An exciting adventure begins when we walk in step with Jesus. In the first part of his series, Steps to God’s Guidance, Dr. Stanley explains what life entails when we choose to be guided by the Father. We must completely surrender to Him if our actions are to reflect His glory.
when you’re trying to make a decision in
life and you feel like you need some
guidance you’ve done all that you know
to do as far as finding out the
information you need a little help and
when that’s true where do you turn let
me ask you this when your children are
looking for guidance or your
grandchildren where do they turn they
turn to you if they can’t turn to you to
whom do they turn because you see if you
can’t turn to the right person usually
you’ll turn to the wrong person
and so finding true guidance is very
very important we live in the world that
creates all kind of problems and
situations and circumstances and no one
is an island within himself or herself
we all need someone we can talk to
listen to share heart with I’ll be
willing to share what God has done in
our lives and so when I think about that
and I think of all the scriptures that
come to my mind they won’t I want to
deal with this morning is so crystal
clear it’s talking about being guided by
God how am I got it by God and that’s
the title of a message guided by God if
I’m not guided by him who’s gonna guide
me
everybody needs guidance at some point
in their life so turn to psalm 32 and i
want to begin reading in the seventh
verse which is not about this subject
but it’s a word of encouragement and
read through the eleventh verse of this
thirty second song and so david starts
out in the seventh verse says speaking
of god you’re my hiding place you have
somewhere to run to and i need you you
preserve me from trouble you surround me
with songs of deliverance i will
instruct you and teach you in the way
which you should go i will counsel you
with my eye upon you
do not be as a horse or as the MU which
have no understanding whose trappings
include bit and bridle to hold them in
check otherwise they will not come near
to you many other sorrows of the wicked
but he who trusts in the Lord
loving-kindness shall surround him be
glad in the Lord and rejoice you
righteous ones and shout for joy all you
who are upright in heart so first of all
of what I want you to see here here’s a
promise here’s a promise from Almighty
God listen what he says I will instruct
you and teach you in the way which you
should go so the first thing I want you
notice here is the source of this
promise who is the eye the eyes God God
is saying in all of his omniscience and
all of his power and all that he is he
says I shall obey God the creator of the
ends of the earth I will instruct you
not maybe not I could not I’d like to
but I will this is a commitment by
Almighty God they give us instruction in
their life now listen carefully you
listen say men the value of the promise
depends upon the promise er a lot of
people can make you a promise
God can make you a promise and you never
have to worry about whether he’s gonna
keep it or not so when he says I will
instruct you
then who is making that statement that
is Almighty God the value of any promise
depends upon the character of the
promise er so when you and I promise
someone something whether we keep it or
not says something about who we are if
we’re true to our word and we are true
to who we are we make a promise we’ll
keep it here is a divine promise here is
an eternal promise from Almighty God to
his children I will instruct you and
teach you in the way which you should go
so watch this if God is instructing us
with truth we’ll be able to discern
truth from error if we’re only listening
to the voices of the world we’re gonna
hear a lot of error and certainly things
that will not lead us in the right
direction so think about how inclusive
this is he says first of all he says I
will instruct you I’m gonna give you
knowledge he says I’ll tell you what to
do next and what to avoid I will
instruct you I’ll make it there is
specific I won’t be just general about
it well you ought to do this and so so
here is God who knows you perfectly
those exactly what you’re capable of
doing and what the temptations are what
your possibilities are what his will and
plan for your life he says I will
instruct you then he says not only will
I instruct you but he says I will also
teach you I’m gonna show you how to
apply this to your life it’s one thing
to have information is something else to
know how to apply it to my life in a
given situation and when it comes to
having someone give you guidance in your
life a lot of questions you need to ask
before you choose that person and so he
says I will teach you in other words I’m
gonna impart knowledge to you I’m gonna
help you understand what is the right
thing to do he says I will instruct you
and teach you in the way what you should
go not many ways but of all the ways you
can go of all the decisions you can make
have all the directions you can choose
I’m gonna teach you in the way what look
he says in the way which you should go
not could though go maybe go I’m gonna
teach you in the way which you should go
and most decisions are critical in this
day and time and sometimes it it’s a
little difficult you say well it’s not
right or wrong but what is the wisest
thing to do he says I’m gonna teach you
to discern wisdom I’m gonna teach you
how to make wise decisions
I’m going to instruct you I’m going to
teach you he says I will counsel you
with my eye upon you I’m he said I’m
gonna counsel you I’m gonna counsel you
with my eye upon you two things here
first of all he says I will counsel you
that says something to me about the
closeness of God I’m not just gonna give
you an instruction out there I’m not
just gonna answer a prayer but I’m gonna
counsel you counsel means we’re gonna
have a relationship counsel means he
knows past present future counsel means
on the basis of his wisdom and his
knowledge on the basis of his love on
the basis of God’s pre-planned will for
my life in your life he’s going to
counsel us that is I don’t have to worry
about what what’s going to happen and
not going to happen
if the Spirit of God is counseling me
and so listen to what he says not only
will he counsel us but he says I’m gonna
counsel you with my eye upon you which
says that you and I walk under the
umbrella of the all-seeing eye of a
loving father who desires and is
committed to giving us direction and
counsel for our life and so it’s foolish
it is foolish to make decisions and
forget him it’s foolish to make
decisions based on your own knowledge
and wisdom and understanding because we
can’t know the future and think about
the awesome assurance the one who is
giving us guidance knows that your
future through the last time you breathe
the last breath and his guidance is
based on love and wisdom he always wants
what’s best for us He loves us enough to
have died for us and he says I’m gonna
counsel you with my eye upon you he
knows all the circumstances he knows
what you and I cannot know this is an
awesome passage of Scripture he says I
will teach you and instruct human he
says I will guide you with my eye upon
you
then he gives us a warning look at this
do not be as the horse or as the mule
which have no understanding that is
animals don’t have any moral sense in a
sense they have is who’s in charge
whose trappings include bit and bridle
to hold them in check
otherwise they’ll not come to you he
says don’t don’t be as a horse of the
mule
stubborn in other words you’ve got to
control him or he’s gonna control you
whose trappings include bit and bridle
to hold them in check otherwise they
won’t come to you that’s right
many of the sorrows of the wicked and
that’s his way of saying you don’t
listen to God you’re stubborn you’re
gonna have it your way no matter what he
says many many other sorrows of the
wicked and what he’s simply saying is
this this is these are the consequences
of those who absolutely will not listen
to God and and the words he uses here
many of the sorrows of the wicked and
he’s referring to people who won’t
listen to God he says many of the
sorrows of the wicked and he says many
of the sorrows because they’re all all
kinds of trouble comes when you ignore
God’s counsel you ignore his teaching
his instruction and his guidance then
you get into all kind of situations
because you see if you ignore God wants
more than likely you do it again and
there are many people who live their
lives watch this in rebellion to God
they won’t ever admit it they just say
well I just make my own decisions and I
don’t have to depend upon God or
somebody else and you know what they’re
doing they’re making wrong decisions
they may make a lot of money and a lot
of friends but he says many of the
sorrows of the wicked those who live in
rebellion toward the guidance and
instruction and counsel of Almighty God
and oftentimes the consequences are
brutal because you think that you’re
smarter than God
and God tries to make things as simple
as possible I believe for us and yet
there are some decisions that are
difficult and listen listen watch this
he says I that is omniscient God who
knows you perfectly I will I will teach
you I will instruct you I will guide you
I’ll cover you
I will I will counsel you wisely a
person is a food to reject that to think
that you’re smart enough to go through
life and make wise decisions in a world
that is so unwise so ungodly and so full
of fear and anger and all the rest he
says many other sorrows of the wicked
that’s the fruit of rebellion and then
notice what he says what a contrast many
of the sorrows of the wicked but he who
trusts in the Lord
loving-kindness listen to this shell
surround him be glad in the Lord rejoice
you righteous ones and shout for joy old
you who upright in heart he said here’s
the difference you follow my guidance
and he says loving kindness and he
didn’t say I love this he didn’t say
we’ll come to you he said loving
kindness or what will surround you
everywhere you turn you will see the
evidence of God’s goodness and kindness
you say well but you don’t know what
I’ve been through what would you have
been through without God so God he
doesn’t say that there won’t be their
problems and heartaches and burdens
because problems and heartaches and
burdens of what grows up teach us to
trust him make changes in our life that
we don’t like at the moment but
something happens to us that later we’re
grateful for he says he says
loving-kindness shall surround you that
means it’s gonna protect me on every
side
his loving-kindness will protect those
nervous sight we may falter at times we
made this obey him but we asked him to
forgive us repent of our sin what
happens
he says his instruction and his teaching
and his counsel doesn’t stop simply
because we falter at some point and make
a wrong decision any time we are willing
to confess our fault our failure that we
didn’t seek godly guidance we listened
to the wrong ones he’s one of forgive us
and to keep us moving
that’s his loving-kindness he says his
loving-kindness surrounds us and so how
does he what is his loving-kindness he
says here’s what happens then you be
glad in the Lord and rejoice you
righteous ones shout for joy all you who
are upright in heart that is there is a
gladness there’s a joy there’s a sense
of confidence there’s there’s a sense of
contentment there’s a peace there was
when we go in through even difficult
situations if we are following his
instruction his guidance and his counsel
we’re gonna walk through and we’re gonna
come through it and God’s gonna
blessings in the process now that’s an
awesome passage of Scripture and I would
say if you were going to give your
college student or your grandson or
whoever it might be a passage to take
with them this would be one of them I
will instruct you I will teach you and I
will guide you I will counsel you with
my upon you let me ask you a question
who does not need that we all needed and
will needed through the last day of our
life
what an awesome promise of Almighty God
the tragedy is many people have never
read that many people don’t know it and
many people don’t believe it they said
you know I don’t need that old Bible oh
yes you do because you see the reason
you need this Bible is because you need
God you think you don’t when you’re flat
down
hurting things look like they’re
hopeless maybe you’ll never walk again
see again here again whatever it might
be you need him but if you’re in good
health
you need him just as well this is this
awesome loving God who’s made a
commitment to you if you just listen to
me
and obey me I will give you instruction
I will teach you what you need to know
and I will guide you 24 hours a day
seven days a week through the last
moment of your life if you have never
trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior many
sorrows is in your path if you trust in
Jesus Christ as your Savior and are
attempting to live a godly life and
listening to him joy and happiness and
peace even them it’s difficult as the
hardships there’s an awesome sense of
the weariness of his presence and that’s
my prayer for you if you’ve never
trusted Jesus as your Savior it’s the
most important decision you’ll ever make
and all of us who are his followers know
it’s the most important decision we’ve
ever made
whoever you are at least consider
surrendering your life to Jesus Christ
watch what he does in your life maybe
you have two choices the right way in
the way of many sorrows if you was take
the right way and father how grateful we
are that you love us enough to forgive
us of our sins when we falter and fall
you keep on forgiving us
when we ask for Direction divine
guidance you give it when we said the
crossroads and say Lord which way you
always shows the right way I pray that
your spirit will take this message and
drive it so deep in the heart of every
person who listens
they will wrestle with the truth until
they fall into the category of those who
are being instructed taught and
counseled by the Lord Jesus Christ in
whose name we pray amen
[Music]
you