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