Reliance on the Lord

Psalm 143:10 ESV
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

Sometimes, I believe, we get so caught up in doing what is right, that we forget to let God lead us in doing right. Yes, we have a responsibility, but it is a very simple one - obey the Lord. As scripture opens up to us, it becomes very clear that we have two choices on every issue: obedience or disobedience.

Now for those of you, and I know you are there, who think this is too simple to be operable, please hear me out. You may indeed think you are correct in your assumption, but hopefully, by this short piece of scripture and some digging you will be able to get your priority down so this is a simple choice. I believe that this goes beyond doing right or doing wrong.

This one verse gives a window into the dilemma we face. "Teach me to do Your will." Where is God's will found? Where is the instruction manual? Of course, its the Bible. Having problems understanding the Bible? "Let your good Spirit lead me..." 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us the Holy Spirit dwells in us and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 assures us that the Bible is from God and that it instructs us in making the right decisions. We can pray for wisdom, James 1:5 says God will give it to us. So, we have God's inspired Word, the writer of the Word within us, and access to abundant wisdom - can we learn God's will?

How does this address the "in between" areas we face? Where it doesn't seem like there is a clear obey or disobey decision. Let me present my opinion that there will always be a decision and the reason it is not clear is that we don't have the mind of Christ in the matter. Romans 8:6-7 clearly relates the fact that the one who is not spiritually minded will not obey God. 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 in a nutshell tells us we are to judge things with the mind of Christ which we have been given.

That being said, if a situation is unclear, pray for the wisdom, leading in His will, and that you rely on the mind of Christ on judging that situation. Go to the Bible to see what His will is on the subject. If that subject is not addressed take in consideration the outcome of each decision - what is God's will there? Galatians 5:13 lets us know we have much freedom in actions, but not to use that freedom for ourselves but to love others. I find that verse clears up much when I can't discern many situations.

It comes down to the fact that God has given us the tools and resources to follow Him. The best resource is that He gave Himself to us; so we just need to stop relying on our own will and just follow His.