Finding Your Way Through
When we are young, the world seems so exciting and full of promise and we can’t wait to make our way in it, but once we step out into the world as young adults, it often becomes quite daunting, and even overwhelming to decide what the best way is to go. Major life decisions loom large, and we can begin to feel a sense of panic and confusion over which way to turn, especially when our current choices seem unproductive, stagnant or more difficult than we had anticipated. College, career, marriage, travel, children...So many opportunities, but what is best to pursue? Many jump from decision to decision without any thought about what is best, settling for what seems good in the moment. Others are so paralyzed with confusion and fear that they stay stuck wherever they are, longing for something different & better, but unsure of what that is or how to get there.
A friend recently said to me, “finding direction in this world is so hard” and she is absolutely right, in fact, I would go one step further, and say that it is impossible if we are looking to the world and the opinions of others for guidance. The world offers us nothing but conflicting and confusing opinions and opportunities. We are told to “live our best lives”, “live out our own truth”, “follow our hearts”, “do what makes us happy”, “Do what we are passionate about”, “work hard, make money and retire early”, on and on. This is tremendous amount of vague, self-focused advice that leads to comparison, confusion, discouragement, and destruction, in relationships and lives.
To truly make your way successfully in this world we must stop seeking worldly advice and avoid self-focused, shallow gratification, which is short lived at best.
Unless we are walking in close, daily relationship with the One who created us and planned and purposed our lives, we are going to face disillusionment and despair at some point or even worse.
The good news is that we have a Heavenly Father Who loves us deeply and wants to guide and help us. His only pre-requisite is that we believe Who He is and seek to know Him.
(Ephesians 1:17-20)
So, how do we do that?
It is really quite simple, but not always easy. It takes relinquishing our right to our “self” and living how we think is best and instead, commit to spending time getting to know Him and what He says. It is not a quick fix, but it has amazing results. When we begin to do this, we will see our lives and the world differently. God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him.
He created each of us. Not only that, He loves us so much that He wants us to know Him now and spend eternity with him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
Jesus, who is God in human form, came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. Jesus can bring kindness, truth and purpose to our lives, if we let Him.
If we walk in close relationship with Him, we don’t have to guess at the right decisions in life, we will know which way to go because Jesus, the God of the universe is showing us the plan He has for our lives.
The problem is, that more often than not we try to make a go of it ourselves.
Whether in the long run, or short, our limited human perspective sorely limits our ability to make the best decisions. When we don’t seek God first and His will in every matter, the results are discouraging, and can even be catastrophic to our lives, and those around us.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Proverbs 14:12-16
In Matthew 6:33 we are instructed to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all these things will be added...”
This means that in all things we should be seeking God first. We should not make a decision without prayerfully asking Him for His wisdom and guidance first and then waiting on His response.
He promises us in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
That is not a suggestion, that is a promise from the God of the universe!
How then do we go about knowing God? A beautiful aspect of God is how He treats us all as individuals and interacts with each of us in a unique way. We can learn principles for knowing God but we shouldn’t try to follow a formula. He is a relational God, and knowing Him is founded in a relationship.
Here are four principles that will help in your journey of knowing God, no matter how old you are, or what phase of life you are in.
1. Talk to Him (Pray)
God wants a relationship with you which means He wants to hear what you’re thinking.
This is what prayer is.
When you talk, be honest, don’t put on a “prayer voice” or say things you think He wants to hear. Take your mask off, drop any pretense and be honest with Him. Are you frustrated? Then let Him know. Is today a good day? Tell Him. Ask Him questions, talk of your hearts desires, involve Him in whatever you’re thinking and any decisions you face. As you practice honesty and communication with Him, it will help you tremendously on your journey of knowing God.
2. Listen to Him (Be quiet and wait to hear)
A significant key to knowing God is to listen to Him. Many people have asked how God speaks and how they can hear him. It’s probably better to say that God communicates with us. He does it by His word, through wise counsel, opportunities and what the Bible calls our peace. An internal sense of His guiding and leading.
3. Repent
Repentance involves a heartfelt conviction of sin, a contrition over the offense to God, a turning away from the sinful way of life, and a turning towards a God-honoring way of life. As you pray and listen for God’s response, He will make you aware of sinful thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors that do not honor Him and for which He wants you to turn to Him in repentance so that He can cleanse your heart and help you get back into right relationship with Him.
Acts 3:19 instructs, “repent and return to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
4. Study Him (Read the Bible)
As I encourage you to study God, I’m aware that there could be a tendency to view God as an abstract concept, something to understand and inspect. However, that is as far from what I mean as possible. Knowing God is about a personal relationship, initiated by a Father who loves you, revealed in His Son Jesus who is made known by the Holy Spirit. It’s not a theological concept but a world-changing revelation.
Having said that, we’re encouraged to study His word (the Bible) as it is His word that reveals Who He is, so when we study the Bible, meditate on and memorize scriptures, we understand who He is and what He has done.
There is no specific way that is best to read the Bible. Each person approaches their Bible reading in different ways. Some people prefer a Bible reading plan, which guides them daily on what to read, others, like to do studies on a particular word or topic and see what God says about it in his word. Some use a combination of both. The most important thing is that you are reading the Bible, so you can get to know Who God is and what He says. If you’re unsure where to start, the book of John is always a great place to begin!
5. Community is critical in knowing God (Find a Church family)
Following Jesus is never supposed to be an individual experience; we are supposed to be in a community. Finding a solid Bible teaching church as well as a small group/life group is key.
It’s in a community that we see God working in our everyday lives. We get to know Him as we live together, work together, encourage one another and serve Him together.
Finding our way through life should not be stressful, confusing, or discouraging. We have a Heavenly Father, who created us for a purpose and has a plan for our lives, and He wants to help us walk through life with joy, peace, and a deep sense of fulfillment. Taking our focus off of our self, and the fleeting pleasures of this world and putting our focus on having a relationship with Jesus Christ is the answer to how we can successfully navigate life and make the best, most fulfilling decisions.
A deep personal relationship with Jesus should be the hallmark of our Christian walk. we are never alone, and we have the God of the universe as our Father, teacher, and guide!
Seek: The more we seek God, the more we will know Him. ...
(Jeremiah 29:13)
Know: The more we know God, the more we will trust Him. ...
(John 17:3)
Trust: The more we trust God, the more we'll obey Him. ...
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
Obey: The more we obey God, the more we'll experience Him. ...
(John 14:15, 21, 23)
Experience: The more we experience God, the more we'll love Him!
(“Participating in the nature of God, being moved by Him, and learning of Him by familiarity.”)
(Matthew 22:37)
