Does God have a plan for me and my life? How do I know what job to take or whom to date? The Bible tells us you can "test and approve" God's Will. You can know His will and examine Scripture to provide God's direction for your life. The book of Romans tells us that as we are transformed by God, we are able to discern His Will. Are you ready and willing to let your life be transformed by God's Word and His Holy Spirit? In less than five minutes each day this book will walk you through practical steps in Scripture in order to be transformed by God and to better understand His plan for your life.
It's a devotional book that focuses on discerning God's will in tough decisions. For 21-days this book will walk you through scripture to examine your decisions, my personal stories of applying and learning these scriptures, questions to think about, journal what is going on, pray about these decisions and areas to apply this to. After 21-days you should have a much clearer picture of God's best for you in your situation.
DAY 15 OBVIOUS, NOT EASY
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. -Psalm 119:105, NASB
My first hunting trip taught me a lot about staying on the path. Back in college, my roommate and I had done a lot of planning and scouting of the location for our first day of hunting at a wildlife refuge. We had planned to set up several hundred yards away from each other. The beaten-down path we planned to take was obvious in the daytime but harder to find as the sun set. This wildlife refuge had a lot of thick brush more than 12 feet high and full of thorns. If we walked off the path, we could easily get lost or cornered by the tall, thick, brush. On the first day of the hunt, we arrived as early as possible, while it was still dark outside. As planned, we separated, each of us taking a different path. I had a light and followed the path. I saw three deer that day. It was a long arduous journey on foot. I got rocks and thorns in my boots and, to top things off, it was pouring rain and 40 degrees outside. But I stayed on the path.
On the other hand, my friend departed from the path. I would later learn that he experienced even greater challenges. Apparently, he’d heard coyotes nearby, became scared, and began to run in the dark. A few times he was cornered by the thick brush which was packed with thorns that cut him up. After pushing through the brush several times in the dark, he looked down and noticed that his pants were gone. Yes, you read that correctly–his pants were gone. My roommate told me that only remnants of his waistband remained! At this point he realized he was not going hunting that day. He turned around and ran to his truck–with no pants. Not only did he not hunt, but his morning was spent running in fear because he left the path. Psalm 119 talks about our paths being lighted and being obvious—but it says nothing about our path being easy. A common misconception Christians have is that the path God has for us will be easy—but that can’t be found anywhere in Scripture. In fact, we find the opposite: a promise that things will be difficult, but that God will be with us. God will be our strength. And there is a repeated theme throughout Scripture that God’s Word will light up our paths and the direction we should take will be obvious. As we have been focusing on God’s Word, you have likely already found the decisions you were struggling with on Day 1 have become much clearer.
Think About It: • Is God asking me to do something that is difficult? • What things have been made more obvious over these last 15 days? • When I focus on what I know from the Bible, what action(s) come to mind?
Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for lighting my path. Help me to focus on Your Word and to be led by it each step of the way. Walk It Out: As you have read over these passages and walked out the steps, I am confident God has made at least one thing obvious to you over these 15 days. Whatever it is, whether it be forgiving someone, sharing Jesus, serving in your community, or even asking a certain someone out on a date—if God has made it obvious, DO IT! Notes: