“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
“Be VERY careful how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV84)
Three
sources of guidance:
I. Don’t rely on
Romans 12:2 “Don’t be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” [Phillips: “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”]
Exodus 23:2 “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong…”
A. The majority is often
II. Don’t rely on
1 Corinthians 16:8-9 “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.”
A. Circumstances often
III. Don’t rely on
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
A. Your heart will
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Prov 28:26a “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” (NKJV)
Three
sources of guidance:
I. God’s will is found in
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
A. How does it
1.
2.
3.
4.
B. God’s will never
II. God’s will is found in
John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
A. It takes
III. God’s will is found in
Proverbs 15:22 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
A. Pick your
1 Kings 12:8 “But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.”
IV. BONUS! One thing you don’t need to
A. It’s God’s will that you repent of your sins, believe in Jesus, escape hell and spend
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that everyone comes to repentance.”
John 6:40 “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life…”
Discussion Questions:
1. Describe a time in your life when you made a decision based on feelings. How did it turn out?
2. Give an example of how the culture can be wrong. Why is it so hard to disagree with the “majority”?
3. Describe a decision you made based mainly on the Bible or biblical principles. How did that turn out for you?
4. Discuss this thought question: Is it possible to be right in the middle of God’s will, and yet still suffer? Why or why not?
5. Discuss a biblical process of making a decision that you feel would be God’s will. What steps should be included?
Next Week’s Message: “I Will Sing of Your Word”