The fact that Jesus lives in our hearts can give us direction in finding His will.
The Law (including our "shoulds") is on the outside like a weight. It's an obligatory feeling that I should do X. But there is nothing inside me that resonates with this feeling.
In contrast, because God is in my heart, He wants to express Himself through me: to live through me, to speak through me, to touch through me, to see through me, to love through me. Therefore, God's will is usually a gentle pressure in my heart that comes from within wanting to get out.
Discerning whether something is coming from within or without is one way to distinguish God's will. He most often (not always) directs us through our desires, rather than "shoulds." Even though God's will might be uncomfortable and not what I immediately want, if I ask myself what I ultimately desire, it is usually God's plan.
One example is eating a box of brownies. I may want to eat them. But ultimately I want to be healthy and to be a normal weight. If I become long-sighted, and keep my "eyes on the prize," I will make the right decision and forego the brownie.
This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it is a helpful principle. If something feels like a pressure from within, and resonates with what I ultimately want, it's usually from God. If it is an obligatory pressure from outside, it is probably not God.
Hope this adds some clarity to your life!
Blessings,
Come visit us at warrenfamilylife.com
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great post Cyndi-
ReplyDeleteanother thing i try to consider when weighing out decisions is, how much will this action benefit others? if only we could read God's mind! ...but even if we could, we wouldn't be making the right choices on our own. so goes our learning road, yeah?
Thanks Cyndi! Jenny
ReplyDeletenow that's quite a checking...
ReplyDeleteMama was right when she said, "if ya gotta' think about it too long it is probably not of God. This Ozark farm chick teaches a pre-teen Sunday school class(someone has to do it) and I am the Kid's Church director. I loved my read through your site today. Have a wonderfully blessed day!
ReplyDeleteNezzy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting!!! That's awesome what you do. You go, girl!
Mikes and Jenny,
I appreciate your faithfulness!
With love,
Cyndi
ku-ryan,
ReplyDeleteDidn't mean to overlook you! I always appreciate your comments!