Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalm 143:8 (NKJV)
Sometimes we want God to lay out all the right decisions for us. But I’ve found that God doesn’t give us a map for our lives. Instead, He provides us with an inner compass.
For example, after serving many years with my parents at their church, Sally and I felt a strong urge from God to plant our own church. So we began dreaming and planning, and that’s when a church without a senior pastor reached out to me to preach. I never wanted to take over a church and truly believed we were to start our own, but God had greater plans!
I remember the first Sunday I preached at Springs of Living Water Centre. As Sally and I headed back to our vehicle after the service, we both knew in our spirits that Springs is where God wanted us. We never received a prophetic word confirming that it was “the one.” Yet history shows us that because we followed each step we believed God was guiding us in, our obedience caused Heaven’s population to grow.
God doesn’t spell everything out for us. Instead, He guides us through an inner compass. By that, I mean He gives us specific gifts and desires, a certain bend to our personality, or ideas that feel like our own, but light us up to His purposes for our life!
You see, if you’re lost in the woods, a compass can guide you from where you are to where you want to be. In the same way, as you learn to follow God’s voice, He guides you in His amazing plans—which fulfills the greatest the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).