“Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go, whether to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:20-21 NLT)
The Prophet Isaiah was painting a picture of how things would one day be for the children of Israel, a day that came when Jesus was born on earth, but also a day on which every born-again child of God will see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears the God of heaven.
In the meantime, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, many voices will invade our heart and mind, seeking prominence in our thoughts and consideration. How do we discern which is God’s? How do we make wise decisions, decisions that will please and honor the Lord?
Tim Keller challenges us when he writes: “Often what seem to be our deepest desires are just our loudest.” What’s he talking about? We have an uncanny way of allowing the enemy of our soul to play tricks with our mind. Satan will plant ideas in our mind that are confusing because he makes them seem legitimate and in line with what we think we want.
For example, let’s say you’ve always wanted to travel the world. You’ve dreamed of visiting tropical islands or hiking through the mountain ranges of other lands. You love the outdoors and would rather sleep in a tent in the rain than stay in a motel. One day you read an ad and someone is looking for someone to do what you’ve only dreamed about doing your whole life.
You’re sure it’s a message from the Lord, so, you tell your wife and expect her to jump with joy, but she looks at you like you’re crazy. You’re shouting: “It’s exactly what I’ve wanted to do my whole life! Aren’t you happy for me?” But she looks at you very seriously and says: “You’re 42 years old. You have me and three kids still at home. I don’t work and we have enough money in savings to last us about six months. Our monthly expenses are more than what they’re offering for a starting salary and you have more than 20 years on your current job. Go lay down. You’re get over this!”
Who do you trust? Your “gut?” Or your wife? Do we understand that our “gut” lies to us? Satan can make an adulterous affair seem very enticing, very “needed,” but it’s not. It’s a trap! A net from which we can’t easily escape, with ramifications we can’t even imagine. Drugs and alcohol seem harmless enjoyment, until they’re not. When they destroy our health, mentally and physically, they’re very difficult, if not impossible to overcome.
We wrongly believe the first kiss, the first drink, the first high will send us to places we think we want to go, until we realize it’s a one-way door that can’t be reopened without a lot of heartache and agony of soul and body. What we feel sometimes contradicts what we know in our heart, especially if we’re a Jesus follower.
Please don’t allow Satan to masquerade as an angel of light and lie you into believing what the Bible says is wrong is really okay. It’s not. It never has been and never will be. Allow the clear instruction of the Scriptures to be your voice of conscience in leading you on the paths of righteousness. Determine by the grace of God you’re going to walk in faithful submission to the Lord’s directives.
You can ALWAYS TRUST HIM!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 