Latest / Time with God with John North / Guidance From God Pt. 5

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Guidance From God Pt. 5 · Time with God with John North

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Good morning. We're talking all this week about guidance and
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: understanding what God wants to do in our lives, and
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: to me, even the thought that God has a plan
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: for my life is so encouraging.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: I'm not left to just stumble around and try to
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: figure out something significant to do with my life.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: God has shaped me in a certain way that exactly
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: matches how He wants to work through me in this
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: world to accomplish His purposes, to make this world a
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: better place spiritually and physically for the people in it.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: He wants to do His work, His good work in
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: this world through me. That is exciting.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: So of course I live with the expectation God is
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: going to guide me because if He's made me a
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: certain way, if He's mapped out how He wants to
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: work through me in life and in this world, then
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: even for today or for this week He knows which
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: way I need to go and so I can rest
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: in Him and trust in Him. Listen, as long as
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: I'm putting Him in the centre of my life.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: I can trust him to guide my life.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Here's our principle on guidance for today. You may not
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: like it too much.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: In Isaiah chapter 64 verse 4, Isaiah says this.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: For from days of old they have not heard or
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a god
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: besides you.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for him.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Well, did you see the principle when we're looking for
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: guidance from God here? It's one we don't enjoy too
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: much and that's found in this little word weight.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: Hm
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: God acts, it says, on behalf of the one who
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: waits for Him, and you find this little expression so
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: often in the Bible Wait on the Lord or wait
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: for the Lord, or God's going to do this for
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: the one who waits for Him.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Well, sometimes the last thing we want to do is wait.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: We feel like we need to just get moving, we
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: need to make our decision now, er, it's so crucial,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: it's so urgent, and yet God says, wait.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Wait
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Wait
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: You remember the story from the Old Testament when Elijah
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: was so anxious for the message from God, and there
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: was the whirlwind, and he went out and thought, Oh,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: this is where it is, this dramatic experience and the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: thunder and the earthquake. He kept expecting that that was
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: where God would be.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: And then finally as he was waiting in the quietness
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: there was a gentle stirring of a breeze.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: And a still small voice and Elijah knew, OK, God
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: wanted me to wait for this. Be still and wait
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: for God.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Well, that's not easy for us, is it? We get impatient.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: We feel that things have to happen now.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: But I want to tell you this, the world is
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: not going to end because you haven't made your decision quickly.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: It doesn't mean we should just procrastinate and never make
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: a decision because we don't like either option, but what
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: it means is when you're asking God to guide you,
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: trust Him, wait.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: You don't have to rush out into that decision of
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: what you're going to do with your life. Maybe you
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: feel like maybe God's calling me into full-time ministry or
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: calling me to the mission field.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: The mission field will still be there in another year
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: if God wants to do some things in your inner life.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: Learn to wait for God, to wait for His timing
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: at the right time. If you are soaking that decision
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: in prayer, making yourself available to God, putting Him at
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: the centre of your life, then at the right time
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: everything will come together.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: And God's way forward will be absolutely clear to you.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: The great preacher of times past, Charles Spurgeon once said,
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: Those who do not hope cannot wait.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: But if we hope for that which we see not
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: Then do we with patience wait for it.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: I'm John North.