HOW TO MAKE DECISIONS WHEN YOU’RE AT A CROSSROADS | Which Way Is God’s Way

all of us will face moments in life when critical decisions must be made times when different roads intersect and you need to figure out which way to go and what to do what do you do when you are at a Crossroads in your life all of us will from time to time be like this guy just standing at a Crossroads of Life having to make some critical decision that can impact life in big and small ways one of the most common um questions that I get from from Christians and even non-christians I don't know what

to do or maybe you've been at a Crossroads at a funny moment and you're trying to figure out what you should do it can be small things it can be big things there's defining moments in our lives there's there's just times where you come in life and you got to figure out what you're supposed to do because in life there's going to be a number of forks in the road impasses intersections of life and we've got to decide what which route to take what what are we supposed to do each one leads in a direction

each one leads with an outcome or Consequences when you have to make a right or a left decision and there's no word so to speak from God what should I do right or left but the passage was so powerful to me it said whether you turn to the right or to the left you will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way walk in it this is the way this is the way notice that God's word comes as you walk but the important thing is not necessarily about that initial decision is it the

important thing is not necessarily which way you go but how you walk on that path you turn to the right okay good job but how are you walking on that path best counsil I ever got when I was a young guy in campus Crusade said God never steers a park car you just go and let God lead you God's people never have a problem with guidance what they have a problem with is inertia initial inertia getting off the dime that's the problem Adam cultivate the garden subdue it multiply and subdue the Earth bring forth fruit

how just do it I'll walk with you in the cool of the day just do it name the animals and whatever he named them that it was Go Make Disciples go where just go I'll lead you so how do we how do we understand God's will how do we know what we're supposed to do but I do think in life we have these intersections like that where there's some conflicting voices and we have our own sense about things like that feels right to go left but there's someone close to us telling us to turn right

like okay where should I go to college and and what about this relationship and when should we start a family and what about this job and should we make this move like these big decisions you're just not sure what the right thing is and so one of the things I would just tell my kids some more than others is one thing leads to another meaning that you take the next step in front of you that you think God wants you to take pray about it read some scriptures get some wise counsel take that next step

and then trust that one thing leads to another you can't see it it's difficult for you to predict at times it'll feel like you're going backwards in order to move forward but trust that God is the Grand Master of weaving things together like that's what he does he connects dots for those of you who've been followers of Jesus for a while you know this is true like you've experienced it in hindsight where you look back and you're like oh well I didn't know then he was protecting me at the time I thought he was withholding

from me but now I can look back and see that God was weaving some things together he was working some things together and so there's this sense in which we think to experience God's will we have to have these perfect circumstances and if we don't have them then it's too late or it's too messy and we have to settle for for Plan B there's nothing about scripture that would teach that that's how the will of God works that it can't work with what you got that it has to be all aligned rightly in order for

God to do what he wanted to to do there's nothing about that in scripture he can take all the broken pieces and accomplish good things from it right like God works things for good we don't always know what it'll look like we can't always see it but but he is a redeemer he is a weaver he weaves some things together for beauty you're going to fail you're going to make mistakes and when you do keep putting your best foot forward move on on God is so good he is so incredible at taking our mistakes and

our missteps and our mishaps and making them work for good and this is what I've learned because what I get asked so often is how do I know the will of God how do I live in the will of God and I understand and we all want this code we we want this you know simple thing do this and that'll be the will of God but it's really a journey and a process so the will of God is not some One Moment One exchange one here it is this is the will of God for you

the will of God is what happens when we put in our steps we are stepping and walking with faith to be sensitized to the fact that as we put in our steps God puts in the orders God will not give you a road map God's will for you is not a road map it is a relationship when he led the children of Israel through the Wilderness how did he lead them did he give them a map no he gave them a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire and said follow that just stay in

a relationship with me so many of us would like a map to say we're going to go from here this way that way this way and then we're going to end up there but God won't do that and I'm glad he doesn't do it because friend that takes the romance out of it that takes the excitement out of it it may put a certain fear and apprehension into it if we knew what tomorrow holds for us I'm glad we don't I'm glad we don't is there any way to be 100% certain about God's will when

you're making a major choice in life or a college but remember we walk by faith not by sight and I want to say to you you are not going to get 100% assurance and confidence before you make a choice because it would require zero faith we pray about it we wait on the Lord and then we make our choice once you have prayed about it you've checked your motive you gotten wise men around you then act and let God guide you and then let's make the call and make it with confidence you have to take

the plunge you have to make the choice go ahead and make the best decision you can make and when you've done that leave the results to God because God's purpose will stand and if yours are not he will correct it he will redeem it and he will still keep you on the right path to your future Destiny and will not forsake you I think what happens is that we forget that he is in control of the life I gave him I do want to make good choices but I'm a limited human being I can't see

the future but I can I've got scripture I've got prayer I've got wise people and then you've got a peace in your heart and at the end of the day I have to do that and trust God and I have to believe regardless of what happens he will orchestrate my life and I'll end up where I'm supposed to be doing what I'm supposed to do I don't have to obsess hyperventilate or control everyone and everything around me I don't have to worry about the minutia the little miniature things of life I can be have confidence

that this God is going to take care of everything you know you can sleep well once you realize God's in control of your life I don't like everything I don't understand everything just like you but I do know he's in control and I know no human being energized by Satan not even Satan himself can stop the purpose of God for your life or mine and I think one of the reasons that people live out of the will of God is they're not willing to take the first step and and here's what I've noticed even if

you trust God and make a mistake if you genuinely make a mistake God has the most awesome ways of correcting that mistake he knows your heart he knows you're willing to do what he requires of you and God knows better than we do that some some things he requires of us is very difficult but the question is are you listening and secondly are you trusting that whatever he says for you to do that you to do he can put you exactly where he wants you to be he can arrange all the details of your life

years in advance he can open doors that seem shut tight he can remove any obstacle that stands in your way he can take your choices and fit them into his plan so you end up at the right place at the right time he can even take your mistakes and bring good out of them don't forget he's Our Redeemer he redeems things he can take tragedy and use it for your good and His glory all he needs is a willing heart just someone to reasonably cooperate this doesn't mean you won't have to make difficult and hard

choices you will but it takes the pressure off because it means you can trust God to take your decisions your choices and use them to accomplish his will in your life the steps of a good man are ordered or directed by the Lord even when you don't know what the heck's going on he's directing them lay your head on your pillow knowing dad's up he's in charge and he's going to govern the Affairs of your life if he shuts the door and opens the door he's just directing you it's going to be all right and

people think if God would just reveal his secret will to me that would be so good and actually it' be so much easier it would mean I didn't have any responsibility no decisions to make and I would never grow up to maturity as a result have you ever met a teenager who has never had to make a decision in his life and noticed how dysfunctional he has become and how immature he really is no matter what he or she thinks about themselves and the same is true in the Christian Life to develop a child you

don't give him every answer and make every choice for him you do early on but after you give them instruction and guidance and your presence to help them they have to make decisions it's part of their deepening it's part of their maturity so to make a child strong you give him guidance early on and then you let him choose sometimes does he have to choose wrong to develop God lets us choose do we want him to seek our counsel yeah seek our help yes but nonetheless the child has to grow up and so God lets

us choose that's the way he makes a glorifying strong person that seeks his guidance seeks his Providence it would be so much easier if God just sent messages down from heaven would wouldn't it but nobody would grow as a Christian if that were the case nobody would need to discern God's will for their lives nobody would need to make decisions that were pleasing to God and what God is after in our lives is growth to maturity that can sound a little frightening but remember he is our Shepherd and he's promised to lead us and to

guide us and so we can have every confidence that although the Lord wants us to grow up to maturity to discern and to do his will he has promised that he will be with us and he will guide us and we know that we can trust him and the most important decision you will ever make is the decision to accept the Lord Jesus Christ the son of God the savior of the world who went to the Cross shed his blood at Calvary paid our sin debt in full and offered salvation to all mankind most important

decision is to accept him personally as your savior and Lord confessing and repenting of your sins and surrendering your life to him number one decision