This past week I must have had my counseling hat on.  I talked to four different people about decisions and plans they are currently making which will impact them for the next several years.  The discussions covered various areas like education, jobs, relationships and deciphering God’s spiritual calling in one’s life.  In all of these situations, prayer and the willingness to listen to godly counsel is the key.  We must seek direction from the Lord if we want to be sure that we are on the right path.  The Bible says in Proverbs 19:21:

“Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.” Proverbs 19:21

We should pray for counsel.  We can trust the Lord to give us wisdom.  There may be times when we need to seek out guidance from others who know Him and who can help us discern His voice and His direction but we must never doubt that the answer comes from the Lord.

There have been times when I have prayed and I have not felt led in any particular direction on a matter and the wisdom from a Christian friend has helped me to gain clarity.  There have been other times when I have simply asked the Lord to help me to know what to do by “closing certain doors” if I am not to walk through them.  “Lord, this job seems like a good match and I am not certain if I should take it.  Please impress upon my heart what I should do.  And Lord if I am not to be there, please close that door.”

I have found that the Lord is often faithful to answer that prayer.  I have found that the Lord can be trusted to open and close doors for us if we ask Him too.  I have also found that sometimes we can tend to pry open “closed doors” and walk where He has not sent us.  in the same way, we can also hesitate and avoid stepping through doors that he has opened for us.  Both of these situations cause us to step outside of His will and miss out on His best for us.

I have found that as we pray for counsel we must also pray for courage.  It takes courage sometimes to go where we must go or to stay where we must stay.  Fortunately for us, wherever the Lord leads us, we can expect His presence to be there as well.

I pray that you will have a glorious week.  I pray that you will receive counsel from the Lord and the courage to do His will.  I pray that you will know He is with you – when doors are opened and when they are closed.

If you would like to know more about a relationship with Jesus Christ, you may email me directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com