How to be absolutely sure God is leading us (part 6)

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
C.S.Lewis

Do I have peace about this?

I’ve written about false peace before, here and here.

False peace is the peace that comes when all is right in our world. It’s fleeting and totally dependent on our outward circumstances. But it is not the kind of peace Paul describes in Philippians. I’ve known Christians who conjure up feelings of peace as a way to convince themselves that God has approved their plans. I mean if they feel good about it, it must be right, huh?

Peace, God’s peace, is not necessarily a feeling.  Repeat as needed. 

I never felt peace when I led a Bible study. I was at peace because I knew I was doing God’s will but I was nervous every time I stood up to teach. I’ve had times too numerous to mention when God has led me to a task and I’ve been afraid (my problem not God’s). If I were counting on floods of peacefulness washing over me before I could proceed, I never would have.

Peace is like all the other attributes Scripture refers to such as, love, forgiveness, wisdom, purity, gentleness, reasonableness. Not one of those is a feeling. Sometimes God leads and we do have warm fuzzies but I’ve learned not to count on it. Other times God leads and we have cold shivers because we’re afraid.

It’s when I’m in a state of peace that I know I’m on the right track. I wish I could explain the difference. But God’s word says it is unexplainable so who am I to try? Philippians, 4:7 “And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”

One of the ways I learned to defeat depression is by becoming suspect of my emotions and by trying to identify them accurately. Is it excitement or is it anxiety? Is it fear or just anticipation? There are only a few ways our bodies respond physically but there are hundreds of different emotions. It’s easy to confuse them.

Knowing God’s will for certain situations can be difficult. That’s why it’s important to seek His direction continually so we learn to recognize His voice. The more we experience it the more familiar it becomes and the less we allow our emotions to define for us.

It’s like my husband’s love for me. The more I experience it, the more I’m assured of it. The more I’m assured of it, the more I experience it.

It’s the same way with knowing God’s will. The more I follow His leading the more assured I become. The more assured I become, the more I’m sensitive to His voice. It’s the natural result of a long-term relationship. someone

I believe Scripture teaches that God gives us wide berth, a wide road, in many areas in our lives. We just remodeled my pantry. I don’t think it mattered to God what color I painted it or if I added rhinestones to the wall. (And by the way, I did.) But I did talk to him about it because I know he’s interested in whatever interests me and I wanted to keep it inexpensive so I needed him to spark my creativity-which is where the rhinestones come in.

In any one week, I sense God’s leading about a myriad of matters. Sometimes I do feel peaceful. Sometimes I don’t. As long as in my heart I know I’m doing the right thing, I’m ok if my feelings are lagging behind.

Don’t equate peaceful feelings with the belief that those feelings are an affirmation of your plans. A lot of things can feel good and be entirely wrong.  Instead learn to recognize God’s voice in all that concerns you. True peace comes from God, not our circumstances.

God bless and I hope you have a good day.

(The post “How to be absolutely sure God is leading us. Part six” appeared first here.)