CBN TEACHING SHEETS
How Does God Guide People?
By Pat Robertson
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– God's primary
means for giving us guidance is the Bible. "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth,
no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit'"
(John 3:5). The Bible is our rule book of faith and practice. If we know and
understand the scriptures, we will be well on our way to having His guidance.
He never guides His people contrary to the clear principles of His written Word.
Second, guidance comes from a knowledge of God Himself. We need to know what
pleases Him and what displeases Him. There is no substitute for walking with God,
sharing with Him, and talking to Him daily. "The man without the Spirit does not
accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to
him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I
Corinthians 2:14). When you do that, you will experience His direction and His
correction. You will come to know what His desire is. "If my people, who are called
by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will
heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:14). "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and
he will lift you up" (James 4:10). This relationship develops over a long period
of time, not instantaneously. Through constant use, your senses become sharpened
so that you know good from evil. "Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth
and honor and life" (Proverbs 22:4). Spiritual maturity forms a basis for guidance.
A third key to God's guidance is found in the book of Proverbs, where we read:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding:
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." "But he gives
us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace
to the humble" (James 4:6). This means that you are not only to know God, but
to trust Him implicitly. Every aspect of your life is to reflect His sovereignty
over you. "In all your ways acknowledge Him," means in your work, in your family,
in your personal life, in your thought life, in your recreation, in everything
you do, you acknowledge that God is in control of you. Then, lean not on your
own understanding. If you think you know all the answers, if you have everything
all figured out, then you are leaning on your own understanding. If you trust
God, acknowledge Him in the way that you live, and do not lean on your overconfidence
or past experience. Let Him guide you. You must have knowledge of the scriptures,
a personal knowledge of God, and the knowledge that you are living each day in
tune with Him, expecting His guidance. Finally, to have His guidance, you need
to be filled with His Spirit. The Bible says, "As many as are led by the Spirit
of God, these are the sons of God." "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will
lead you into all truth. "For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their
lips, let them be caught in their pride" (Psalm 59:12). "To fear the Lord is to
hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech" (Proverbs
8:13). "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs
16:18). "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor"
(Proverbs 29:23). In the book of Acts, there are recorded instances where the
Holy Spirit gave personal guidance. He said to do this or not to do that. He gave
revelations. And He still does all these things. He guides by means of specific
scriptures that suddenly come alive for you. He guides by bringing people to you
providentially to give you advice and counsel. He guides through circumstances.
But you must be filled with the Spirit. There are many other ways that God
can guide you. If your heart and life are centered on God, His Word, and His Holy
Spirit, you can rest assured that He will direct your path.
Excerpts taken
from God's primary
means for giving us guidance is the Bible. "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth,
no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit'"
(John 3:5). The Bible is our rule book of faith and practice. If we know and
understand the scriptures, we will be well on our way to having His guidance.
He never guides His people contrary to the clear principles of His written Word.
Second, guidance comes from a knowledge of God Himself. We need to know what
pleases Him and what displeases Him. There is no substitute for walking with God,
sharing with Him, and talking to Him daily. "The man without the Spirit does not
accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to
him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I
Corinthians 2:14). When you do that, you will experience His direction and His
correction. You will come to know what His desire is. "If my people, who are called
by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will
heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:14). "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and
he will lift you up" (James 4:10). This relationship develops over a long period
of time, not instantaneously. Through constant use, your senses become sharpened
so that you know good from evil. "Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth
and honor and life" (Proverbs 22:4). Spiritual maturity forms a basis for guidance.
A third key to God's guidance is found in the book of Proverbs, where we read:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding:
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." "But he gives
us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace
to the humble" (James 4:6). This means that you are not only to know God, but
to trust Him implicitly. Every aspect of your life is to reflect His sovereignty
over you. "In all your ways acknowledge Him," means in your work, in your family,
in your personal life, in your thought life, in your recreation, in everything
you do, you acknowledge that God is in control of you. Then, lean not on your
own understanding. If you think you know all the answers, if you have everything
all figured out, then you are leaning on your own understanding. If you trust
God, acknowledge Him in the way that you live, and do not lean on your overconfidence
or past experience. Let Him guide you. You must have knowledge of the scriptures,
a personal knowledge of God, and the knowledge that you are living each day in
tune with Him, expecting His guidance. Finally, to have His guidance, you need
to be filled with His Spirit. The Bible says, "As many as are led by the Spirit
of God, these are the sons of God." "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will
lead you into all truth. "For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their
lips, let them be caught in their pride" (Psalm 59:12). "To fear the Lord is to
hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech" (Proverbs
8:13). "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs
16:18). "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor"
(Proverbs 29:23). In the book of Acts, there are recorded instances where the
Holy Spirit gave personal guidance. He said to do this or not to do that. He gave
revelations. And He still does all these things. He guides by means of specific
scriptures that suddenly come alive for you. He guides by bringing people to you
providentially to give you advice and counsel. He guides through circumstances.
But you must be filled with the Spirit. There are many other ways that God
can guide you. If your heart and life are centered on God, His Word, and His Holy
Spirit, you can rest assured that He will direct your path. Are you searching for peace with God? Find it here! Telephone
Prayer Counselors
If you have an immediate prayer request, or if you need to talk to a caring Christian friend, please call
our 24-hour Prayer line at 1-800-759-0700. Do
you have a prayer Request?
Submit
your prayer request using our online prayer request form. We pray over each
need that is presented to us. Have you invited Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior?
Send
us an e-mail using our online form so that we can pray with you. Excerpts taken
from Answers To 200 Of Life's Most Probing Questions, by Pat Robertson. Scripture references are taken form the New American Standard translation
of the Bible.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|
|