09/05/11

Getting guidance

Acts 27:20 - And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.


The main reason why many people, including Churches are taking wrong steps or are not doing any progress is because they do not have any personal guidance from the Lord. They lack instructions on how to move forward and it does not need to be a great crisis for which they need direction, it could be even a small issue in which they need assistance.

One can easy come to know by attending a service if there are people amongst them to whom the Lord is speaking.

Some days back a dear brother got a desire to marry a sister in the Lord and had approached me to confirm if it was the Lord's will. The Lord had given me some details of her family which I shared with him and he confirmed at it matched. He also spoke to another sister in whose house he takes a House Church and even she got a confirmation from the Lord. He himself also got a confirmation from the Lord.

There was one hurdle for him and it was the girl's uncle who is a senior Pastor in a Church. The boy and girl had approached him too about getting confirmation of coming together as husband and wife. The Pastor told them he would prayer and come back to them. After more than a month and half he still did not confirm although he is like a father to the girl and has very close attachment to her. When we met one day, he got offended that the Lord talks to us but when a person asked him why he did not get any answer since a month and half he kept shut and almost vent his anger in another direction. He repented later and gave his okay to the marriage.

What we see happened with him was that there was something about the boy he did not understand and that occupied his thinking and disconnected his communication with the Lord.

In today scripture we see people were looking for the sun and stars for guidance. This is exactly what Churches and people do is look for signs and manifestations to get answer to their queries which they put before the Lord.

The Lord does confirm His Word with signs and wonders, but we cannot always rely the other way to be 100percent, that by looking at sign and wonders thinking it is a confirmation from the Lord. Scripture says especially in the later days we will see many signs and wonders which we should not believe but abide to the Word of the Lord.

There are very few people including Church leaders who can confidently confirm that the Lord speaks to them one to one and personal directs them when they put forth their issue before the Lord.

It is not necessary that every issue and every time instantly the Lord answers. There are times the confirmation takes time, but the Lord never fails to answer.

It is time we should stop looking at the world or at sign and wonders but bring forth our problems to the Lord on a personal one to one basis; believe me He does speak to His people. When we communicate with the Holy Spirit Who is with us, He answers in many ways, we may have a vision, a dream, a message from the scriptures, even hear an audible voice speak to us etc...


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You are a living God and nothing is hidden from You. You desire to guide your people but your people are far from You and therefore cannot hear You. Even in the darkest moments You always make a window of escape but since we are blind we fail to see the escape and get consumed. Lord, help us to focus on You and build a stronger communication with You through the understanding of your Word...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripturesr ]
Acts 27:21-26
21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.
23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
26 Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.

Joel 2:28-29
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Luke 21:35-36
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

1 Corinthians 10:13
13 There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)