A question of God’s leading
In my short time span of walking a bit more closely with God, I have come to realize the big gulf that exists between when God actually leads people, and when people just say God led them. I can confidently say that majority of times, people choose their leading and give it a God definition.
Sometimes the tendency for us as logical and emotional beings is to interpret certain indications or signals in our minds to be God, whereas they are only reactions in the soul that have the ability to stair up strong passion or desires. And oftentimes these desires are towards something favorable or enticing.
A little dig down into that kind of pursuit often quickly reveals the emptiness, and directionlessness of it, although it may look glorious on the outside. But the heart wants what it wants. And sometimes we have such strong spiritual vocabularies with which to explain how indeed God said what He said to us.
I have however found one thing to be quite striking about most of these “God leadings”, and it is how much they hardly subscribe to the principles of time and accountability. Accountability first to the God who is believed to have given the leading, his institutionalized leadership structures, and God’s timing necessary to prove certain aspects of that leading. Most times we launch out before we ever stop to consider these things. That is if we ever do.
I have had my own fair share of jumping on ideas I told myself are God inspired and realized down the line that I was on my own on them. Sometimes it took God stopping me dead in my tracks just to make sure I don’t make mistakes from which I may never be able to recover. But I started out believing it was Him in the first place. Or so I told myself.
Something amazing I almost always realize with those kinds of situations is that I was led by a stronger, personal interest that would not stop to account to leadership and time. More so, I wanted it, so I stayed my course.
Am I insinuating that I understand how God leads all the time, or that He leads us all the same way? Not necessarily. But wisdom and some personal experiences have taught me that with every God leading, are principles that must be in place if we must achieve His set goals. Not ours. These principles ensure our safety.
Have you noticed how people hardly believe that God leads in the path of waiting, patience, long-suffering, lack, and self-denial? This is the sad reality of our times. It is a super-fast world, and everyone including the church is trying to catch up.
What is the catch? Tame your passions, quieten your soul until your spirit man can superimpose over them to deliver to you the heart of God. And when he does, submit to his governing principles for the instruction. If he says wait, wait! If he says go, ask; how do I tread?
Don’t insist on following through with a thing simply because in your own human calculations it seems like God is in it. Make sure he is in it. No matter how far you have gone pursuing, receive grace and courage to stop. It is always better to get it right than to have to pay the price of disobedience.
On the reverse side, don’t resist an obvious God leading because it seems unfavorable and difficult. You may just be passing up on an opportunity to partner with God. Sometimes, second chances don’t show up.
Shalom!
Biyama Joseph
#TheInfluencer
