in the Bible. We must never let our feelings override the revealed Word of God. The mind is a beautiful thing, but never use it to rationalize away God’s revealed will. We must obey God even if our feelings scream and our minds imagine logical reasons for disobedience.
When feelings and spouses scream in a troubled marriage, it’s difficult for any rational thought to prevail. Yet God’s revealed will remains revealed in the Bible. Here are some examples: Jesus said marriage is a lifetime covenant where two people become “one flesh” (Mark 10:5-9). God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). The separated Christian should reconcile or remain single (I Corinthians 7:10-11). Jesus said a man or woman who divorces and remarries commits adultery (Mark 10:11-12).
Walking by faith means believing God. Even when contrary voices scream, we put them aside because our love for God is greater than our natural desires. Remember that God can change our natural desires, but his Word remains steadfast.
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heat. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:4-5). When our desires line up with God’s desires, there’s no conflict. The peace of God reigns in our hearts.
We always have choices like the one Richard, 8, made on that fateful night when his mom left him in the car to search for his sister: “God gave me a decision to pray or cry. I prayed. I asked God to bring my mom back right now. When I opened my eyes, she was walking to the car.”
Carey Kinsolving is a syndicated columnist, producer, author, speaker and website developer. To see more material like this, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. The Kids Talk About God website contains free, online content for children and families. See Carey’s Kid TV Interviews. Hear a book talk. Print free lessons from the "Kids Color Me Bible" and make your own book. Let an 11-year-old girl take you on a trip around the world in the Mission Explorers Streaming Video. Print Scripture verses illustrated by child artists. Receive a complimentary, weekly e-mail subscription to our Devotional Bible Lessons.
Bible quotations in this Bible lesson are from the New King James Version.
Copyright 2007 Carey Kinsolving