Worship Service, Sunday, May 18, 2025
A tiger was chasing a man. He was running as hard as he could. At last, he reached the edge of a cliff. And the tiger was menacingly pacing back and forth behind him at the end of the cliff, with a tiger in front of him, the man looked down the cliff and noticed that there was a branch growing out of the side of the cliff just a few feet now. So the man jumped off the cliff and grabbed the branch. Just then, a mouse came out of a small space near that branch, began to chew on that branch. Now, the man was a bit scared, because he saw that there was a thousand foot drop from that branch to the bottom below the cliff. And he knew he would surely be dead if he fell from that height. The frightened man looked toward the sky and yelled, Dear God, please help me. Please save me. I’ll do anything you ask me to do.
Suddenly, a loud voice boomed from the sky and asked, will you do anything I ask? The man was shocked to hear a reply and again replied, I’ll do anything, but just save me. A loud voice from the sky replied, there’s only one way to save you, but it will take courage and faith. Can you do what I ask?
Do you have faith? The man was too scared to see that the branch was beginning to loosen from the earth and getting looser every second. And still, the tiger was drowning loudly at him from the top of that cliff. So the man replied, please God, tell me God what to do.
I’ll do whatever you say. Your will is my will. The loud voice from the sky said, all right then, let go of that branch. After a short silence, the man looked down again at the thousand-foot fall and certain death, and then looked up again and yelled, Is anyone else up there?
Of course, this is a humorous story, but with an important lesson attached to it. The moral of the story is that we need to trust God with our whole heart. With our God, we lack eternal perspective. It’s about trusting God even when we can’t see what’s ahead of us.
We must be willing to go to the life we have, excuse me, we must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned in order to realize a godly life and the associated blessings of God that awaits us. Making significant life decisions can be challenging. These choices often involve careful thought about careers, education, financial matters, and of course relationships. Understanding God’s will can provide strong guidance in these important areas.
Discerning God’s will can be a very meaningful and life-changing journey for many of us. People often feel uncertain about their choices and desire to seek clarity, God’s clarity, in their direction. Finding God’s will is about developing a close relationship with Him and actively seeking guidance in our daily lives. This process of seeking God’s will not only facilitates easier decision-making in line with God’s will, but also deepens one’s faith in the process.
Many with conflicting desires and emotions while undergoing that process, making it challenging to really know the right path, what direction should I go along? There’s a question many, many times we’re faced with. Developing an even closer relationship with God aids in his discerning, in the discerning of his will and can provide comfort and support during these very conflicted times. There are spiritual building activities that we can use in helping us to discern God’s will in the big decisions of our lives.
Activities such as and children, rather than doing children’s church, I thought this was an important lesson just to know what God, what’s the right decision? Because as time goes by, you’re going to be facing a lot of those decisions. To many of us that have been on this earth for a while, we would think that they’re not that big of decisions. But for example, who’s the love of my life?
Who do you have in store for me, God? What direction do I go for choosing a college? All those things are gonna be here before you know it. So rather than breaking up, I ask if you could just bear with me while I go through this message.
And hopefully there’s something we all can get from this message. So again, with regard to the spiritual building activities, I’ve just enumerated a few of them. I think I came up with five, there’s more. I’m going to talk about five.
First is number one, engaging in consistent prayer and reflection. Developing a planned, consistent, and strong prayer life helps clarify life’s decisions. Two, seeking guidance directly from the scriptures. An awesome way to get a better idea of what God’s will is for us.
Three, seeking guidance and counsel from trusted godly mentors can lead us to a deeper understanding of what God desires for each person’s life. Four, closed doors or seemingly unanswered prayers can help us in understanding God’s will. And fifth, aligning personal desires with God’s will brings us peace and direction. So as we navigate our choices, understanding the nature of God’s guidance can be incredibly reassuring.
By aligning personal goals with his teachings, it becomes clear on how to move forward within God’s will with confidence and purpose. So just how can we understand God’s will? Discerning God’s will can seem challenging, but the process can basically begin with seeking guidance directly from God’s Word. Aligning choices with biblical teaching not only honors God, but also fosters spiritual growth and peace.
The Bible offers insight and direction on how to live in obedience. Using biblical principles provides a strong foundation for decision-making. Scripture is filled with practical advice that can help us navigate through life’s choices. As the Bible tells us that God’s Word is alive, the living Bible, the Bible is the living Word of God because it is the message given to us from the living God.
Hebrews 3:12 reads, “The God who is alive works in this world through His Word in conjunction with the Holy Spirit”. Through God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in guiding believers to a better understanding of God’s will in our lives. The Bible, again, is full of guidance and understanding God’s will. Furthermore, passages such as Romans 12:2, which reads, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will. And just to park here for just a moment, that passion says, then you will be able to test. Now there’s a number of passages in the Bible that use that verbiage test. One is giving to the church.
And God says, test me on this. And I’m paraphrasing, but it’s like, open up the windows of heaven if you just have the faith to give to your ministry, right? To give to the Lord. And he says, test me on this.
In other words, he’s putting a line in the sand, go ahead. You know, show me that this isn’t the case. In this verbiage, it uses the same thing. It says, you know, then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is.
So pretty strong in the implication that this has got to be true, right? The Apostle Paul wrote this to encourage believers to seek transformation by renewing or maintaining an open mind or Another way to look at an open spirit, to help align our thoughts with God’s purpose. Proverbs 8:17 reads, “I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently, finally”.
And as was mentioned earlier, the role of the Holy Spirit in discernment, knowing what God’s will in our life is, is a key. The Holy Spirit is a key helper in discerning God’s will. According to John 16:13, the Spirit guides believers into all truth. The passage reads, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, meaning the Holy Spirit, comes, he will guide you in all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come”.
This guidance can come as a gentle nudge or a strong conviction about a decision. Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit involves listening, listening, during quiet moments to that still, small voice, a prompting from the Holy Spirit. Many of us have witnessed that. I know I have. More and more lately. It can also mean being aware of the peace that settles in one’s heart when making decisions. The Holy Spirit often affirms God’s will through thoughts, feelings, or circumstances that align with Biblical teachings.
How many times have we used or heard the phrase, it’s a God thing, right? That’s what this is referring to. Now, I won’t go into a long dissertation, but one of the biggest parts of my decision and knowing if my attendance here and joining here at Christ Presbyterian Church is through the prompting of the Holy Spirit and circumstances just seemed to pop up. It got to the point there were so many, and it was so often, I got the message. So, like me or not, I’m here to stay. You lucky people.
Connecting with God through prayer can prove vital for believers seeking to understand God’s will. Through prayer, individuals can express their desires and concerns, but also listen for God’s response. Our relationship with God through prayer is not a monologue where we’re Johnny Carson just going off on the monologue and hoping we’re going to get some claps and applause. No, it’s a dialogue. God will speak back to us. We just have to be reflective and quiet and listen. God also speaks to us through scripture as we mentioned earlier, other people, and of course circumstances. There are many other ways that God may use to convey his will or his message to us. James 1:5 encouraged believers to ask God for wisdom, promising that he will provide it generously.
Establishing a consistent prayer routine, meaning in business, If you had a career, my mom was a homemaker for 82 years. And she was really good at it. And now that I’m the chief cook and bottle washer of my family, man, I wish I had the energy that mom had in order to do that. But she was very organized and looked at it as if it were her job or business, because it was.
Some of these things that I read about in drawing a more consistent prayer life, it talks about making an appointment with yourself. In other words, be consistent in knowing that at 10 o’clock, for example, whatever time works for you, that that’s time for prayer. Maybe set an alarm on your phone and take five minutes to pray. Seeking to discern God’s will by receiving wise, godly counsel and applying biblical principles one can find clarity and peace in life’s difficult choices.
Here at Christ Presbyterian Church, we have an amazing resource of wise, godly counsel.
I’ve had the pleasure with this wonderful couple that when I’m in fellowship, I ask questions because I want to know your answers. What a tremendous resource of depth and experience we have in our church. And I’ve been a beneficiary of that but when these folks say something, buckle up and listen. So we have that resource.
All of you, I love each and every one of you regardless of what you think of me. I love each and every one of you and I the more I get to know you the and hear your testimonies and talk with you and hear your encouragement, the more I am solidly assured that if we are a ministry that will grow, and I sense we will in a big way, what better core would we ever need than this core right here? The godliness of this core The attention to every little detail matters in this core. What to some of us might think are easy decisions, for others, I’m reminded it’s important to take the time to make the right decision, regardless of how simple I think the decision might be. It doesn’t matter what I think.It matters what the body thinks and what God thinks. So we are so fortunate here to have you godly folks with us and I’m telling you what, I can’t see why we can’t grow with the prayers from a godly bunch of y’all. We’re going to do well. We’re going to do well.
Another thing, as I mentioned earlier, closed doors or seemingly unanswered prayers can be God’s way of guiding us on what His will in our lives is. When an opportunity does not work out, it might feel disappointing, however, and maybe a sign that God has a different plan. People should reflect on these moments and consider them as part of the journey, regardless of how difficult they might be, because each closed door or unanswered prayer, seemingly unanswered prayer, can lead to new opportunities.
When I mentioned an unanswered prayer, seemingly unanswered prayer, we may be getting an answer in a prayer, but the answer might be, no, no, you won’t. And that might be your answer in our direction from God and His will to what choices maybe we should align with that is within His will. In those times when it’s difficult and you’re not feeling that you’re getting past your prayers are not being heard when indeed they are and there’s nothing happening. It could be helpful to pray for understanding as you petition to the Lord.
Lord help me understand my choices. Please help me with direction and just mainly weave into that prayer that you pray for the understanding and doing such can prepare us to accept God’s direction and it may be different than where we thought we wanted to go. Even if such directions are unexpected or again a bit foggy or unclear.
Reading and meditating on the word regularly can lead to greater understanding of God’s will in our lives. This deeper connection can help clarify decisions. Aligning personal desires, our own, with God’s will is crucial for spiritual growth. By focusing on obedience and understanding the desires of one’s heart, individuals can foster a deeper connection with God. This process can lead to a fulfilling life that resonates with divine purpose.
Obedience to God means choosing His plan over personal desires. When a person surrenders their wishes, they open themselves to God’s guidance. This act of surrender or submission, it’s not easy, but it’s essential for spiritual growth. Surrender results in trusting our reliance upon God.
We must trust God knows what’s best for us. Understanding that personal desires may not always align with God’s plans can be challenging, especially if you want it really, really, really bad. I’ve been there. Surrendering means letting go of control and allowing God’s purpose to unfold.
The desires of the heart can often lead individuals towards God’s will as well. However, it’s vitally important to differentiate between selfish desires and those inspired by God. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. That’s what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 37.
This means that true delight in God leads to aligning desires within His will. One should ask if their desires are for personal gain or for God’s glory. In seeking confirmation of God’s will, once again, getting counsel from wise, trusted spiritual leaders can provide great insight. Recognizing God’s given desires requires patience and discernment.
That’s important to do. It’s an ongoing journey of understanding the heart’s intentions and aligning such intentions with God’s divine purpose. At times dealing with uncertainty and emotions during these life’s challenging times can foster uncertainty, which can bring a mix of emotions that can even challenge a person’s faith. Trusting God during such difficult and unclear times and managing emotional responses are crucial for navigating through such moments.
Here are some of the ways to approach these challenges. When the path ahead feels very uncertain, it’s essential to lean on your faith. Trusting God means remembering His promises, even when the way forward seems unclear and, again, maybe just a bit foggy. God’s people can find comfort in scriptures like Psalm 62a, which encourages them to pour out their hearts to God.
The psalmist writes, “Trust in Him always, you people. Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge”. This practice can provide clarity and peace. Praying regularly can help strengthen this trust.
It allows individuals to express their fears and seek guidance from the Lord on high. Another practice is to journal. I don’t do this as often as I should, but I think I shall make it a regular thing for me. Journaling thoughts and feelings can also be helpful as a tool in understanding God’s will in our lives.
Writing down prayers can create a record of God’s faithfulness over time. Now the closest thing I have to this is the Bible that I inherited from my father. My dad would seek the face of God like more than anybody I’ve ever known. I haven’t included a few pastors.
But this guy would get after it, man. He’d have his cup of coffee and he’d spend like an hour reading every day. Then he would make notes on the margin, usually with a pencil in case the thought developed more, morphed into something bigger. He would erase it and write more. And so I got to know a little bit about my dad’s journaling of his thoughts on the scripture and how it impacted his life.
And that was part of my inheritance from him. I got his personal Bible, what a cherished inheritance from him.
Building a support system of friends and family who share similar beliefs can further reinforce trust during certain times. Sharing worries can lighten burdens, and remind each other to stay focused on faith.
Emotions often run high during these critical decision-making times in their life, especially when uncertainty looms. Recognizing and acknowledging these feelings is an important first step. It’s natural to feel anxious, excited, or even frustrated when you’re unsure what direction God might have you go. Practicing mindfulness or focus centering techniques can help individuals, God’s people, maintain calmness.
Techniques such as deep breathing or meditation can be especially helpful. Since my wife’s illness, I have deep breathing on demand. I might do it right now. It kind of calms me and focuses me and centers me, especially when I’m trying to make a decision.
Setting aside time to reflect or meditate can create space for clarity. Writing down emotions in that same journal may also help turn confusion into understanding. This can make it easier to approach decisions with much more of a clear mind and a focused mind. Lastly, again, discussing emotions with trusted individuals or mentors can provide new insights and their perspectives might reveal options that were not previously considered.
Emphasizing a willingness to learn from these emotional experiences can enhance spiritual growth in faith. Do not hesitate to ask others to pray for you. Really important, we’ve always heard the power of prayer on how important it is. A lot of us have witnessed that, but especially so in the miracles I’ve seen in my wife, Debbie.
The power of prayer from this body has really made a difference in our lives. Never overemphasize how important that is for us. Don’t hesitate to ask for others to pray for you. Stand on God’s promises. And I’ll close with this – one of those promises out of Hebrews 13:5 reads, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. With that promise, be confident that if you seek and ask for guidance and understanding God’s will in your life, you will receive it. It’s one of God’s many promises to us. Praise God.
