It’s Monday. I usually have a post to help grow your faith ready and waiting in your inbox by now. But this last week had been a rather busy one.
I confess to being a little frustrated this morning, because I want to be consistent in getting my thoughts organized and out to you. I hear the questions you have and know I can help.
But one of the mantras I preach a lot is “first things first.”
I had another post planned for today to help equip you to live an authentic life. I love hearing from all of you who let me know the faith challenges you face. I then prayerfully plan posts, podcasts, and other resources (in the works) to help you get clarity and confidence for living the Christian life. But today I wanted to share a few thoughts about how to get there from here.
I’ve recently had a number of conversations with people seeking clarity on life direction, something we all crave.
Who hasn’t heard a married person say, “I didn’t realize my wife was so….” Or “If I would have know that about him….” The truth is we never truly know the person we think God wants us to mary until after we’re married. But we can see some of the problems coming if we’re willing to ask the tough questions before we say “I do.”
In our own relationship, my wife and I talked through a lot of issues prior to getting married. Church and doctrine, parenting philosophy, the place of Scriptures in our decision-making, and a host of other issues.
We even went through a money-management course (which her father wisely insisted we take) so we had at least started the conversation about that potentially divisive issue prior to tying the knot.
But a lot of couples don’t talk about these and other significant life issues–and then they wonder what happened when those real-life issues hit them upside the head.
Don’t you wish it were easier to figure out the person God wants you to marry? After all, the movies make it look so easy: See the person. Fall madly in love. Pine away for him or her for a little while. Then magically overcome all obstacles and live happily ever after.
At least that seems like the way it’s supposed to work. But real life often unfolds rather differently, doesn’t it?
And for those who want a happy, healthy marriage that will be pleasing to God, it’s going to take more than eHarmony to marry the right person.
Marriage is one of the big ones. Most decisions in life don’t come close to it for life-altering consequences. What to wear, what to eat, how fast to drive, even what job or career to pursue pales in comparison. The potential implications of this question are staggering: How do I know if God wants me to marry this person?
Make the wrong decision when it comes to marriage and it can leave a mark for your entire life — and beyond, really, as children deal with the aftermath for generations.
No pressure; just pointing out what you already know if you are trying to figure out what God wants next for your life when it comes to getting married.
Every day it seems I wrestle with feeling like a failure. You probably don’t have this problem. My plans don’t work out. I don’t achieve what I thought I could have. And then I don’t have time to post the appearance of success on social media so everyone else can think I have it together and they don’t.
Our social media connected world often gives the false impression that some people have arrived.
These people post all sorts of positive stuff all the time. They seem to accomplish so much. They are perceived as the experts in [fill in the blank]. It only makes it worse when we compare our life to what seems to be their perfect world.
Many of you FaithWalkers know I have been critical of how our nation has handled the Syrian refugee crisis. But that does not mean I do not care about the families who are running for their lives from the evil that is ISIS.
It has been challenging to know what to do to help them where they are. But I am proposing some simple steps we can take as we head into Christmas.
We can make a difference right now for these refugees in the name of Jesus by doing 3 things.
Click here to read my post at Patheos and discover what we can do.
I took some down time with family and friends last week and so my posts have slowed briefly. Look for more in the coming weeks and helpful resources in the coming year.
I am excited about the journey ahead and especially about the new FaithWalkers podcast coming in January.
Thanks to all who have responded to my emails to give input on topics and questions to address.
See you out on the trail….
What’s the one thing you can do that is guaranteed to focus your faith and help you discover God’s will for your life? Here’s a hint: it may be the spiritual discipline most often ignored in Western Christianity. Figured it out yet? It’s fasting. And it can help you more than you can imagine.
Thanksgiving is hardly gone, and here I am talking about going without. Maybe some of us need to take a few days off from eating at this point to preserve our waistlines. But the kind of fasting I’m talking about is not for dietary reasons; it’s for the many other benefits it can bring to help you discover God’s best for your life.
Fasting may be the most underutilized spiritual discipline the Christian has in his or her backpack for the journey to live an authentic life with abundant faith.
Have you ever faced a key life decision and wondered why God wasn’t giving you clear direction? I mean, how hard would it be for Him to rent a billboard or at least shoot you an e-mail to say, “Click here to know what to do next.”
Doesn’t God own the data on a thousand servers as much as He owns the cattle on a thousand hills? I confess that I have never needed any cattle, but I sure could have used an email with divine direction at key times in life.
When we don’t hear clear direction from God, why is it we always assume it is God’s fault?
I came across an intriguing but sad comment by a reader recently. He said that he once asked God for direction, but God didn’t answer. So he had to make his own way, and it hadn’t turned out well. I couldn’t help but wonder if God had not answered or if this reader simply had not listened or not liked what he heard.
In fact, he had made some pretty serious, even criminal mistakes, all of which he blamed on God for not responding to his request for direction.
I know in my own faith walk, when I choose poorly, it is often the result of trusting in my own wisdom instead of waiting for and insisting on an answer from God.
Claim your FREE copy of my eBook What God Wants You to Do Next: 7 Questions to Discover God's Best for Your life
— and —
Get the latests posts from FaithWalkers to help you live an authentic Christian life of abundant faith.
