God Takes the Initiative
Memory verse: Some trust in chariots and some in horses. But we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7)
Throughout Scripture, God takes the initiative. When He comes to a person, He reveals Himself and His activity. That revelation is always an invitation for individuals to adjust their lives to God. None of the people God encountered could remain the same afterward. They had to make major adjustments in their lives to walk obediently with Him.
God is the Sovereign Lord. Strive to keep your life God-centered because He is the One who sets the agenda. He is always the One who takes the initiative to accomplish what He wants to do. When you are God-centered, even the desires to do the things that please Him come from God’s activity in your life (Philippians 2:13).
What often happens when we see God at work? We immediately become self-centered. We must reorient our lives to God. We should learn to see things from His perspective. We need to allow Him to develop His character in us. We must let Him reveal His thoughts to us. Only then can we gain a proper perspective on life.
God’s revelation of His activity is an invitation for you to join Him. If you keep your life God-centered, you will immediately join His activity. When you see God at work around you, your heart will leap with you and say, “thank you, Father, for letting me be involved where you are”. When you are in the middle of God’s activity and He lets you see where he is working, you know God wants you to join Him.
Answer the following questions:
Who takes the initiative in your knowing and doing God’s will?
a. I do. God waits for me to decide what I want to do and then helps me do it.
b. God does. He invites me to join Him in what He is about to do.
Which of the following are ways God may reveal His plan or purpose to you?
a. He lets me see where He is already working around me
b. He speaks to me through Scripture and impresses on me a practical application of the truth in my life
c. He gives me an earnest desire that grows stronger as I pray
d. He creates circumstances around me that open a door of opportunity
God always takes the initiative (1-a). He does not wait to see what we want to do for Him. After He has taken the initiative to come to us, He waits until we respond to Him by adjusting ourselves to Him and making ourselves available to Him. In question 2, all four are ways God may reveal His plan or purpose to you. There are others as well. The last two (c and d), however, must be carefully watched. A self-centered life tends to confuse its selfish desire with God’s will. In addition. Circumstances do not always indicate God’s guidance. Check to see that prayer, the Scriptures, and circumstances agree on the direction you sense God leading you.
Final Thoughts:
Three tips for knowing God’s will
Sincerely seek God’s direction
Patiently wait on God until you have a word from Him
Let the Holy Spirit teach you through the Word
Three hinderances to knowing God’s will
Lacking honesty of heart
Lacking uprightness before God
Preferring the counsel of men, over the declarations of Scripture