God, Which Direction Should I Go?

Today on Summit life with Judy Greer. The question is not how God guides the question you should be a God. God's guidance is not something God gives to you as much as it is something he does for you. The question is are you the kind of person that God gone right after not. I'm your host Molly, but events getting close to the end of 20, 21, so we're thankful that you're choosing to spend this last week here with us on the program you don't no matter how strong our faith is we all have this moment we come to the end of ourselves to the end of our abilities, our resources with them. The problem is if were honest that we aren't sure if God can meet us in that place, the pastor, Judy Greer explained today that if we offer our desperation to God in prayer, we will find him, eager to listen eager to forgive, eager to heal and eager to step in and help put a timely message as we look ahead to the new year and Pastor Jeannie titled this message God which direction should I go to Bible guide you. Psalm 25 we are in a series called help in which we consider prayers that I would say almost all of us upright. At some point in our lives. Whether you are a very spiritual mature person whether you're a brand-new Christian or if you don't think about religious at all. If you believe in God at all. I would say that these prayers have come out of your mouth. At some point in your life. Well, this weekend I want to consider the prayer God which way is the right way for me to go, which was right way for me to go again. I think all of us some point I looked up toward God is a God. I'm not sure confuse which was the right decision. What school should I go to should I go to grad school or not.

Which job should I take should I go out with him. Should I break up with her worth the right place for us to live. Maybe it's been a more sobering question for you, like God is right for me to separate from my husband during this time of God.

How do I handle this relational difficulty all of us have been the time we didn't know what to do and so we learn to God for God to me.

Aside God show me show me which way I'm supposed to go right back.

Lysistrata calibrate this morning at all of our campuses. If you have if you are in a season right now where you are praying that prayer God. I just need wisdom to know what to choose just put your hand up at all of our campuses. See, there were doing two thirds of the people that are right now in that kind of situation. This is probably one of the main causes of stress in our lives is try to figure this out abroad. By the way, a number of props today because member my son eight-year-old son told me that I get boring when I don't preach with Rob, so I brought a few props. These books right here. Choose your own adventure novels reason Eric.

I love the things that I was a kid.

Basically if you're not familiar your reading. You come up when we got to make a choice. It'll say something like you're being chased by a flock of rabid wolverines and a little lady invite you in your house for safety. Do you go in or do you stay out to go in turn to page 2 did you stay out turn to page 130 and I got well may not have any other alternatives. I guess I'll go in and are you going turn to page 210. The site up too bad. A little lady turned out to be a witch and she put you in her pot and balls University would eat you for dinner the end and I answer usually double his choices that people perceive the will of God is there like you like well I got two choices here. One of them to leave me to prosperity and awesomeness and the other silly me to doom and destruction. How do you figure out which way to go by abnormal when I was eight or nine years old I started to figure out that the last page of the book was always like the best ending, so I'd start there and see if I can reverse engineer my way back to the beginning and figure out what the right set of choices were answer you like what you do that in life you get the point we figure out where that peace and prosperity as an reverse engineer your life and how do you know we God's actually speaking to you. What is that feel like it like some warm, tingly feeling you get when you think about the right choice or is it like some weird set of circumstances that you just know has to be God pastor friend of mine was tell me about a guy in his church, you made a major life decision made her life decision and he said what this guy said was his criteria for choosing was when he drove home he was thinking about one of the choices we pulled in his driveway. Seven dollars took off from his yard and he was like dogs are Jesus's favorite animals of what anointed him with the Holy Spirit and seven is a number of completion that met the decision was gone and I was totally at peace my friend like were first in North Carolina. The probably pigeons, not dogs. Second of all, I just not sure I would make a major life decision based on what could just be a coincidence that don't sit there and shake your head at me like oh we're so spiritual when everything you do that kind of thing. Don't you you got some sort like what is that really God speaking to me, what part number two. We can want God to be this thing will gotta be our magic eight ball brought God. How do I ask you a question you just tell me like you which way to go God why preach longer than an hour. Today's up to you. So Lord our cats evil. I no doubt about it, no doubt about it is Nicholas Cage the greatest actor of our generation. You do something you don't even need any ball to determine it is self-evident, but we want we want God.

You know it, what's the criteria for God is my magic eight ball.

How do I know exactly what he wants me to do in a certain situation. Will this weekend I want to acquaint you with the new favorite song of mine has become a favorite. I think because of where I met in my life, but it is a promise of guidance and it shows you the way that God guides his people mouth to give you one word of historical perspective before we totally dive in here. Okay historical perspective.

Up until about 50 years ago, there was almost no talk in the church at all about discerning or knowing the will of God, at least in terms of personal decision-making.

If you go back to the sermons of the early church or the sermons that were preached during the Reformation. You're not to find a single one on ascertaining the will of God.

Today, by contrast, we are obsessed by it's always the most popular seminar at any conference you go to is the number one question I get asked whenever there is an open Q&A, especially if there are college students in the audience and I think the relative absence of it in the sudden obsession of it in our day by itself teach us something important you see previous generations did not worry as much about discerning the will of God. But in our culture, we are all about individualism and were all about self actualization and were all about security and so the will of God becomes a way for us to guarantee that we get all these things.

That's what many of us have turned the will of God into an idol in that we seek to know the will of God or that we seek to know God himself. We think finding the will of God is to remove all uncertainty from our life and help us achieve all of our dreams and live our best life now. Now the Bible does talk about God's guidance in our lives, so you got here in a minute but it puts the emphasis in different places you're gonna see the Bible put more emphasis on knowing and trusting God and becoming the kind of person God wants you to be a whole lot more emphasis there than it does in learning to detect some mystical guidance in a particular decision about future big idea for the day from the song if you want to just write it down for the beginning the big idea in the Psalm is a question. The question is not how God guides the question you should be asking is, whom God guides, not how God guides, but whom God guides guidance is not something God gives to you as much as it is something he does for you.

The question is are you the kind of person that God guides song 25. This is a Psalm of David in which she is both asking God for guidance and rejoicing that he hasn't. Let's start in verses 12 and 13.

By the middle the Psalm who is this person David says who is this person who fears the Lord, he God will show him the way that he should choose you will live a good life and his descendents will inherit the land.

What you should notice there is in the guidance that David is trusting God for in the Psalm touches a lot of different things in the Psalm is to make allusions to relationships and healthy relationships and career choices. Even parenting decision see where it says my descendents and the Lamb is talking about being a wise parent.

In verse 15 David trust God to keep him from disaster.

Keep my foot from the net.

Verse 17 he trust God to guide him to the things that are causing him stress in his life. So if your thought by the way, this morning is that God really only cares about the spiritual stuff in your life and all the other stuff is just you know whatever you need to put that thought away.

You can see from the song that David is trusting God's guidance over every square inch in his life from his relationships to his career to his parenting and everything in between. David sums up his scope at the beginning and the end of the song at the beginning verse to my God I trust in you.

Don't let me be disgraced in any decision I make, don't let me be disgraced. Verse 20 guard me and rescue me. Do not let me be put to shame again in any area of my life going to put to shame, because I'm taking refuge in you. Now before we get into describing the kind of person, the God guides me. I merely point out a couple really precious promises in the Psalm, but David seems to cling to. First in verse two. David declares others cannot mess up God's will for me.

Other people can't mess up God's will for me. You'll notice all throughout the Psalm. David keeps referring to his enemies. Verse two my enemies glowed over me.

Verse 19 consider my enemies. They are numerous but a lot of them, and they hate me violently. I got enemies who they hate me and they have a terrible plan for my life.

Some of you look back at your life and you see how there have been people in your life who tried to mess you up.

Maybe they didn't mean Sue or maybe they did it intentionally, but you had a father who messed you up or a mother or a brother or ex-spouse or a business partner or for a boss, former boss, current boss will David evidently had a lot of those people also and what David declares in the Psalm is is God I trust that your promises and your guidance is greater and more powerful than any of my enemies evil intentions against me. It's hard to hear from you not think about Joseph in the Old Testament the book of Genesis.

Joseph you not familiar with with the Bible's letter measured some version of this story, but you hears Joseph guy who sold into slavery by his brothers disease is wronged at their hands after he sold into slavery. He experiences a litany of racial discrimination and unjust accusation and accusations of sexual assault things that just keep him and a lot of suffering for a long time.

But when Joseph gets to the end of his life. He's in a position where he is able to bring a great act of goodness and salvation to Israel and he looks into the face of those brothers who had betrayed him all those years before he makes that famous statement.

He's like you meant it for evil, you meant for evil, but God meant it for good. And that was the basis by the way that he was able to to be able to forgive his brothers because he knew that even though they had wronged him that God had overwritten there wrong for God in his life is tell you that if you are struggling with an area of bitterness toward somebody is there somebody in your past that you just can't forgive. I guarantee you that if you trace it down to it's it's it's root you will find it at its root, you don't actually believe, or at least you haven't reconciled that even though they meant for evil God can still use it for good in your life that mean that ending the bed and do you wrong and I mean that you do not hurt me.

Bitterness get off Scott free. But what it means is that God's grace is so amazing that he can take even the wrongs of others and turning for God and that's his promise a homework assignment for you this week serious about it. You go home and you take a 3 to 5 card and you write on that through the five card that name of that person that that that hurt you and that you think messed you up in and underneath their name, you write the phrase you meant it for evil but God meant it for good and for seven days you look at that and you pray that back to God and you tell me of seven days from now. You don't come in here and have a different attitude for that person and toward that chapter of your life. They meant for evil God meant it for good. And David says, not even my enemies can mess up your plan for me. Promise number two maybe even better. My own past mistakes can't permanently disqualify me from God's will either at least twice in the Psalm. David asked God for forgiveness for past mistakes.

One of them is here in verse 11, Lord, for the sake of your name. Forgive my iniquity because it is immense.

In other words, not little iniquity, but JV iniquity by big-league iniquity varsity and iniquity, and yet even in the midst of immense iniquity in his part. He still prays for God's guidance and he still trust God for his perfect plan for his life. But here's what you need to take away from that. David believes God's promises are greater even met his own mistakes.

Now some of you like boy I get that it seems fair that God would protect me from the harm that others want for me but my own mistakes. Things like God.

Maybe, like you know what you made the bed. You not to sleep in. You mess your life better something that that's on you and it is true that sins and mistakes can bring consequences in your life and those consequences can be painful and sometimes there is there irreversible in this life you what David is saying is, even those don't disqualify you from God's ultimate plan for your life like director Genesis again to Jacob about the way everything you really know about God is in the book of Genesis that you ever have to that's kind of a footnote, terribly Genesis 1 book of Genesis we find in the book of Genesis, Jacob is another guy who sends a lot. We varsity level immense center and some other sins bring really painful consequences like he betrays his brother and lies to his brother and so he is estranged from his family has to flee live in a foreign land. Yet while he's in a foreign land. He meets the love of his life and from the relationships in a foreign land right from that marriage ultimately comes the line of the Messiah. Now here's your dilemma. He got into those relationships because of simple choices he had made with the Messiah. Plan B was the Messiah.

Whoops I guess will give the world. Jesus, of course not, what is that mean that Jacob didn't actually send one of the obviously did many suffered because of the consequences of it but it just shows you in the unbelievable mysteries of Koch grace that he takes even her simple decisions and he can write he can stamp his plan on them and he can say your even your sin is not enough to disqualify you from my ultimate plan for your life if you repent and I always think here and I got my wife permission to tell the story of her and I'll help you. Eventually the road that led to her in our meeting. She was a high school senior and she lived in Virginia and so she been accepted, it William and Mary and the University of Virginia and so she was trying to figure out which way to go and she was waffling well.

She said that her was she with her parents.

I drew this type of life was. Not awesome and I she said that her and her data got in an argument and and and she said so my dad was a graduate of Virginia Tech and she said it and I don't know much all no-bid Northpoint ends about things, a bear, but we have relationships like that on here that if you like Virginia Tech you can't like UVA and if you like to be a killer.

Virginia Tech level and yet I hate the other that summer in the Bible but said so she was like you were just like not UVA that was like not you get answer, she said, but to spite him because of our argument. I turned in the letter for UVA right which is not godly motivation for why you should go to school there right it's clearly a simple motivation. He almost an act of rebellion against her parents. Well you know from her relationship. UVA ultimately she meets the man of her dreams Jesus and also me while I was there and the now. He never sees year we have four kids that mean that's all Plan B and I am not Plan B for life going into that, but my life God second-best no, it's that God takes even our sinful choices and somehow on the beauty of his grace.

He can still work his plan for our life. That's what David exalts in verse 10, all the Lord's ways show faithful love and truth.

Although how many the Lord's ways ones that are done in response to the good things that I've done know all of there's not a single thing that God does with me that is not done in faithful love and truth, and even when I give up on him. He had given up on me goodness and mercy keep following me.

Don't reply this one of the way before we move on. I've met people who were born out of simple circumstances. They were born because of an affair or maybe that you, your parents had you out of wedlock and you wonder like my mistake that maybe you've been told that got you I met your parents told you you are a mistake. No friend. You are not. Maybe the circumstances by which you came into the world were simple, and that's on your parents. You were not a mistake. You want to know how I know that Jesus himself came into the world through a series of simple choices by others, and he definitely a mistake and if you are mistaken. You're not either right right you can see there are some incredible promises. David is going to hear the question then becomes how how I experience the guidance of God. What do I gotta do to experience the guidance. Remember the questions on how God guides as much as it is, God guides, so that's a question here's number one of the four characteristics of the person that receives the guidance of God number one, those trained in the ways of God, those trained in the ways of verse four.

Make your ways known to me. David says, Lord, teach me your paths. When David says teach me your paths. He's talking about an inward familiarity with the ways of God, that trains him almost instinctively and how to act in various situations. Think of it the way that an athlete is trained. A coach cannot train an athlete to respond in every situation because the defense is always changing. It's always unique to that moment but what a coach can do is train the athlete in the instincts the skills to know how to read a situation and then to equip women with the skill so they can respond in the right situation when that situation is bond higher-margin one of my favorite Michael Jordan interviews after he had done some crazy you know split the defense tongue out move you acrobatic dunk or whatever and out. The interviewer after the game says no, Michael, are you when you when you drive, and Elaine, you know what you're going to do before you start driving Jordan's famous response was no, I just jump and decide in the air so nice nice job with this instinct right at his job and my instincts take over and outcomes is beautiful work of art basketball move. That's because he has been trained in the ways become familiar with them, so he executes in the moment. Even without his coach telling him this is what you should be doing. That's what David is talking about. I want to be trained in that way the New Testament Way of talking about that is this Hebrews 5 anybody who lives on milk. Talk about a Christian who doesn't know much about God's word lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.

In other words, you could have someone to hold your hand tell you what to do in every situation as you're still a baby don't understand much. However over 14 solid food is for the mature by watch constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil when he says good from evil there. He's talking about things outside of what Scripture tells us why. I don't know that because if Scripture tells you, you will need to be trained to do thing was good for me. What's written out on the page. He is meaning in the moment you have this instinct to determine good from evil because you been trained in the ways of God. Constant use and familiarity with the Scriptures, who directed my at my office of an athlete from it when I drive the length okay when I draw the line. I don't see I don't see those things that Jordan sees and the few that I do see now that I'm 45 years old when I drive in there. I will sometimes tell my my my my body what to do with him driving the lane, but is like doing that pain doing that and I go and not in my mind, it looks like some beautiful spend.

You layout and it turns out looking like a wounded dog coming in for a crash landing. Why because because my body is no longer trained in constant use through an animal which is beyond the scope of this alteration, but company no longer training constant use so that that I'm able to respond with with instinct in that moment because I have not been in constant use with her skills in basketball.

What David is saying is you have got to be so familiar. You got to be so Dix Darius with the Scriptures that in the moment you just instinctively know what to do and if you're looking for an action step on this one. It is that you get so saturated with Scripture that would like to touch you. You believe God's word and it just becomes a second nature to you and becomes an instinct to you that your action step. You listen you will never live out the will of God any more than you know the word of God you cannot live out the will of God any more than you know the word of God and if you tell me how one of the will of God.

But you're not devoting yourself the word of God when you're kidding yourself. Because it is more than instinct that it is an instruction because as you become the kind of person who understands my ways and you will end up choosing what I want you to know that you, but that resonated with me today. I want God to be visible to everyone.

I now visible through reliance on hand you're listening to some it light the Bible teaching ministry FG Greer if you enjoyed today's teaching and you like to hear it again or share with others. You can do so online, free of charge@jdgreer.com as Pastor Jay often says the gospel changes everything. In fact, we have this phrase we say a lot. The gospel isn't the diving board into Christianity.

The whole pool.

So as we head into a new year and encourage you to be intentional about serving God by loving and serving your neighbors, whether that's with your time or your money and remember the most important gift you can give someone an edge of the gospel. Be intentional about having those conversations and see what God can do. One way you can help share the gospel in the new year and beyond is by supporting this ministry.

This time of year is critical as we close the books on 20, 21, and plan for the future. So if you've never given to support the ministry of Senate life. We encourage you to take that step today. We need you will say thanks by sending you the summit life 2022 planner.

This resource is so much more than just a day planner, there's space for you to record all of your notes and to do items of the worst use it here Bible verses mind that God does indeed make all things new. We've also included a Bible reading plan that will take you through key passages from every book of the Bible in 2022. It's just one of the ways that we can help you manage the resources that God is giving you, including that resource of time present a great reminder to keep you in God's word about you tune into the broadcast asked for a copy of the summit life 2022 planner when you make that important and generous in your intonation today.

Call 866-335-5220 866-335-5224. You can get interclass the planar online JV clear.com JD G. R. Are.com I'm not even event space for joining us today sure to tune in Thursday as we continue to message title which direction should I go on summit life with Jeannie Greer