Joy Code 4
Proverbs 3:5
As a University student, it is very common to be uncertain about your future. There are several questions we don’t have immediate answers to. Where would I work? Would I even use my degree? Would I stay in the country or leave? How will I make living? Will I get married?
And truthfully all these are valid questions and pondering on them for too long can be anxiety inducing. Especially when you look at other people on social media and they all have 5 year plans, some are buying house at 25, some started building businesses from 16 and your thinking to yourself “l don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow let alone in the next 5 years”.
And the reason why we don’t have answers is because we aren’t looking in the right place or rather at the right person. A lot of us try to use past experiences or the experiences of others to make decisions pertaining to their life but when you are following human logic or human wisdom, it’s a hit or miss. It’s very uncertain. How do you know what worked for someone else will work for you? Or how do you know that what others did and failed, you would do and succeed. Or vice versa. Human logic is flawed sometimes.
I Samuel 16:6-7
New King James Version
6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””
Think about what Samuel said when he saw Jesse’s first son. He said “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” That is from looking at him he was sure that this was the king, he fit the bill of someone that should be anointed king in Samuel’s eye but pay attention to God’s response. He said:
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””
THE LORD DOES NOT SEE AS MAN SEES!
His ways are not our ways, his logic is not our logic, his wisdom is not our wisdom. Some things by all standard look like the right thing to do but are the farthest things from right according to the plan of God. According to God’s divine timing, you may be somewhere or doing something that may not seem right in the eyes of the world but that is exactly where God would have you be. Think about Joseph in scriptures for instance, in the plan he has seen a dream of upliftment and still ended up in prison, in the eyes of man he had failed but God was still working! God’s ways are not our ways, his ways are higher his ways are better.
And one thing we should take into account is that, God spoke to Samuel concerning who to anoint as king and some of us maybe thinking to ourselves that, “Well Samuel was a prophet. It was literally his job to hear from God”. But maybe you don’t understand that Samuel just had the Spirit of God upon him for a time but you have the spirit living within you forever! So if Samuel could hear expressly from the God without having what you have how much more ? How much more clarity do you have? This same God with higher ways, higher logic who was not easily accessible to the people in the Old Testament but he is freely accessible to you, that same God that his logic is better than ours is operating from your inside.
So maybe rather than overthink yourself into anxiety about what would become of you, rather than look to human logic and reasoning, why not look within, why not look to the one who knows the end from the beginning. That statement alone is one of the biggest cheat codes we have as believers. The fact that the God that knows how everything is going to end up, he knows the end and how to get there and he’s living inside you. And he’s not just sitting there looking at you make mistakes he’s more than willing to show you the road. He wants to lead you. God is making efforts to speak to you and even more we were built to hear from him.
Interestingly, some think God is an African dad that his leading is based on how good you’ve been, but little do you know that God spoke to sinners too. Even the first sinners (Adam and Eve) God still spoke to them.
Even in Cain’s sin God still dialogued with Cain (Genesis 4:9-15). In fact Cain was even still negotiating his punishment. And guess what God didn’t say “get out” or “shut up” he put a mark on Cain to protect him. So God is not a tyrant, he isn’t petty. He is willing to lead you, and he wants to lead you.
God is more than able to lead you despite your shortcomings. God is not intimidated by your sin. Moses was a murderer and God still went the extra mile to speak to him he lit a whole bush on fire to get his attention. God spoke to pagan kings. In Genesis 41:25, He spoke to Pharaoh through a dream of the night and did the same to King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:28.
You need to kill that idea that you are too small for God to speak to or for God to lead because if the problem was sin then God wouldn’t speak to pagans. So God can and will lead you, he is always speaking all you need to do is tune your heart to his voice. Of a truth, the safest place for anyone to be is in the will of God. In fact finding out the will of God was a major strategy in the Old Testament.
I Samuel 30:6-8
New King James Version
6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.
It says David inquired of the Lord. He knew where to go to find wisdom on what to do next. It was a strategy to know what the will of God is. So no matter how many times you have failed or succeeded, you can continue to succeed by the leading of the Holy Spirit. You can be rest assured that you can trust God. You can bank on his word. He has never missed.
Proverbs 3:5
New King James Version
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
The Bible says lean not on your own understanding. You have a supernatural advantage. You have someone that already knows the road. He knows the outcome of all things. So you can trust him you can bank in his word.
You have the Holy Ghost. God wants to lead you. He wants you to know his will for your life. It profits God that you know his plan. Because you can live God’s plan when you know God’s plan. You may not have the entire picture but be rest assured he wants to lead you every step of the way. Just like Abraham, God can say get up leave your country and go to a place where I will show you.
He wants to lead you. In fact, it is your right to be led. Being led of God is not something you have to qualify for. After you’re saved, there is no depth you get when you can now be led.
Romans 8:14
New King James Version
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Even your salvation was a leading, it comes with the package. When you believe the Spirit of God lives in you to lead you. How would you live your life if you knew that you could not make mistakes. Maybe that fear and that uncertainty would not be there. Maybe your trust in God and his plan for you would be heightened. Maybe you’d be bolder about the future because you know that you are perpetually walking in step with God. Maybe you would rejoice knowing that you don’t have to figure out life on your own, or have a cheat code.
If you truly want to make the right decisions you have to put the Spirit of God over all things. Sometimes, the things God would ask you to do may be things that looks stupid. The places he may ask you to go may not seem logical but remember this verse:
Isaiah 46:9-11
New King James Version
9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.
He knows the outcome of all things, and he is willing to lead you. His leading is never far from you. You don’t need to be uncertain you don’t have to be confused or afraid instead like David inquire of the lord.
A lot of us are in our final year of school or in phases where we are supposed to be making decisions for our future and I’m hear to let you know that you don’t need to be anxious, you don’t need to be afraid, and you don’t need to be confused. The Lord is ever present on your inside to lead.
Prayer Point:
Lord, I am grateful that you are more willing to lead me than I want I be led. I refuse to let fear of the future steal my joy and I learn to trust and follow your leadings for my life when making decisions.