Yesterday we looked at two reasons we might miss God’s will. John 14:26 says the Holy Spirit teaches us all things. So why do we sometimes have trouble understanding His plan?
We make decisions according to emotions. When life gets hard, our instinct is to move away from the source of pain—but in reality, we need to move closer to Jesus. When we figure He couldn’t possibly want us to feel this way, we’re more prone to take action and hope that we’re in His will. But then we’re actually focusing on ourselves instead of God’s plan.
We focus only on the immediate. Many times we come to God troubled about the choices we or our loved ones are facing. We do not see how this situation could possibly be His will. Our short-term focus prevents us from seeing the Lord’s long-term purposes.
We conduct a superficial search. We can treat finding God’s will like a checklist: “Read. Pray Serve. Give.” But that can result in neglecting to give God the time and stillness needed for us to hear from Him (Psalm 46:10). More than simply investing time with the Lord, listening without distraction is also essential.
How much Bible study is required to find out what God wants for us? What amount of prayer? The answer is simple: whatever it takes to hear from Him. He will always answer His children.
And that’s the Memo.
By InTouch Ministries
