Good morning. Today we are continuing in our Stress-Busters series. We are going verse by verse through the 23rd Psalm and looking at the antidotes that God gives us to the 7 most common causes of stress. We’ve already looked at the antidote for worry, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” We have looked at the antidote for business, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet water.” And last week, we looked at the antidote for damaged emotions, “He restores my soul.”
And this morning, we are going to look at God’s Antidote For Indecision.
All of us face difficult decisions in our lives. Life is full of moments when must make some major decisions. So many decisions are difficult, what we decide does affect others and they lead us down one road or another. But, is it the right way?
How do we know which is the right decision? How do we find out which is the right road to take? Well, David writes in Psalm 23:3, “He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
God says that the antidote for the stress of indecision is to let God guide you. Remember, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” so The Shepherd is my Lord. And the good Shepherd not only promises to feed us, but lead us. He not only provides, but He guides. He not only protects, but He directs.
So, let’s look at this verse and some other passages, and learn how we can allow our Lord, the Shepherd, to lead us. Interestingly enough, when David uses the phrase “paths of righteousness,” he is literally saying “on the right road.” So, David would say to us, “The Lord will keep you on the right road if you’ll let Him.” So, let’s dig into God’s Word and see how we can let God “…lead us in paths of righteousness.”
So the question of the morning is this, How do I let God guide me in the right path? How do I figure out and utilize God’s guidance? Well, the good news is this, the Bible doesn’t leave us in the dark on this one. Instead, the Bible says to do 4 things.
First, I Need To Admit That I Need A Guide.
This is tough, especially for men. When we’re lost do we stop and ask for directions? No! It is not in the nature of a man to stop and ask for directions. We just don’t do it. So we stumble and get confused, and usually end up completely lost. Well, sheep by nature tend to wander, to get off the path. They need a good Shepherd and so do we. We tend to wander.
David says here, “He guides me ..” But we have to admit that we need Him to do that. Isaiah 53:6 says, “Every one of us have strayed away like sheep! We have left God’s paths to follow our own.”
This is the real problem why you don’t know God’s will. The fact is that most of the time we don’t want to follow God or anybody else whether we’re a Christian or not. We want to go our own way. We don’t want to admit we need direction, or that we need a guide. We refuse to admit that we need direction, that we are lost.
According to Phillip Keller, sheep have poor vision, they see pretty good peripherally, but not straight ahead. That’s why, on a path, they don’t know if it is leading them off a cliff, into a fire, or into a meadow. They need a shepherd, someone to lead them. And that’s what the shepherd does, he leads his sheep. Notice David doesn’t say, “He drives us in paths of righteousness..” No, a shepherd doesn’t drive a herd, He leads His flock. But why?
He leads them so that the shepherd will experience whatever danger there is before the sheep do. Well, we are like sheep. We can’t see the path ahead of us very well. We don’t know the future. And because as sheep we don’t see the path ahead of us, we tend to stumble.
We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, much less next year or 10 years from now. You don’t even know what’s going to happen this afternoon. God made you so that you don’t see into the future no matter how much you try. Even with all the gimmicks to predict the future, you don’t really know what’s going to happen. But why did God do this? Well, I believe that He did it so that you would depend on Him. So He could be your guide.
The problem is that sheep don’t see very well into the future and we don’t either, we tend to stumble. In Proverbs 14:12 it tells us that, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
We’ve all made a decision that at the time seemed right but later on turned out to be wrong. Some paths lead to dead ends. They lead nowhere. And that’s why it’s easy to get off track. Just like sheep tend to wander and can’t see into the future neither can we and so we stumble. But the first step is to just admit that we need a guide.
Some people say God never speaks to them. They probably don’t really want Him to. You probably don’t think you even need a guide. But Psalm 25 tells us that, “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.” And being humble means that I admit I need a guide.
Secondly, I Need To Ask In Faith For Direction.
David said, “He guides me..” God is willing to guide us if we will depend on Him instead of ourselves. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7 to, “Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened.” A – Ask, S – Seek, and K – Knock, ASK, ask. God wants you to learn to ask. Look at James 1:5, because it tells us how to get wisdom.
In the Message Translation of the Bible, in James 1:5 it says, “If you want to know what God really wants you to do, ask Him, and He will gladly tell you, for He is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask Him; but ... if you don’t ask in faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer.”
You see, God is willing to give wisdom, He’s anxious to give wisdom, He’s waiting to give you wisdom, He wants to direct you in life, but you’ve got to have 2 things lined up.
1. You’ve got to ask the right person, God. And..
2. You’ve got to ask with the right attitude, in faith, expecting an answer.
Have you ever asked God for something and didn’t expect to get it? Sure you have. We all have. And that’s why we didn’t get it. God works in our life according to our faith. So many times we say, “God, please guide me!” and we walk away not even waiting for guidance. We just immediately start to work. We say, “God, I want you to give me wisdom, help me make the right decision.” But we don’t really expect Him to do that. We think it all depends on us.
But God has promised us wisdom if we will ask Him for it. But have you ever stopped to ask, “What is wisdom?” Wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view. Wisdom is the ability to make decisions the way God makes decisions. Making truly wise decisions in our lives. When we don’t do things that are the wisest, we make mistakes, we mess things up.
But God always bats a thousand. He never makes a bad decision. He never makes a mistake. He says if we trust Him and listen to Him, He will guide us. But we must ask in faith.
Next, I Need To Listen For God’s Responses.
Okay, so you’re willing to admit you need a guide, and you are asking in faith for direction. But how do you tune yourself into His directions? Sometimes Nellie will be talking to me and I’ll look like I’m listening. But the truth is I’m hearing without tuning into what she is saying. How do I know I do that? Well, because later she’ll mention something and I, like the brilliant person I am, will say, “What? I didn’t know that!” And she’ll give me her look, and already, after almost 2 years of marriage she doesn’t even have to say it anymore, the look says, “I told you that but you weren’t really listening.” And she’s right.
Well, if you have a relationship with God then you have been designed to hear His voice. But you need to tune in, pay attention to Him and really listen. Out of all the things that God created and put on the earth, only humans have the ability to tune in to God to take in what He says.
Job 33:14 says, “God does speak, sometimes one way and sometimes another, even though people may not understand it.”
So the question is not, does God speak, but are you really listening? Think of being able to hear your TV or a radio. Right now, in this room, it’s filled with radio waves and television waves. There are messages going across this room right now. You can’t see them, but if you had the proper reception you could tune in and hear it. A radio can pick up the reception. But why? Because it was created by its creator to pick up radio waves. At TV can pick up the TV signals. But why? Because it was created by its creator to pick up the TV waves. God designed you to hear His voice. There is a receiver in you to get guidance from God. He wouldn’t have made you without it.
When God speaks are you tuned in? If you don’t hear God then:
A – You have your tuner turned off. Possibly you have never established a relationship with God.
B – You are too far away from the receiver. Perhaps you are not paying attention. Or…
C – You are on the wrong channel. If God is on channel 13 and you’re on channel 4 you’re not going to pick it up.
So, what channels does God use? Well, I can think of at least 5, so let’s look at them.
Channel 1 – The primary way that God speaks is through the Bible. A lot of the direction you need for life is right here. God says life is a journey and He’s given us a road map. In the New Century Version of the Bible, II Timothy 3:16 tells us that, “All Scripture is given by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right.”
The Bible is what you need in order to negotiate the maze and different pathways of this life. But if you neglect to read the road map you’re going to get lost. You say, “Josh, God has never said anything to me!” Really? Are you reading the Bible? If you don’t ever look at the road map, then how’s God going to direct you? The most basic question you can ask yourself about the decision that confronts you is this, “Does my desire agree with Scripture?” That gets some debris out of the road right away. It’s silly to wonder, “Does God want me to have sex outside of marriage? -or- “Should I take this job even though it means I won’t be able to attend church? -or- “Should I cheat this customer?” It’s a waste of time seeking God’s guidance in areas that are already clear in His Word. But in order to know those areas you need to read this book and fill your mind with it. So, channel 1 – The Bible.
Channel 2 – God speaks through Godly, Biblical Teachers. Not just Godly, but Biblical, because God’s will is not revealed through good teachers talking about their own ideas, but Godly teachers sharing things that are consistent with God’s Word.
As a side note, this series so far has been interesting. It is one of those that has a lot of you saying that you feel like each message is aimed right at you. I’ve heard everything from “Why didn’t you look at anyone else but me when you preached today?” to “Did you come and spend a week at my house?” to “You wrote that sermon just for me didn’t you?” Well, let me say this, if you’re in church listening to a Biblically sound sermon or in a class listening to a Biblically sound study and feel like God is speaking directly to you, then guess what? In that moment God is speaking directly to you.
And by the way, that is why coming to church and attending Bible study, and having your own Bible study is so important. What if God has prepared a message for you and you don’t show up? One of the ways to let God direct your paths is to ask yourself, “Am I taking advantage of every teaching opportunity that’s mine, so if God has a message for me, I’ll be there to hear it?” Titus chapter 2 is all about telling us to listen to godly teachers. So, channel 2 – Godly, Biblical Teachers.
Channel 3 – Christian Counsel. In the Message, Proverbs 15:22 says, “Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.”
Ask yourself, “What do my Christian friends and my Christian leaders counsel me to do?” And let me emphasize Christian counsel. We make a mistake when we go to the world for advice. They don’t always have the same set of values as we do. Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed are those who do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly.” Seek God’s will by listening to people who know God well and then ask why shouldn’t you follow their counsel? So, channel 3 – Christian Counsel.
Channel 4 – Use Common Sense. Sometimes God leads through the brain He’s given each one of us. Some people think that after they ask for God’s guidance that they’re supposed to sit back and wait for God to show them the door, turn the door knob, and drag them in. But it doesn’t work that way. We still must apply some effort. Send out resumes, have interviews, make phone calls, consider our options. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come let us reason together says the Lord.”
So another question you can ask is this, “Are the doors opening up, or am I hammering them down?” If the doors do not open fairly easy, forcing our way through them may mean we are rationalizing to get our own way. It should open with a reasonable amount of effort. Now you’ve got to be careful here because Satan can make things easy too. It’s an easy temptation to try to make God’s will fit our desires instead of fitting our desires into God’s will. Some of us are like the preacher who was on a diet and prayed as he drove to work, “Now, Lord if it is your will for me not to have any donuts this morning, you make sure there are no parking places in front of the donut shop.” And he later said, “I ate the donuts because there were 2 places right up front on only my 8th trip around the block.” We need to make sure we don’t play the game of making God’s guidance fit what we want rather than seeing if what we want actually fits His plans. Remember David said, “The Lord is my shepherd … He leads me …” So, channel 4 – Use Common Sense.
And Finally, Channel 5 – God uses Circumstances to speak. Sometimes He uses pain. Someone once said, “God whispers to us in our pleasure, but He shouts to us in our pain.” God gets your attention in times of adversity. The Good News Bible says in Proverbs 20:30 that, “Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways.”
So, instead of asking, “Why me God?” ask, “What is God wanting me to learn through this?” He has something for your ultimate benefit coming from this. Sometimes He works through pleasant circumstances, like meeting someone who shares a story or some insight that really gets you to thinking.
Or maybe it’s a movie or a book or just a particular scene that speaks to you. Sometimes God speaks to us in pain. He uses both. So, channel 5 – God uses Circumstances to speak to us.
You see, God is speaking all the time. The question is, “Are you listening?” If you’ll tune in, He will lead you on the right path. If you don’t get in tune with God on a regular daily, moment by moment basis, you’re going to miss the right path God wants to lead you. So, we need to learn how to listen for God’s response.
And Finally, I Need To Trust God’s Direction Even When I Don’t Understand.
Remember, you are not God and you don’t have all the answers. David says He’s going to lead you “…for His Name’s sake.” In other words, in the way that He knows is best. Sometimes that doesn’t make sense to our small minds, but what we think is a wall our Shepherd knows is a door. The Bible tells us that when the Jews, the children of Israel were finally set free from Egypt, the whole nation started marching out to freedom and the first thing they come to is the Red Sea. On one side is an un-crossable mountain range. On the other an Egyptian fortress. In front of them is an ocean. Behind them, in hot pursuit, is the Egyptian army that has changed its mind and decided to come and slaughter them all. What is God going to do now? The path looks like a dead end. But God knew exactly what He wanted to do. He had not made a strategic error like some might of thought because He could see what they could not see. And He opened the Red Sea and they walked through.
Years later the Israelites looked back and in Psalm 77:19 they said, “Your road led by a pathway through the sea, a pathway no one knew was there!” (NLT)
Some of you are facing some dead ends right now, financial, emotional, maybe relational. But it’s not really a wall, it’s a door. God can see a path that you don’t know about. The path you’re on right now may be one that is dark, despairing, discouraging, and you feel depressed about it and you think there is no way it will work out. It is an impossible road to travel. If you will keep on moving in faith, trust God even when you don’t see a way, He can make a way. What do I do in the meantime? Proverbs 3 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths.”
4 things from that verse:
1. Trust the Lord.
2. Don’t panic and start depending only on yourself.
3. Seek His will in all you do. Read His Word, seek Christian teaching and counsel, see if doors are opening or you’re forcing, pray, ask the Lord what He wants you to learn and
4. Depend upon Him completely to direct you. Even when you don’t understand the way.
The ultimate question is, “Who’s path are you going to follow in life?” Why follow God’s path? Because Proverbs 12:28 answers that, “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.” You go your way, the way that seems right, it’ll lead to death. But you make the Lord your shepherd and He’ll “… guide you in paths of righteousness for His names sake.” Let’s Pray!
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