Thoughts on Guidance

A couple of weeks ago I did a few posts on the possibility and necessity of hearing God’s voice. So I thought it would be good for me to share my own method of obtaining guidance.
1. Hearing God’s Voice
This is the sine qua non of guidance, because guidance requires a guide. We must discern God’s voice when it comes to us. It may come to us through a Scripture verse, dream, vision or prophecy, the leadership over us or through others, even unbelievers. God also gives guidance by circumstances (the main reason why I am here in Malawi right now is because a couple years ago, my dad fell and hurt his arm right when I was at a loose end, since then God has confirmed things and I am here longer than the original timeframe).
A semi-deist (a Christian who does not believe that God speaks directly today) will disallow that God’s voice is present to be heard in any specific instance. So I would ask him, “do you know you are doing God’s will for your life?” His answer according to his principles would have to be “No, it is unknowable, I can only know I am following Scriptural precepts, but not anything specific.” To which I answer, “If you don’t know where you are going don’t expect me to follow you.” If you are going to follow someone at least follow someone who believes they know where they are going. Next check to make sure they aren’t deluded.
If the ability to hear God’s voice is allowed, then we can look for keys to hearing it.
a. Patiently Waiting for the Lord and Obeying His Precepts
We need to be willing to wait for God to speak and not do something just for the sake of doing something. God often waits to speak in order to test us (Psa. 25:3-5, 27:11-14, 37:7-9). Also since light is sown for the righteous, we must be doing what we know to be right to receive further guidance.
b. Praying For Guidance
We need to ask God to lead us. We should never take His leading for granted. There are many things that God does not do unless we ask.
c. Being Willing to Obey Totally and Unconditionally
This one cannot be overemphasized. Most failures in guidance are due to this and this alone. People often make up their mind what they want to do and then try to get God to rubberstamp it. That always results in disaster, that is what Balaam did. God also makes a promise in Ezekiel (not one you would want to claim), that if you really want to do something and set it up as an idol in your heart and ask counsel of a prophet, he will tell you what you want to hear (Ezek. 14:3-5).
This is why many people can say that they received a word, a prophecy, etc. to do something against God’s word. Effectively, God told them, “if you want to be a fool, don’t let Me stop you.”
If you are willing and obedient God will keep you. If you have integrity it will preserve you (Pro. 11:3; 20:7). Many times God tests us on what we want the most. What are we willing to hear? If we lack integrity we will want to be deceived and will be. However if we truly desire the truth, we will not accept false answers; we will be willing to let the truth cut us and bind us up. Without integrity, none of these keys will work; we will follow what we want to hear.
Elisha heard the call of God to a double portion of anointing, that upward calling burned in his heart, and no manner of discouragement could dissuade him from being with Elijah to receive it. He had several genuine opportunities to forfeit it, but he chose the hardest and best way.
From experience, I can say that God speaks when we are willing to be made wiling. In one specific instance I was pondering a certain course of action that someone else had suggested. I did not want that course, but I committed it to God. I prayed that God would reveal His will and make me willing to do it (the last part is very important otherwise we only increase our condemnation). That night God gave me a dream and it showed me that the course of action was not God’s best for me. I could happily refuse to do it.
Being made willing is important, because more often in my case, I have not liked what God spoke, at least not initially. As I lay down my ideas and my will however, joy and peace come. A certainty also comes.
Critics claim that in effect we cannot trust our own heart and that these impressions are self-generated, and use the Scripture concerning the heart being deceitful above all things to try to refute our ability to hear. However, what they fail to realize is that the heart also affects understanding and would also affect our understanding of Scripture. That is unless they are willing to assert that they have an infallible knowledge of how to apply Scripture in every event. The heart is the lens through which we perceive our world and apart from grace we can see nothing as it really is (That is in its eternal perspective). Caleb and Joshua saw the same things as the other 10 spies, but the others saw them through the lens of an evil heart of unbelief and thus did not see rightly at all.
2. Godly Counsel
I place this second because for it to function at all the ability to hear God’s voice is first required. If we cannot hear God’s voice in our own heart even if it upsets our ideas and plans, there is no way we will be able to receive it from a human vessel. God never intended counsel from others to supersede His own voice to us, the Israelites repeatedly chose that out of fear (Ex. 20:19; Judge 8:22-23; John 19:15).
However, God does confirm His Word and there should be a confirmation by the leadership over us when we are in the right course. Also, even if we are heading in the right direction, many times godly counsel can help with details that may not be clear otherwise.
Often if we are sure that God has spoken but we lack the concurrence of leadership it is a sign to wait for things to develop. God uses this to work character in us. Being longsuffering with people is only developed as we do it. I think one of the best examples of this are Caleb and Joshua who had to endure 38 years of wandering because of other people’s attitudes, and yet God made it up to them.
3. Scriptures
Everything we do should be in line with the Word of God. God may ask to do things that are not normal, but never anything that is not moral. We will never obtain correct specific guidance if we are willfully walking against the precepts of God. In His light we see light (Psa. 36:9).

To finish my treatment of this subject, I would like to remind you to ask God for integrity so you can discern His voice apart from your own desires. One time right after I had graduated from Bible School, I was considering a certain course of action, I knew that is was not good, but at the time I had almost convinced myself I didn’t care. While I was pondering this course, a man I barely knew, who was not a believer, approached me and out of the blue began to recommend the very course of action I was considering. It was unnerving and I realized that it was a test. I had another similar experience later in life as well. God will allow you to hear what you want to hear, He will give you excuses to give up or do your own thing, but that is all it is an excuse. The experience reminded me of Psalm 1 and the blessing of not walking in the counsel of the ungodly. Do you want to do something so badly that you will feel good about it if it is the devil that encourages you in it? Integrity will keep you, God knows the truth and you will know too if you are willing to take a good look at yourself. Also as a rule of thumb in choices choose the path of self-abnegation. If I make a mistake I would rather it be through over renunciation than through self-exaltation. If that is truly our motive, God can rescue us from a bad choice, but if we make a bad choice from a bad motive, we are in much greater trouble.
May He guide you with His counsel and receive you to glory!