Toward Maturity - Online Bible College

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5 Toward Maturity In the first four lessons of this module, we have looked at a broad range of general and specific principles that undergird God’s guidance. In this lesson, we will place all of these principles into the broad context of God’s purpose in our lives. Read Romans 8:14 The New Testament in Modern English puts it this way: “All who follow the leading of God’s Spirit are God’s own sons.”

A God Who Guides A People of the Way The Voice of the Shepherd Principles of Guidance Toward Maturity

This contrast between teknon (“small children”) and huios (“adult sons”) in Scripture is important. God is taking those born of his Spirit to a goal in his Spirit. As described in Romans 8:29, this goal is conform us “to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

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Children

Sons

Greek word: “teknon”

Greek word: “huios”

Meaning: “young children”

Meaning: “adult sons”

Characteristic: “born of the Spirit”

Characteristic: “led by the Spirit”

Focus: Relationship

Focus: Purpose

Copyright © 2000, The Online Bible College.

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But here in Romans 8:14, Paul describes those who are being led by the Spirit as “sons” (the Greek word is huios, which literally means “a child mature enough to take on adult family privileges and responsibilities” and has the meaning of “adult sons”).2

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As we have seen already in Module 109, Paul contrasts in this verse the state of every believer with the state of those who are maturing under the direction of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:16, we are all children (the Greek word is teknon, which literally means “born ones” and has the meaning of “little children”).1

Many Christians have a short-sighted view of guidance. They see it simply as a means by which they can avoid trouble and hardship. But God has another view of guidance altogether. For God, his guidance is a means toward an end. He is not just leading us through the obstacles of life. He is leading us somewhere. And that somewhere is maturity in Christ.

Overcoming Guidance Anxiety Yet many Christians do not understand this one basic fact. They are obsessed with guidance from God not because of a desire to be like Christ, but because of “guidance anxiety.” Rather than being the product of faith in God, a continual seeking after guidance may evidence a neurotic fear. As Dallas Willard points out: “Extreme preoccupation with knowing the will of God ‘for me’ may only indicate, contrary to what is often thought, an over-concern with myself, not a Christlike interest in the well-being of others or the glory of God.”3 Too many Christians view God’s guidance as either a success-guarantee technique or as a pain-avoidance scheme. They are either focused on worldly success or are anxious about the future and want assurance that God will guide them. But whether focused on pleasure or anxiety – on success-guarantee or risk-avoidance – these motives are self-centered. Is God just about meeting our needs? Is he a divine puppet, attached to very long spiritual strings, that can be manipulated with the right formula? Sadly, too many Christians, without realizing it, act as if this is so. Only when we see guidance as part of a close walk with God will we avoid all tricks, formulas and schemes for “finding out what God wants me to do.” In the words of Dallas Willard: “God’s guidance...cannot be reduced to a device used to make sure that we are always right.”4

“We all in some measure share in the general human anxiety about the future. By nature we live in the future, constantly hurled into it whether we like it or not. Knowing what we will meet there is a condition of our being prepared to deal with it – or so it would seem from the human point of view...So we ceaselessly inquire about events to come. The great businesses and halls of government are filled today with experts and technocrats, our modernday magicians and soothsayers. A new discipline of ‘futurology’ has recently emerged within the universities. The age-old trades of palm-reading and fortune-telling flourish.”5 How easy it is for us to reduce God’s guidance, intended by God to be part of a close communion with him, into a biblical version of a tarot-reading. In our desire to see the future clearly, in order to avoid making mistakes, we may seek to


He goes on to say:

“innoculate” ourselves against future failure. Or if we already find ourselves in the midst of trouble, we make seek God’s guidance as a “quick fix” for our problems. Either way, we end up emphasizing the importance of divine guidance beyond God’s original intention. As Dallas Willard observes: “The usual situation is that many who want God’s guidance when they are in trouble cannot find it. Or at least they have no assurance that they have found it. This is, I think, because they do not first and foremost simply want to follow God’s voice in their lives in general. At heart they...think of divine guidance only as something to help them avoid trouble.”6 Paul makes it clear that our knowledge on this earthly plane is limited (1 Corinthians 8:1-2). In fact, God purposely does not reveal the road ahead, except in brief snatches. Read 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul applied this principle to the Corinthians’ use of spiritual gifts, but the same principle can be applied to our understanding of God’s guidance. As The Message paraphrases this verse: “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!” Paul emphasized to the Corinthians that at this time we “see through a glass, darkly” (KJV). In fact, the Greek word he uses is ainigma, from which we get the English word “enigma.” Albert Barnes explains this word in this way:

There is a deliberate element of obscurity in our knowledge of the future. In fact, Paul contrasts our present imperfect knowledge of things to the future perfect knowledge we will have when Christ returns. This has great bearing on our understanding of God’s guidance. We should never get caught in the trap of thinking that we are “perfect in knowledge” (Job 36:4) for only God is “perfect in knowledge” (Job 37:16). And yet the fact Jesus himself declared in John 8:12: “No follower of mine shall walk in darkness; he shall have the light of life.” On the one hand, we are told that we “see through a glass, darkly,” yet on the other hand, Jesus declared that we would not “walk in darkness.” How can we reconcile these two apparently contradictory statements? As usual, the truth is in both statements. God does indeed shed clear light on the path we should walk. Yet he sheds only as much light as we need for two things:


“The word means a riddle; an enigma; then an obscure intimation. In a riddle a statement is made with some resemblance to the truth; a puzzling question is proposed, and the solution is left to conjecture. Hence, it means, as here, obscurely, darkly, imperfectly.”7

Â The step ahead Â The goal ahead God rarely “fills in the gaps.” He provides only as much light as we need to walk in the Way of Holiness, but no more. And he does this for two reasons: Â To protect us from ourselves – Perfect knowledge without a perfect character is destructive (1 Corinthians 8:1-2). God, therefore, provides only enough knowledge of the way ahead as is necessary for us to walk in the “paths of righteousness” he has laid out before us (Psalm 23:3). Â To draw us closer – By limiting his guidance, God seeks to foster a closer relationship with us. As we have seen in Module 102, the original temptation in the Garden of Eden was to acquire a knowledge and wisdom independent of God. Unlike the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, however, the tree of life is not an eat-once solution. God desires that we continue to partake of his wisdom and life on a daily basis. Think of this illustration. A father is guiding his young child along a dark path. Ahead, the child can see the light of their house in the distance, but between here and there are many turns and false trails. And so the father shines his flashlight on the path just in front of the child’s feet. Should he shine the beam of the flashlight further up the path, the child might be tempted to run ahead. But by keeping the flashlight close by, the father is encouraging his child to keep close. Each step of the way is illuminated as they walk together along the path.

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Every now and again, the Lord does give us glimpses of the path ahead. But the flashlight of his guidance is generally focused on the next step ahead. As we take each step, in obedience to the Lord, the next step is revealed.

When Should We Seek Guidance? In Module 110, we have examined general and special principles of guidance. But one question we have not yet asked is: Exactly when should I seek guidance? In answer to this question, some Christians gravitate to one of two extremes: This position holds that we are responsible before God for making wise decisions solely within the framework of his general will. Garry Friesen, for example, argues against there being an “individual will of God” for each believer. He sees life’s choice being made solely in the context of the general or moral will of God.*

Always On the other end of the spectrum, we find Christians who ask for God to guide them in the fine minutae of everyday life. Edwin Lutzer describes one example of this extreme: * While the OBC faculty does not necessarily agree with all of Garry Friesen’s conclusions in Decision Making and Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View, this book proposes a viable alternative to the perspective on God’s guidance given in Module 110, and we would recommend this book to the discerning student. Many of the premises of Friesen’s “Wisdom View” are included in this lesson.


Never

“A deeply spiritual (though misinformed) missionary I know used to pray for special guidance about the most trivial matters. She would even try to decide whether it was God’s will that she wash her hair on a given evening. She was right in understanding that God is interested in the mundane affairs of life, but she was wrong in believing that she always needed a special sign. Obviously she was a mental wreck. She did not realize that the will of God is simply living in obedience to whatever lies ahead. His guidance is not mysterious. In short, if your hair needs washing, wash it!”8 This distorted approach to guidance assumes continual directives from God, touching on the most mundane of personal choices: “Should I go shopping today? Should I cross the road right now? Should I [fill in the blank]?” This could be classed as “a neurotic, faithless and irresponsible seeking of God’s will: a kind of spiritual hypochondria, always taking its own spiritual temperature.”9 E. Stanley Jones once wrote: “I believe in miracle, but not too much miracle, for too much miracle would weaken us, make us dependent on miracle instead of our obedience to natural law. Just enough miracle to let us know He is there, but not too much, lest we depend on it when we should depend on our own initiative and on His orderly processes for our development.”10 We could easily paraphrase this as, “I believe in guidance, but not too much guidance,” for as much as “God is interested in the mundane affairs of life,” as Edwin Lutzer points out, he is not interested in converting us into spiritual automatons. There are indeed times when God’s guidance is: “You decide!” Dallas Willard identifies “inner-directedness” as a major goal of maturity in Christ, and this “inner-directedness” is in contradiction to a belief that God guides in the most minute of everyday details. He writes: “A child cannot develop into a responsible, competent human being if he or she is always told what to do. Personality and character are in their very essence inner-directedness.”11

“Obviously God must guide us in a way that will develop spontaneity in us. The development of character, rather than direction in this, that, and the other matter, must be the primary purpose of our Father. He will guide us, but he won’t override us. That fact should make us use with caution the method of sitting down with a pencil and a blank sheet of paper to write down the instructions dictated by God for the day. Suppose a parent would dictate to the child minutely everything he is to do during the day. The child would be stunted under that regime. The parent must guide in such a manner, and to the degree, that autonomous character, capable of making right decisions for itself, is produced. God does the same.”12


E. Stanley Jones supports this goal of maturity in the life of the believer. He writes:

The ultimate goal God has for every Christian is Christlikeness. Everything God does in your life has this end-goal in mind. And for this to happen, Paul writes, we are to be Spirit-led, not Spirit-dictated. As Dallas Willard observes: “In close personal relationships conformity to another’s wishes is not desirable, be it ever so perfect, if it is mindless, purchased at the expense of freedom and destructive of personality.”13

The Pattern of the Early Church What do we find as we read the Bible record? Are the apostles constantly seeking God for every decision they need to make? Let’s take a walk through the pages of the New Testament to find out for ourselves. Â Philippians 2:25-26 – “But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.” Â 1 Thessalonians 3:1-3 – “So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith...” Â 1 Corinthians 16:3-4 – “Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.” Â Luke 1:3 – “Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

Â Titus 3:12 – “As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there.” Â Titus 3:12 – “Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.” As you read the New Testament record, you quickly discover an intimate but natural relationship between the believers and their Lord. Prayer was a vital part of that relationship (Ephesians 6:18-19; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:1), but there is no hint that their movements and actions were dictated in every detail by the Holy Spirit.


Â Acts 6:2-4 – “So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’”

Paul was commissioned by the Lord in Antioch (Acts 13:1-3) and embarked on what we now know as the Gentile Mission. But the routes that Paul took appear to have been set by Paul himself as part of a strategy to impact the Roman world for the Gospel.* This strategy may well have been set by the Lord himself (possibly as part of the revelation he received when he was caught up to heaven as described in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4), but the implementation of that strategy appears to have been squarely in Paul’s purview. Just take a look at Acts 16:6-10: “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” In this extraordinary passage we catch a glimpse of guidance as Paul experienced it. But this kind of guidance appeared to be the exception rather than the rule. He appears to have set out on a specific strategy of visiting key cities in the various provinces of the Roman empire, and Acts 16:6-10 records an intrusion of God’s guidance in redirecting Paul within that strategy. Why did Paul head for the city of Philippi, for example, after seeing the vision of the man from Macedonia? It is, of course, possible that the Lord specifically instructed him to do so, but from the appearance of the text, it is more likely that Paul headed there simply because Philippi was “a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia” (Acts 16:12). 2 Corinthians 2:12-13 also provides an interesting window on Paul’s decisionmaking process:

Take another look at what Paul is saying. Despite the fact that he had discovered an open door for the Gospel in Troas, he didn’t stay there! Because he had “no rest in [his] spirit” (KJV), he left Troas and headed back to Macedonia. Why? While the opening of doors for the preaching of the Gospel appears to be a key determinant in moulding Paul’s strategy (note 1 Corinthians 16:9; Colossians 4:3), other factors also played a role. As Garry Frieshen explains: “Why did Paul leave an ‘open door’? If an open door constitutes a ‘sign’ written by God through providence which the believer is to read and obey, Paul’s action is inexplicable. But if an open door is an opportunity to be considered * We will be examining Paul’s missionary strategy in greater detail during the Leadership Studies Course when we study Essential Strategy & Tactics.


“Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.”

and weighed by the decision maker, then the explanation is not too difficult. Normally, Paul would take advantage of such an open door for ministry...He would only pass up such a potential if something more important demanded his attention. And that was precisely the case in this situation. Rather than a build a new house with available land and materials, Paul ran to put out the flames that threatened the existence of a house he had already built.”14 Paul weighed up the options and considered the deteriorating situation in Corinth, and the inexplicable absence of Titus, who was supposed to bring back news from Corinth, to be even more important than the open door he found in Troas.

The Way of Wisdom Read Proverbs 4:11 The Way of Holiness is also described as a Way of Wisdom. God is not just wanting to guide you upon the Way of Holiness; he is wanting to develop wisdom within you so that you decide as he would decide. As Martin Knapp explains: “God has given us reasoning powers for a purpose, and he respects them, appeals to them, and all of his leadings are in unison with them.”15 Now while it is true that God’s wisdom is far higher than our wisdom (Isaiah 55:9) and he does occasionally call us to step into areas that human wisdom would shy from, wisdom is still the governing factor. In fact, faith is designed to expand our wisdom so that we see things as God sees them. In Acts 6:3, we find that the two principal qualifications for a leader are: Â Full of the Spirit – a leader who walks in the Spirit Â Full of wisdom – a leader who walks in wisdom The two are not contradictory, but complement one another. Stephen, for example, was not only “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5) and “full of God’s grace and power” (Acts 6:8), but his enemies quickly found that they “could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke” (Acts 6:10). Read Ephesians 5:15-16

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” We are not just to ask God for his guidance. We are also to ask God for wisdom. God desires that we make decisions based on his wisdom. Seek God for his thinking concerning the decisions ahead, not just his directions. If God does specifically direct you, then act on his directions. Otherwise, move forward on the basis of the directions God has previously given, using the wisdom that God gives. This is why we are to seek godly counsel in making major decisions (Proverbs 15:22), for God’s wisdom can be found also in the experience of other believers.


Paul instructs us to be careful that we live “not as unwise but as wise.” In fact, James encourages us in James 1:5-6:

On the Way of Holiness upon which God requires you to walk, there are two types of decisions you will be required to make: Â Moral decisions – When making moral decisions, God’s injunction is clear: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). Moral decisions are made within the bounds of the general will of God, revealed in the Bible. Â Wisdom decisions – When making wisdom decisions, the injunction is also clear: “Remain in me” (John 15:4). Wisdom decisions are made within the bounds of the special will of God, as revealed in your walk with him. It is important to understand that God has provided great freedom of choice within stated limitations. Unless God specifically directs otherwise, always assume that he has given you the responsibility to “act as wise” in each situation. Garry Friesen provides us with this practical example from his own life: “When it came time for me to choose which college I would attend, my parents were very helpful. As we discussed the options together, their loving concern was evident. But they refrained from suggesting what I should do. As I agonized over that decision, there were times when I wished they would tell me which school to choose. But they would not. Instead, they assured me that I was mature enough to come to a good decision myself. And I was encouraged by the knowledge that they were praying for me. Were my parents withholding guidance? No. For nearly twenty years they had provided guidance that I could appropriate for this decision. Were they unloving, disinterested, or impersonal? Quite the contrary. Their insistence that I come to my own conclusion was evidence of their love. In making their wisdom available to me, they were personally involved. In a similar manner, our Heavenly Father personally guides His children.”16 The Way of Wisdom does not, as some might think, exclude God, but actually demands his involvement. This is because, as J. I. Packer explains:

Where does “the power to see” come from? Where does “the inclination to choose” come from? How can you know “the best and highest goal” or “the surest means of attaining it.” These are all the fruit of wisdom, and come only by “abiding in the vine.” They are a product of the closeness of your walk with Christ.

Beyond Words Although most people think of guidance as “God speaking to me” (in other words, some kind of verbal or at least intelligible communication), there is another who dimension of guidance that the Christian is called to experience, the kind of guidance that Dallas Willard calls “guidance in shared activity.”18 Read 1 Corinthians 2:15-16


“Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.”17

Here Paul describes a state of union with Christ that is so intimate that he declares, in the wording of the Amplified Bible: “...But we have the mind of Christ...and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart...” This kind of deep communion is illustrated by Leslie Weatherhead: “If my friend’s mother in a distant town falls ill and he urgently desires to visit her, which would reveal deeper friendship – my lending him my motorbike in response to his request for it, or my taking it to his door for him as soon as I heard of the need, without waiting to be asked? In the first case there has to be a request made with a voice. But in the second the fact of the friendship creates in me a longing to help. The first illustrates the communion between two person on what we might call the level of the seen; but the second illustrates the communion, at a deeper level, of two persons on what we may call the level of the unseen.”19 There is a kind of deep communion between two people where communication takes place despite the fact that no words are exchanged. This is not telepathy or any kind of supernatural event. It happens simply because the two people already know one another’s minds. It is a shared understanding that is borne of time and proximity. And this is the nature of our relationship with Christ, as the New Commentary on the Whole Bible explains: “Through our union with Christ, we have access to Christ’s mind, Christ’s divine thoughts, Christ’s counsel.”20 The relationship between communion and guidance can be illustrated in the following diagram: Communication

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Communion

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Union

Regular communication (between you and the Lord) develops an intimate communion (of thinking) which results in a comprehensive union (in action). This union is what guidance is really all about. “The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit – God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah’s question, ‘Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?’ has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ’s Spirit.” What better example of the communication-communion-union experience do we have than Christ’s own relationship with his Father? When Jesus said in John 15:19, “I only do what I see the Father doing,” he doesn’t explain how he sees what his Father is doing. In fact, this seeing can be explained in two ways:


Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 in The Message is vivid:

Â He had his eyes open to see what the Father was doing. Â His walk with his Father was so close that he immediately knew what his Father was doing. Which is correct? Actually, both are. And God is also drawing you into such a close walk with him that you too can pick up immediately what he is doing in the lives around you and thus be able to work with him in his purposes upon the earth. What happens when a group of Christians together “have the mind of Christ”? The result is the same as that recorded in Acts 15:28: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us...” This natural consensus between the leaders of the early Church and the Holy Spirit was based on the Word (15:15-18) and wisdom through observation (15:7-14,19-21).* The state of “having the mind of Christ” is the result of walking closely with Christ. There are no shortcuts. It comes from the mutual “abiding” that Jesus describes in John 15:5,7 – where “you remain in me and my words remain in you.” The result of this mutual abiding is that you will be at one with the mind of God (knowing his mind and will for your life) and at one with the heart of God (knowing what matters most to him). With this mutual abiding comes a subtle shift in our understanding of guidance. Instead of seeing guidance as “Lord, what do you want me to do?” we now ask, “Lord, what's on your heart?” In Psalm 37:4, we find the famous promise from the Lord: “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” The fact of the matter is this: If you delight yourself in the Lord, his desires become your desires and your desires become his desires. This is a natural result of your communion with him – a union in heart, mind and desire. Is it any wonder, then, when your desires mesh with his, that he gives the desires of your heart?

When it comes to the bottom line, what really is guidance? It is nothing less than “walking in the Spirit.” This is why Paul states in Romans 8:14, “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” If you look at this verse in its context, Paul is speaking about your walk in the Holy Spirit. How are you led by the Spirit. By walking in the Spirit! Your walk in the Spirit, however, can be cripped by two extremes: Â The Impulse Extreme – God does not want you to make decisions by impulse or because it “feels right.” He wants you to make decisions based on the wisdom that results from a shared life with him. * This does not mean, of course, that there can never be disagreements in the Church. Even Paul and Barnabas had a “sharp disagreement” over whether to take Mark with them on their second journey (see Acts 15:36-40), and you will note that the reason for this argument was that Paul “did not think it wise to take [Mark], because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.” Who was right, Paul or Barnabas? We may never know. But what is of interest to us here is that it was over a wisdom decision that Paul and Barnabas disagreed. Both men valued Mark (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:22; 2 Timothy 4:1), but Paul did not consider it wise to take him on this particular journey.


The Bottom Line of Guidance

Â The Fear Extreme – On the other hand, God does not want you to become a captive of fear (Romans 8:15). Your walk is indeed a walk of faith, not a walk paralyzed by fear of stepping in the “wrong” direction. Either of these extremes are detrimental to your life in Christ. The first emphasizes feelings and “impressions.” The second emphasizes a “tightrope” walk with God, where many Christians fear even making a decision lest they “step out of God’s perfect will.” Between these two extremes is the Way of Holiness. Here is a simple, practical blueprint for God’s guidance in your life: Â God is at work in your life. Trust in the sovereignty of God. He has a goal for your life, and as you continue submit to him, he will surely take you to that goal (Romans 8:29; Philippians 1:6). Â Submit your life to the Spirit of God. Realize that it is in walking in the Spirit, day by day, that God will guide you upon the Way of Holiness he has set before you. Â Where decisions are “common,” use “common sense.” Don’t attempt to find God’s will for every single aspect of your life, for in most of the choices you face, God’s will is that you learn to make wise decisions for yourself. Â There are specific times when God will direct your path, but most times you are required to walk in the way he has already revealed. God tends to set the direction for your life and ministry through special guidance, but then wisdom should operate on a daily basis. Planning comes into play (Proverbs 20:18), but always bear in mind that God may override those plans (note Proverbs 16:9; 19:21; James 4:13-16). Â As you focus on the Lord in your daily walk with him, be sensitive to specific directions and “course adjustments” that he may bring. In this way, guidance becomes a natural outworking of your walk in the Spirit.

In Colossians 1:9-10, Paul describes a truly biblical understanding of guidance: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God...” This passage starts with a prayer – that God would fill us “with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” – and ends with a pur


You have been called into an intimate union with Christ, the fruit of which includes his wisdom – the understanding of his will in your life. And there is only one way, according to Romans 12:2, to know the will of God, and that is through the “renewing of your mind.”

pose, the result of knowing the will of God – that we may “life a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way.”

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9 10 11 12 13


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The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Romans 8:12-14, excerpted from QuickVerse 6.0. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Romans 8:12-14, excerpted from QuickVerse 6.0. Dallas Willard, Hearing God (London, Harper Collins, 1999), p.14. Dallas Willard, Hearing God (London, Harper Collins, 1999), p.x. Dallas Willard, Hearing God (London, Harper Collins, 1999), p.14. Dallas Willard, Hearing God (London, Harper Collins, 1999), pp.191-192. Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13:12, excerpted from QuickVerse 6.0. Erwin W. Lutzer, quoted by Edythe Draper, Draper’s Quotations for the Christian World, excerpted from QuickVerse 6.0. Dallas Willard, Hearing God (London, Harper Collins, 1999), p.198. E. Stanley Jones, A Song of Ascents (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1979), p.191. Dallas Willard, Hearing God (London, Harper Collins, 1999), p.198. E. Stanley Jones, quoted by Dallas Willard, Hearing God (London: Harper Collins, 1999), p.14. Dallas Willard, Hearing God (London, Harper Collins, 1999), p.18. Garry Friesen, Decision Making & the Will of God (Portland, Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1980), p.220. Martin Knapp, Impressions, quoted by James Dobson, Emotions: Can You Trust Them? (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1986), p.125. Garry Friesen, Decision Making & the Will of God (Portland, Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1980), p.246. J. I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1973), p.183. Dallas Willard, Hearing God (London, Harper Collins, 1999), p.1. Leslie Weatherhead, The Transforming Friendship (London: Epworth Press, 1962), p.54. New Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Testament, 1 Corinthians 2:16, excerpted from QuickVerse 6.0.

Unless otherwise indicated, all quotations from the Bible are from the New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

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As your mind is daily renewed by the Word of God, you will indeed discover that God guides you continually upon the Way of Holiness – and the destination of that Way is full maturity in Christ.