Happy Easter, Dr. Ryan Dellamater in San Clemente, California with Ocean Water.
Ocean Water helps people all over the world get their drinking water from the
ocean for free. I'm stoked you can join us for today's message. Today I want to talk
with you about one word, guidance. We have many questions now as we contemplate
the season as we look at another 30 days of being at home until May 15th.
Stressful times indeed. How will we survive the impact of COVID-19? What will
be those implications for my family, my work, my kids, our friends? The list of
questions right now is longer than the list of answers so in this next season
we'll need God's guidance to help navigate these challenging times. We
need wisdom in this season and I'd like to help with that. God promises to guide
us at all times. How do I find His will for my life, especially now, because it's
probably the most commonly asked question that I hear from people. How do I know
what God wants for me? How can I find His will? How do I get His direction? These
and many other questions come to mind. People want to know how do I move
forward like right now even when I don't know necessarily what direction I'm
supposed to go in? How do I deal with uncertainty? What does God say about my
future? Does He even have a plan for my life? Recently I was talking with someone
who was saying, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. They felt stuck, frozen,
because they're waiting for a really clear picture about life so they can
move towards it. And sometimes we're unafraid to make a decision and
sometimes we just rush right ahead without thinking at all. So what's the
balance there? We can vacillate between fear and mindless courage. So
does God want to help us with that? What does the Bible say about how we find
guidance from God? What does God promise about this? How much of it does He just
leave to us in our minds to make those decisions? Well, I want to start with one
passage, one of my favorites in Isaiah chapter 42 about God's promise of
direction and guidance. And I want to look at this sort of phrase by phrase.
And I'd like to read it to you a little bit at a time. Have you ever felt like
there was a time in your life when God seemed silent or really quiet? Well, then
he starts speaking and he says in Isaiah 42, I will lead a blind by the way they
do not know. I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and
rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do and I will not leave
them undone. As you look at this a little bit at a time, it teaches us a few things.
The first phrase says, I will lead the blind by a way they do not know. What is
what is he saying? When you can't see where you're going. So we can be blinded
at time by pain, by tears, by confusion, by disappointment. When you can't see
where you're going, God will lead us even though we may not know where we're going
because even when we can't see clearly, God sees perfectly and he promises I
will lead the blind by a way they do not know. I'll take them in a way where
they've never been. In the next phrase he says, in paths they do not know I will
guide them. When you don't know which path to take, he says I'll show you. It'll be
it might be a way that's completely unfamiliar to you but that doesn't mean
that it's unfamiliar to God. Then he says, I will make darkness into light before
them. When things are dark and bad, he says, I'll turn the lights on for you.
I'll turn the darkness into light. That's why the Bible says that the Word of God
is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. That he uses the dark times, the
dark events, to shape and mold the direction that he ultimately wants us to
go. One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 8 28 and it says God uses all
things to work together for our good for those who are called according to his
purpose. So he makes things for our good work out out of all of that. He says I'll
make rugged places plain. He's talking about obstacles, disappointments, rocks,
walls, people, things that seem to be blocking what we hope God's gonna do in
our life. God says I'm gonna come in like a bulldozer and I'm literally gonna pave
a way for you and make the road clear. Then he says and these are the things I
will do I will not leave them undone. He's saying I will see you through
through all the way to the end. So when you cannot see where you're going, God
says he will lead you along unknown paths. He will light the way for you. He
will remove the obstacles and he will not stop until you reach the end. It's
one of God's promises about how he's gonna guide us. But as we'll see in a
moment, many of God's promises also have premises or conditions to things. So
God's promises have premises but let me come back to that in a little bit. Psalm
32 8 says another promise about God's direction. I'll instruct you and teach
you in the way that you should go. I will counsel and watch over you. People often
ask why doesn't God just show me the whole thing all at once? It would just
make life so much easier for me and probably easier for God because I
wouldn't have to keep talking to him over and over again about the same
things whenever it is that I do pray. You see if God was to show us the whole
story we may not like exactly how it turns out. How could we be so sure that
we would actually do that he what he would want us to? The chances are you
might not like what you see. It's like the FaceApp where you can see what you
look like when you're old and you go I don't know if I want to do that. You
might not like what you see. I sure didn't. You might want to run the other
direction if God tells you what he wants you to do. I think one of the reasons God
doesn't show us the whole thing is because he knows that we might get
impatient. We might get ahead of ourselves. We might try to find a
shortcut or speed the process along you know for God instead of relaxing and
just letting God do it. God also knows that we might not like the plan. We might
say no. We might go in the other direction. That's what this guy named
Jonah did in the Old Testament. God told Jonah here's what I want you to do. Jonah
didn't like it. Jonah went the other direction. He ran away, got swallowed by
a fish, ended up on the beach. But I guess even in the middle of that God was
merciful because after all there are two ways out of a fish. But if that's how all
the great heroes of the Bible responded when God gave them the big picture, well
then what does it make us think that we would behave any differently? So there's
another reason that God doesn't show us the whole picture all at once and it's
because if he did then you wouldn't need any faith. God is more interested in our
faith than anything else. Hebrews 11 6 it says without faith it is impossible to
please God. If you want to please God you have to have faith to do that. If you
know everything all at once you don't need anything and without faith it's
impossible to please God. Second Corinthians 5 7 we live by faith not by
sight. That's what God is interested in because he's building our character and
our characters not built overnight. Characters built one day at a time, one
step at a time, one test at a time. So God makes things clear one step at a time
and he's waiting for us for you for me to take the step and then he'll show you
what the next step is. If you don't take the first step he'll not make the next
step clear. Proverbs 4 18 says the path of the righteous like the first gleam of
dawn shining ever brighter until the full light of day. It says the path is
like the first gleam of dawn. It means that this that the God of that the will
of God dawns on us not all at once but one step, one moment, one choice at a time.
And things get more and more clear until you see what God has had in mind all
along. God's will is like a scroll. It gets revealed just a little bit at a time.
One of the great examples of this in the Old Testament is the life of Abraham.
And in Genesis chapter 12 God is speaking to Abraham. He shows up to
Abraham out of nowhere. Abraham didn't have the kind of background we would
expect for a man that God would use and yet God chose him and spoke to him and
called him into a future.
Maybe you don't feel like you have the right background or the right family or the right pedigree.
It's okay. God uses all sorts of people that you wouldn't expect. Exhibit A. Romans 12 says
Abraham leave your country, your family, your relatives and go to the land I will
show you. I will bless you and I will make your descendants into a great nation.
He's saying Abraham do you want your life to be blessed? Well then here's what I
need you to do. I need you to step out of what you know to be true. Step out of
your comfort zone. Step out of your past. Step out of your plan for your life and
step out of the world that you're comfortable in and step into the unknown
and take a step of faith because that's where my blessing is going to be for you.
And notice that he said I want you to go to a land that I will show you. He didn't
show Abraham the whole picture all at once. I can imagine Abraham would have
said you know well God where are we going? God's like I don't know I'll just
tell you when we get there. Just go in that direction. Take your first step and
I'll show you what the next step is. It has to be a step of faith. It is to walk
into the unknown by an unfamiliar road like that verse we just read in Isaiah
in paths they do not know I will guide them. It's a walk of faith. So this is
what living by faith is all about. It's stepping into the unknown before you
have the answer. But God cannot guide you until you take the first step. You can't
steer a parked Harley. It's got to be in motion. It's much easier. Psalm 77 says
your road led through the Red Sea, your pathway through the mighty waters, a
pathway no one knew was there. It says your footprints were unseen. They couldn't
see where God was leading. He brought them to an obstacle, a rugged place that
he was about to turn into a plane and it was a pathway they had never seen before.
His pathway it says led through the sea. We often expect that God's pathway for us
would lead us kind of around the trouble. But God's pathway usually leads through
the trouble. He says your pathway led through the sea and that's what faith is
about. It's making the decision when I face that obstacle, that challenge, that
barrier, am I gonna turn back or am I gonna go forward? Am I gonna take a step
into the unknown because I believe that's where God's calling me? And am I
gonna step in and see what God reveals as I go? So how does God do it? How does
God guide us? Well I want us to look at five different ways that I've learned
how God guides us. And the first one is that God guides us by his spirit. When
you open your life to God, to Jesus, you say come into my life Lord forgive me of
all the bad I've done. Put me on the path that you want me to be on. Psalms 1, 43, 10
says this, teach me to do your will for you are my God. May your good spirit lead
me on level ground. It is the spirit that leads us, the Holy Spirit. And one of the
ways he guides us is by opening our minds to understand what the Bible says
because without the Spirit of God the things of God don't make sense to us.
Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit in John. He said that his role is truth. He
says when the Spirit of truth, that's the Holy Spirit, when he comes he will guide
you into all truth. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and
making it known to you. And then in Corinthians he says here's the role of
the Holy Spirit in the Word of God. He says no one knows the thoughts of God
except the Spirit of God. We have received the Spirit who is from God. Why?
That we may understand what God has really given us. The man without the
Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God because
their foolishness to him. And he cannot understand because they are spiritually
discerned. So if you're not spiritually alive you can't understand these
spiritual truths. He says we have the mind of Christ. So God guides us through
the Holy Spirit. The second way that he guides us is by his word. He guides me by
his word. The will of God is in the Word of God. If you want to know what God
thinks about something then you'll need to know what he's already said about
something. So we know God's will by knowing God's Word. This is why we try to
read it every day. The Bible is not a map. You're not gonna open the Bible and
find step-by-step directions that will lead you to the destination of your life
because it's not a map. The Bible is more like a compass. It points you in the
direction of the truth. True north where you can say my thoughts and my doubts
and my fears and my ideas my dreams. How do they line up with the compass and the
direction of the Bible? God will never tell you to do something that contradicts
what his word already says. That applies to relationships. It applies to our
ethics. It applies to our finances. It applies to how we live our lives. He's
not gonna tell you something that he's already said. I don't want you to do that
kind of stuff in the Word. God will never violate his written Word. So if you want
to know what God thinks about a decision you're facing then you need to know what
he's already communicated about. And again that's in God's Word. So we always
want to look to the Bible. So God guides us by his Spirit. God guides us by his Word.
And that helps us navigate all of the things in our life because many times the
answer you're looking for is already here. It's already written into God's Word.
Psalm 19 says your word is a lamp to my feet and it is a light for my path and
opening the Bible is like turning the lights on in a dark room. It just
reveals things that were hidden in the dark. It dispels all of the shadows. His
Word lights the way for us. Second Timothy 3.16 says that all scripture is
inspired by God. That means it's breathed by him and it is useful to teach us what
is true. It is useful to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. All scripture
is useful to correct us when we're wrong and it teaches what is right. So the Word
of God under the power of the Holy Spirit is God's primary means of guidance
for our lives. Now thirdly he guides us by his people. What does that mean? It
means that you can't live a godly life in isolation. You were made for community.
So you need spiritual mentors, people that help you, a small group. You need to
surround yourself with people that you trust, people you know, people who love
God, people who know him and know his Word, people who know you, people who aren't
afraid to tell you the truth. So that when you think you know I was wondering
if God was telling me to do this or if this is the direction that I'm supposed
to go, you can turn to your crew, you can turn to people that know God's Spirit and
know his Word and know you and they can help you discern that direction and that
decision. We help direct one another. We need people that are praying for us
especially when we're making big decisions. Here's some of the things that
the Bible says about this. Colossians 3 to 16, let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly as you teach and admonish one another. So we each teach one another
what is the Word of God. Proverbs 27 says, his iron sharpens iron so as a friend
sharpens another and Hebrews says and let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds. That is the directional passage that we
give direction to one another to love God and deeds. God uses us to guide each
other. The fourth way that he guides us is by our circumstances. God guides me by
my circumstances, closed doors and open doors and there's nothing wrong with
asking God for a sign. There's nothing wrong with that. You might remember in
the Old Testament the man Gideon when God told him what he wanted him to do he
gave him some direction and Gideon wanted to make sure that he was hearing
right so we asked God for a sign. You may remember this story. He took a
fleece, a blanket and he laid it on the ground and he said to God, Lord if you're
ready to tell me to do this then in the morning let this blanket be wet and let
the ground be dry and that's exactly what happened. You can read it in Judges
chapter 6. It's exactly what God was trying to say to him. He said now just
one more time I'm gonna put this blanket on the ground here by this time let the
blanket be dry and the ground be wet and that's exactly what happened. But here's
the thing. God did not get mad at Gideon. He did exactly what Gideon asked him to
do and so Gideon's circumstances then confirmed what God was saying to him but
we have to know that this fleece, this blanket, this test that this was not
because Gideon doubted God he did it because he doubted himself. He doubted
his own ability to really clearly hear from God. He was not arguing with God he
was just saying I got to make sure that I'm hearing right and so I need a sign
that I'm hearing and that I'm hearing you speak to me and I'm not fooling
myself. Again Romans 8 28 we know that in all these things even losing your job in
all things God works for the good of those who love him who've been called
according to his purpose. So God uses our circumstances good and bad and it seems
that God uses actually circumstances more than anything else because you could
read your Bible and pray for an hour every day but you still have 23 hours of
circumstances. Those circumstances, meetings that open, doors that close, sign
posts of the road that you're supposed to take. Why would he give you those
things if he didn't intend for you to use them for his glory? Why would God
give a cheetah speed if he didn't want the cheetah to run? Why would he give a
falcon wings if he didn't want it to fly? Why would God give you what he's put in
your life if he didn't intend for you to use those things in the will the purpose
that he has in mind for you? Those are signposts. They could help set you on the
pathway that God has had in mind for you all along. All of those things point you
toward his purpose. And the fifth way, kind of the last way that he guides me
is by his still small voice. That phrase, God's still small voice, comes from the
Old Testament when we read about Elijah, a great powerful man, and he had just
experienced this really big spiritual victory, this over-the-top demonstration
of God's power that nobody could question God's hand was on this man and
that God was involved in his life. And you would think that Elijah would come
away from that thinking, man I can do anything, I got this, but instead for
whatever reason he panics and he runs away and he goes into hiding because
he's afraid. Look at what the Bible says about this. It says Elijah went into a
cave to spend the night and suddenly the Lord spoke to him. Elijah what are you
doing here? And he answered, listen to the panic in his voice, he answered, Lord, God
Almighty, I've always served you, you alone, but the people of Israel have
broken their covenant with you, torn down their altars, killed all your prophets,
I'm the only one left and they're trying to kill me. He's in an absolute panic, just
spun up in this thing, they're trying to kill me, but here's an important lesson.
Just because I'm in a panic doesn't mean that God is in a panic. God is never in a
panic. Relax. Well he says they're gonna kill me, he's yelling, but look at how God
responds. He doesn't even address it. God says go out out of the cave and stand up
before me on top of the mountain. The Lord said to him and then the Lord passed
by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks, but the
Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing and then there was an
earthquake, but the Lord wasn't in the earthquake and the Lord wasn't in the
fire and after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice, Elijah what are
you doing here? God didn't yell, it was a whisper, a small voice, Elijah what are
you doing here? When God asks you a question it's not because he's looking
for information. He just wants to know if you know what he knows. He's bringing you,
waking you up to the reality and he doesn't need to raise his voice to get
your attention, just that still soft whisper. That's enough. He speaks to us
through a still small voice. Isaiah 30 says you'll hear a voice behind you
saying this is the way, walk in it. It's a voice encouraging you, confirming the
direction. Yes it is, keep going. You're heading in the right direction and most
often God seems to lead me through hindsight where I can look back and I can
say oh yeah this was the way. I'm gonna keep going this way because I can look
and I can see yes there's the confirmation that I needed all along in
my life. But notice also that God says this is the destination, walk to it. He
says this is the way, walk in it. In other words God's call in your life, his
guidance and direction for your life is more to a path than it is to a
destination because there will be a lot of destinations in your life. It's the
pathway that's most important to God. His call is more to a path than a
destination. So you'll say well where do I start? Well you could probably start
with the most famous Bible verse about God's guidance and direction. It's
Proverbs 3.6. It says in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your
paths. Now I want us to look at that verse for a moment here. It says in all
your ways, not just some of your ways, all of your ways and that's the key. Now
what does it mean to acknowledge God? You acknowledge God in all of your ways by
asking what does he think about my ways, about the decisions that I'm making, by
looking for his will in every area of my life and doing what he has already told
you to do. That's how you acknowledge God in all of your ways and if he says you
will do that he will direct your path. Read it again. In all your ways
acknowledge him and he shall direct your, what's the word? It's paths. He will
direct your paths. It does not say in all your ways acknowledge him. He will show
you the ultimate destination in full detail. It says he'll show you which way
to go. So the Bible says this, seek his will in all you do and he will show you
which path to take. Another version says he will show you the right way to go and
another he will clear the road for you to follow. So where I end up in life, well
that's the destination. Where I end up in life is not nearly as important as how I
get there. Where I end up in life is not nearly as important because I have to
ask the question, did I get there by obedience or by compromise? It's the way
that is important. God calls you not to a place but to a way of life, a way of
living. Jesus said this in Mark 8. He says, what good is it for a man to gain the
whole world and yet forfeit his soul? So while you're waiting on God for
specific instruction be sure that you're obeying his general instructions in all
of your ways. The things that God has already told us to do, he's already shown
us in general for all of us in his word and if we don't obey God's general will,
his general instructions, well then he's not likely to give us specific
instructions because after all why would he tell you to do something if you
haven't done what he's already been asking you to do? So for example when
Jesus said that if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, we say well
those are nice words but is that how you're living or are you carrying a
judge? He's saying you've got to let go of those things. You can't walk into the
future if you're still living in the past. So we've got to let go. We've got to
travel light. We don't want to carry the weight of a grudge into the future or
when he says don't share in the sins of others. So we stand away from evil
influences. Are we living the best life that we can for God? Are we living our
life in a general way so that we can have God give us specific direction? So
what I'm talking about is this. Welcoming his direction of living, a
life that can be guided, that can be directed by keeping ourselves
blessable, by keeping our ears tuned to God's voice. It'd be like hanging a sign
on the door of our heart that says welcome Lord I'm open for business. How
can I serve you today? That's the kind of openness that God wants us to have in
our relationship with him. But it shows our but it shows itself first in how we
follow the Lord. I want us to look at one last passage because it has to do
with the difference between the general and the specific instructions that God
gives us. It's Isaiah 58 verse 11. It says and the Lord will guide you always.
He will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and you will strengthen
your friend. You will be like a well watered garden like a spring whose
waters never fail. But that is a beautiful promise and it has a premise.
There's a condition to it and in the context of God giving this instruction
there's something God is saying I want you to do and if you will do this you'll
make yourself blessable and you'll make yourself if I can say this word
guidable. If you'll do what I tell you to do God will then kind of have your back
and give you that extra blessing. So when you look at the verse in this context
you find out what God is requiring of them in his general instructions. Here's
what he's saying. It's kind of long but but listen to this. They had been fasting.
Well isn't this the kind of fasting that I have chosen? It's to loose the chains
of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break
every yoke. Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor
wanderer with shelter and when you see the naked to clothe him and not to turn
away from your own flesh and blood then your light will break forth like the
dawn and your healing will quickly appear. Then your righteousness will go
before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will
call and the Lord will answer you. You will cry for help and he will say hear
am I if you do away with the yoke of oppression, if you do away with the
pointing finger and malicious talk and if you spend yourselves on behalf of
the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed then your light will rise in
the darkness and your night will become like the new day. That's the premise and
now we come to the promise and the Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy
your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You'll be
like a well watered garden like a spring whose waters never fail. He's saying
don't live only for yourselves. What's the reason you're asking God's guidance
for your life for your direction is so that we can serve ourselves or other
people. He's saying don't only live for yourself give hope to people who don't
have hope meet the needs of others. If you'll do that then God will direct your
path and he will cause your life to flourish. You might say what if I miss it?
What if I get off track? What if I make a mistake? What if I'm missing God's will
for my life? The Bible tells us he's a good shepherd and shepherds know what
it's like to have a sheep wander away from the flock and get off the path and
like a good shepherd when you get off the path just call out let God hear your
voice and he'll come and find you and he'll put you on the right track just
like he has with me a hundred times. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will
direct your paths. So let's pray about this. Would you pray with me? It's simple
just say God help me today to follow you to trust you. Be my Savior in Jesus name
amen. Thank you for being with me today. I'd like you to message me at
Ocean Water OCNWTR. I'd like to send you a daily verse, daily reading, video
content for a weekly group. We're taking trips now all around the world we're
heading to India and to India and several other places. I'm Dr. Ryan
Dellamater with Ocean Water. I want to wish you a happy Easter and I
hope you have a great day. Thanks so much.