All of the big decisions I have made in life, such as to go on a missions trip, where to college, and who to marry have been because of a knowledge and peace I have been given by God. For these big decisions, I prayed to God several times in order to discern his will.
But then there are those times when I don't actually have to make a big decision, but I feel God telling me to do something. I often have a thought come into my head, and I think, "Where did that come from? How did that idea pop into my head?" Many get the sudden idea to move to a different place. Some get a thought that they should quit their job, and look for a different opportunity. Some people even get the extreme thought that they should sell their house, quit their jobs, and become missionaries.
I want to open up the discussion...has God ever told you to do something? Did an idea ever pop into your brain, and you thought, "God, you want me to do what?" How do you know those thoughts or ideas are from God? How can we discern God's voice? I would like to hear your stories and opinions!
Please comment.....
Well I don't know who all will read this, and I want to be careful. God knows each of us different and I am finding he "speaks" in the clearest way unique to each persons fabric. After all he knows me best. I used to think God was telling me to do something simply because things that I thought were random would seem to connect in my head. Such as a sermon or something I was learning would connect with people he placed in my life or situations or events that happened.
ReplyDeleteHowever at the end of college I really doubted. How do I know God? What if all the things that I thought he was saying were not what I thought they meant. And quite frankly I know a few of them were perhaps things that I wanted to connect and did connect, but concluded too quickly what God was saying. I feel this question is one that I struggle with, and have struggled with the most in my life. It is the one that brings me to tears and causing me to do the things I do.
However my adventure to Minneapolis has been quite a revealing experience as of lately. I have found that I am a connector. It is always on my mind about how one event or image teaches me something about life or something else. That is how God wired me. Knowing this I have learned to take the things I connect and let some of them go. Not every connection is an act of God. However I believe he personally teaches me things from them. When I chose to pick up everything I owned and move to Minneapolis. Where I did not know anyone, really. I made that choice because I felt there was an open door. Frankly I didn't have anywhere else to go. I think as my life continues I pray less and less for random things to connect and more and more for open doors and what God would have me do with them.
I right now am waiting, waiting on God to direct my path beyond this point. And asking what I can do here and now. What I can learn and who I can serve. Doing radical things is not bad and I think that God does use them. But I still wait more for him to provide a clear way for me to go before I jump. Simply because I have jumped and hit the bottom of doubt before.
He knows that too, and I am so thankful he is patient. Perhaps someday I will know more about how to hear his voice, but for right now I do find I can forever trust his heart to get me where he wants me, even if I doubt his voice a thousand times.
I really appreciated your thoughts Sierra and hope both you and Josh are well. Thanks for letting me share.