Following God’s Leading (Part One)
One of the reasons so many Christians are stranded today is because they have spent their entire lives following their mind. They go after what they think is right; they start a business that they believe is profitable; they look for a job that they think will pay them more; and they make the decisions that they consider best for them.
In all of this, they never ask, “What is God saying about this?” Friend, God knows everything. He knows the end of a road before you start walking on it. He knows the consequences of your decisions before you make them. He knows the business that will bring him the most profit and make him rich. He also knows the business that will burn you out and land you in thousands or millions of dollars of debt. He knows the work that will make you rich and prosper. He also knows the job that will put you out of a job. He knows the investments that will cost him a fortune and take away all the financial resources he has. He also knows the investments and businesses that will make you so much money and make you a billionaire. God simply knows ALL THINGS!
If only she could take time to ask herself one simple question before taking that step. A question as simple as “What is God saying?” Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” When you get to the point where God is truly your shepherd, you consult him in everything you do. He not only consults him in everything he does, but he also follows everything he says. If God says “Start this business”, you start it (regardless of how unprofitable it seems to you). If God says “Don’t start that business”, you stay away from it (regardless of how profitable it may seem and how many of your friends made money in that business). When you allow God to become your shepherd and you are an obedient sheep, God will lead you to the place of prosperity. He will guide you to the right business or investment that will prosper you beyond his wildest imagination. Psalm 23:2 says, “In green pastures he makes me lie down, beside still waters he leads me.”
In other words, when God becomes your shepherd and you commit to follow His leading, He leads you to a place or position of abundance (green pastures) and peace (calm waters). There are so many rich people today who have no peace and quiet. In fact, some of them are willing to give everything they have to achieve peace. But those who access wealth at God’s direction experience a peace that passes all understanding.
Let me finish with this true story. A renowned pastor was on a flight and God told him to look down from the plane. When he did, he saw a swampy terrain from afar. It was the kind of land that no one would want to buy because it was useless for both real estate and agriculture. Then God told him to buy it and the man did so, without the slightest idea of what to do with this land. After a while, oil was discovered on this very land that God asked this pastor to buy. That opened him up to an unusual dimension of wealth.
Friend, many people have missed out on opportunities that would have made them so rich. Many have made decisions that have plunged them into debt and bankruptcy. However, when God becomes your shepherd and you become his “addicted” sheep, you position your life for abundance. All you need to do before you take that step or make that decision is simply ask yourself the question, “What is God saying about this?”
