Following God’s Call
Posted by Danielle Street on May 28, 2012 in Blog | 30 comments
As we grow, our Creator will plant dreams, visions, and desires in our hearts and minds. When we follow God’s voice, we use these passions for His kingdom and can experience lasting joy as we make a difference in the lives of others.
I admit I have moments when I question God’s call for my life. During those times, I often find myself asking the Lord to provide evidence that I am making wise decisions and following His perfect plan. I’ve discovered that when I slow down my life and invest in my relationship with God and others, I begin to receive answers, encouragement, and a clear confirmation that I am on the right path.
Sometimes our own way may seem logical and wise according to the world’s standards, but I’ve learned we can end up traveling down a road that wasn’t part of God’s plan. As a result, we only receive temporary comfort and brief happiness. Our Heavenly Father promises us in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” If we rely on the Lord’s perfect wisdom and let Him direct our paths, we gain an eternal perspective and are rewarded with an amazing purpose for our lives.
Have you asked the Lord for wisdom, guidance, and direction in your life? What has God taught you about following His call?
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For me hearing God’s call and in turn following it is not always a straightforward affair. Sometimes If I’m trying to hard to hear Him, I end up misinterpreting His call for my own heart mutterings. On the flip side, if I’m not listening hard enough, I can flounder around feeling lost and off His path. In my life I have taken many detours off that path and wasted a great deal of time wandering through the worldly woods. However, I find that eventually God lovingly nudges me back out of the briers and back onto His true path, setting me straight again. At times I wonder why that path isn’t smooth and straight, brightly lit up with bright neon signs and giant arrows saying, “Go this direction, this is God’s way!” But He doesn’t usually work like that. It’s our responsibility to be vigilant and surefooted, not wavering in our determination to follow the path wherever it leads us. He also never said it would be easy.
When I was a kid, one of my favorite books was John Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress. In it there was a character by the name of Pliable. Pliable means easily persuaded, influenced, flexible. So when Christian told Pliable of the beautiful city where he was going, the city with streets of gold, Pliable said, “I will go with you and I am glad to go with you.” But when the road got tough, became extremely muddy and slippery, when danger came when they were almost buried in mud, what did Pliable say to the Christian? He said, “Is this the happiness that you told me about?” He got angry and upset with Christian, gave up, and took an easier misleading road. But Christian was a pilgrim who took the ascending narrow path to heaven, where he was faced with great opposition of temptations, trials and hardship. He agonized to take that narrow path, and was enticed with worldly amusements, ambitions, covetousness, and love for this world. He wrestled daily with his flesh to overcome those worldly temptations. But, even though the narrow path to heaven was difficult, it wasn’t a blind path. Christian followed the footsteps of his Master, Jesus Christ who showed him the way to heaven as He Himself took the narrow agonizing path to heaven, and eventually he made it, and the pearly gates were opened.
Just as it was not easy for Christian to take the narrow path, we also have to fight a battle with our spirit and flesh, and abstain from our fleshly lusts, not slipping, falling and sliding off the path. These types of things lure us away and distract us from hearing God’s and following it. If you go swimming and get water stuck in your ear, it becomes much harder to hear things. But drain that water out and it’s amazing how clear things become. Well, sin in our hearts is just like water in our ears. It makes it hard to hear the Lord speaking to us. I have found that when I get rid of the sin, God’s voice becomes so much clearer to me, and I’m not straining to grasp what He is saying. In any case, God, I’m listening, and ready to follow whatever your call continues to be in my life, and I’m prepared to keep on that narrow path! Thanks Danielle!
Great stuff, Josh! I like how you mentioned things that can prevent us from hearing God’s voice clearly. Thank you for that reminder. Getting right with God and confessing our sins can open our ears and heart to receiving His perfect wisdom and guidance. I love your illustration on how we need to drain our ears! I have never read Pilgrim’s Progress. I did know that it was one of your favorite books as a child though. Maybe we need to start reading it to our kids. It may help them better understand what it means to follow God’s call!
Thank You! Be Vigilant and Surefooted, Not Wavering and abstaining from Fleshly Lusts. What clear directions for everyone to follow. Then, as you said, We WILL Hear God’s Directions. What an awesome privilege we have with his Holy Spirit guiding us and not ourselves becoming blind.
I agree with Mr. Street when he said: In my life I have taken many detours off that path and wasted a great deal of time wandering through the worldly woods. However, I find that eventually God lovingly nudges me back out of the briers and back onto His true path, setting me straight again.
I may think one path or road is the Will of God but The Lord always keeps nudging me and I just have an unsettled feeling when I’m doing it my way. When I follow God’s Path – I know that I know that I know
God Bless
Hi Susie, thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts on the topic. I love how you reminded us that the Lord will often nudge us to keep us following His call for our lives. I can relate to what you wrote about getting that unsettled feeling when we are doing it our own way instead of God’s way.
May we all rely on God’s promises when we are unsure what decisions to make in life! ” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11).
You are Right On! When you wait until you know His Peace is inside of you, that is the “BEST” this side of Heaven. Grace and Peace. Thank You for being so Clear with such sweet direction for us all.
Yes, when I seek God more, He will show the path He has planned for me.
Amen! I agree, Dicky!
Distraction is sooo easy for me! I have to ask God daily to keep me on His path. I ask him to show me CLEARLY…even if it’s not going to be easy or comfortable. Like Josh said about the “water in our ears”….If I don’t seek God in just about everything, my thoughts are like water in my ears keeping me from hearing God clearly. Hence..the distraction.
Very true, Judi! There are so many things that distract us from hearing God’s call. I love how you were able to relate your thoughts to what Josh mentioned. Thank you for reminding me that we need to ask God DAILY. I admire your desire to follow God’s voice even if it’s going to be uncomfortable. That’s awesome!
Thankfully, God’s mercies are new every day. His timing is perfect. Your blog and the two comments were just what I needed today.
Thank you for adding your thoughts, Vicki. I am so glad that God’s mercies are new every day and His timing is perfect. May we all continue to follow Christ and listen to His voice. “For He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care…” (Psalm 95:7).
As Vicki mentioned, perfect timing for me on this topic! It’s interesting that I found myself home this afternoon due to not feeling well and I came across your blog post. I love your mention of James 1:5-6. Exactly one month ago, I posted this same verse on Facebook for my Thought of the Day as I had been struggling with both doubt and wondering what God’s call or purpose really is for me. As I finished reading your post and decided to pray on how I can comment, shortly after I received a facebook message from you mentioning how you enjoy reading my Thoughts of the Day…..and I had one of those “aha” moments….I thought, WOW, maybe this is one way that God is using me….with something as simple as posting a “Thought” daily on Facebook that somehow I could be affecting someone without even knowing it. And then I started to think about what made me decide to do that….and I remember feeling a nudge towards the end of 2011 that I needed to try and make a difference no matter how small it may be. I would post things from time to time and I noticed that usually someone would always “like” or comment so I thought maybe people really care what I have to say…..so I decided as my New Years resolution to make it a daily post. I now call it ‘Thought of the Day”….after a couple months, I again felt a nudge that I shouldn’t keep these thoughts solely to my FB friends and that I should make my updates Public. Surprisingly, I started to get private messages and friend requests from people I have never met telling me how they came across my page from another friend’s and how what I said touched them. And then I knew for sure, that this was one of God’s ways of using me for his glory.
Being recently divorced after a short marriage, I do still question why God would bring about these circumstances or if it was simply someone else’s free will and choice that caused my marriage to end. I constantly think “How could this be what God wants for my life??” In any event, I have tried to find answers within God’s word, through constant prayer and speaking with my Christian family. Sometimes I feel like I am getting answers and that the Holy Spirit is speaking to me but other times, as Josh mentioned, I think I misinterpret his will for my “wants” and “needs”. This has created as Joyce Meyer coined a “battlefield of the mind.” I now find myself constantly questioning my thoughts and decisions lately. While I definitely see God’s hand in my life, I still struggle with letting him lead me and knowing when he is really speaking to me. I lean on Jeremiah 29:11 and Proverbs 3:5-6 as reminders of his promises but I have to admit that I can’t seem to totally surrender and trust that his way is better than any plans I have for myself. I pray for his guidance and direction daily to allow my need for “control” over my life to move aside so I can trust in what his plan is for me. I am learning every day and am thankful to be surrounded by others who understand my struggles and doubts. Thank you for your blogs…they keep me searching for answers and keep me on my “journey to maturity” <3
Hi Danielle,
I love how we both have the same name! I am one of those people who have enjoyed reading your “Thoughts of the Day” on Facebook. I’m so glad you shared on my website how God has called you to start this. What a wonderful commitment to have throughout the year. That’s fantastic that people have told you how it has touched their lives. I hope that motivates you to keep on writing!
Thank you for being so real and genuine in your second paragraph. I have found when we are able to do that, then that’s when the healing begins and God can start working in us. Then the Lord can use our experiences to help others. I love how you mentioned that through your trials, you are relying on God’s promises. It’s not easy! I confess I struggle with doubt and letting go of my need for control. I believe the Lord has given each of us a calling and He doesn’t want us to keep our stories to ourselves. I admire your desire to listen to His voice, pay attention to what He is teaching you, and share with others what you are learning. May you continue to allow the Lord to mold you into a mighty woman for His kingdom!
Danielle, I am so sorry for your short marriage and divorce. Years ago, I was in your shoes and raised three children without my husband. He took off completely. The Lord has brought me through it and I have come out the other side changed for His good. I have grown so much closer to Him and that has been an unbelievable path, where when I look back now, I am so Grateful. He directs our path, if we stay in His Word, even just 10 minutes a day and keep a clear conscience before others through His Power. Let our yes be yes and our no be no. That’s when we know, He can work Mightily. I Love the way You are very Close with Your Christian Family. Also, there is such safety in a multitude of Christian Counselors. When you experience the “agreement” of others, it probably always is the Afirmation from the Holy Spirit, which I’m sure you’ve seen. A sermon on the radio saying the same thing that you heard in church or in a conversation with another Christian. It’s Fantastic. Thank You for sharing from your heart. I know the Lord Jesus is going to use You and Your situation mightily to help others, which you are already doing! Grace and Peace. Please take good care of yourself, which is so important.
He’s been teaching me that His path can twist and turn and go in all sorts of crazy directions that don’t seem to make any sense, but that will all make perfect sense when we see the end results someday in His Kingdom. We just have to keep following and trusting.
Hi Lacey,
I often need to be reminded of those words when my life seems to feel like it’s going in crazy directions. Your’re right! We just have to keep following and trusting. Thank you for adding your thoughts!
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8).
Asking Him for Wisdom, Direction, and Guidance reminds me of the passage of asking, seeking and Finding. Your “sharing” has really made it very clear to us all. We know the “seeking” is by reading the Bible daily for His Light to come in to us. It is also so wonderful that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when or if we have times when we don’t even know the words. Having this deep Faith that He Knows our Heart through His Spirit inside of us is Amazing. We stand in Awe at how He works and orchestrates our lives. It will be 20-20 vision when we look back someday and realize how He carried us through even the toughest trials and we will have lived Victorious lives for Him. Philippians 4:4-9 Grace and Peace to You. Thank You for such sweet clarity!
Susan, thank you very much for posting your comments on my blog. I loved reading each of them! I also love the encouraging words you gave to Danielle Batten. May you continue to use your experiences to help others. It is evident in your writing that the Lord has taught you a great deal about what it means to follow His call and grow both emotionally and spiritually. Thank you for motivating us to seek the Lord and be filled with the Holy Spirit. I just looked up the verse you mentioned. Philippians 4:4-9 includes powerful words that we all need to remember. Thank you! Praise God!
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:4-9).
I have been thinking a bit more about this post. Throughout scripture the Bible says God is speaking to us. Were created for a relationship with Him, and that’s is the whole reason we exist. God wants us know him intimately.
But we can’t have a relationship without communication. The problem is that communication is very easily misunderstood. I’ve been married to Danielle for over 10 years, and I still don’t always hear her or understand her. So if I can’t even figure out somebody I’ve lived with for that long, how am I expected to always get it right hearing God?
However, after all that time I can recognize my Danielle’s voice when she calls me on the phone without her having to identify herself, even if it’s a bad connection. And after more than 30 years in a relationship with God, I know his voice when he talks to me.
The longer we grow in our relationship with the Lord, the easier it is to know when he’s talking to us. The key is learning how to tune in to him.
Jesus said in Luke 8:8, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Good points you brought up, Josh. That’s a unique way of illustrating our communication with God! Love it! Thank you for thinking more about the new post I was led to write and adding another comment. It encourages me to continue to think about the topic.
I love how you reminded us we need to maintain an intimate relationship with God and tune into what He saying if we want to hear His call for our lives. Then it’s important we follow and obey. I’m continuously learning that forgiveness and healthy communication with our Creator and others is an essential part of growing both emotionally and spiritually.
Check out Proverbs 3:6 which says, “Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, and everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” (MSG) Nice!
This post is a great reminder to me. I reposted it on my personal Facebook page.
Great job!
Thank you, Carrie! That means a lot to me. I look forward to visiting your blog more. May you continue to follow God’s call as you speak and write!
I think we all at times question things with God. Am I doing the right thing? What do You want from me Lord? Questions are not bad, in fact we learn much when we perceive the right questions to ask. Instead of thinking of questions as a negative as some do; formulate the right questions to advance our knowledge of God and what His desires are for our lives.
Great post Danielle, thanks.
Blessings
Greg
Wow! Excellent advice and encouragement, Greg. I’m very glad you posted these thoughts. Thank you for reminding me that questions are good and can draw us closer to God.
Hi Danielle,
Have I asked for the Lord for wisdom, guidance and direction in my life? Only about every day:) Somehow He provides it, but it is rarely the clear “sign” or even “nudge” that I’d like. I think God leaves plenty of room for faith. If we just followed marching orders, we would not be walking in faith. One thing I’ve learned from Scripture is that God always approves of faith. It’s interesting to ponder what that looks like in our day to day lives. Good discussion – thanks!
Judy
Hi Judy,
Thank you for joining in on the discussion. Great point! I agree that “God leaves plenty of room for faith.” There are so many verses in the Bible about faith. Thank you for reminding me of this!
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
Danielle,
What a great reminder to regularly check to make sure that our lives are aligning with God’s purpose for us. Even if we start out on the path that we know to be God’s plan, it can be easy to slip off that path as we gain more confidence in ourselves instead of constantly looking to God. Your point about asking Him for wisdom was a timely reminder for me. =)
- Aimee
Hi Aimee,
Yes, it’s very easy to slip and get away from God’s will for our lives. I need to be constantly encouraged and reminded to stay on God’s plan instead of my own! Thank you for adding a comment on my blog post. I always enjoy reading your thoughts.