Following

Last week I started digesting what it means to follow God's will.  And I ended with the question: "So how do we know that the path we choose is God's will?"  I have come to know many people who have made major life decisions because they believed that God had instructed them with a certain direction for their life to take.  That instruction came in many different forms.  For some it was a truth revealed in scripture, for others it is the council and wisdom of others,.  There is also the very popular saying "when God closes a door He opens a window."  This also kind of ties in to the theory that if we are seeking God's will then he will open doors thereby revealing his will to you.

Standing at the doorway we must "live by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor. 5:7).  We must expect that God will guide us.  To trust that God will guide you it is essential that you are in relationship to God.  It is important to work on this whether things in life are good or bad because it takes but a moment for things to shift in our lives.  When we trust that God is leading us, we will truly benefit.

How often have you dropped by to visit a friend and the door to their home is closed?  Pretty often right.  What do we all do next?  We either ring the door bell or knock on the door right?  Then think about the occasions when some one has come to visit and you are in the middle of something.  You can't make it to the closed door, but because it is unlocked what do we typically say..."It's open, come on in!!!"

 It is important that we stop and reflect when we reach a doorway...because not all doors are opened and closed by God.  Sometimes the devil will try to derail us from following God's path.  When we knock on the door, our relationship with God enables us to hear him call to us and let us know if the door is open.

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the Believers in Business conference.  It was an incredible experience to share in fellowship with some amazing Christians.   It was jam packed with amazing speakers and tidbits of information that will take me a while to fully digest.

One of the speakers talked about how "The foundation of a focused and inspired vision for life is revealed as we humble and boldly walk in God's plan and pursue His opportunities to be a blessing."  It made me stop and realize that the less I told God what I wanted Him to do for me, the more likely I was to actually hear him tell me what I should do in my life.



Another speaker shared one of my favorite quotes of the weekend. "Never live beyond your means, instead live below your means so you have the luxury to make decisions when God calls you."  I really related to this!!!  Before my husband and I got married we had a discussion about whether I would quit my job and move to Connecticut to be with him.  I really wanted to be with him, but I really struggled to trust that we could manage it financially.  I had a house with a mortgage and a job that barely covered the cost of the mortgage.  I didn't have enough in savings to cover a year of mortgage and was worried that even if I found renters they might fall behind on paying their rent and how in the world would I manage to cover the expenses associated with that.  Not too mention the concern about finding a job in Connecticut.  Rationally I was convinced that I should remain in Colorado.  In this particular situation, God had other plans.  Very shortly after reaching the decision to remain in Colorado, I was laid off from the very job keeping me from being with my husband.  In this case God very much closed a door and opened a window.  Because I was close in my relationship with God I knew it was him acting and that I could trust everything to be ok.  I was upset the first evening after my layoff, but as early as the next morning I felt a wave of optimism sweep over me because I knew everything would be okay.

Yet looking back, I might have been able to see God's plan for me to be with my husband in Connecticut if I had adhered to the concept of leaving below my means.  The benefit of being in that position would have removed me from having to experience being laid off and all the emotions that go along with that experience.

I wanted to leave you with two additional valuable pieces of information as I wrap up this week's blog:

"True greatness comes in direct proportion to the passionate pursuit of a purpose beyond money."

"Yesterday has already passed, and it is not yet tomorrow, so how am I going to maximize TODAY."