James 1:5 NIV — If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
How do I know what’s on the other side of the door of opportunity? Should I open the door and go through? What if I make the wrong choice? How can I discern the will of God?
Have you ever had these questions swirling through your head when you are in the midst of making a decision? I certainly have!
Merriam-Webster defines discernment as the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure; an act of perceiving. How do you prepare to be open and ready for listening to God and be available for discernment? As we move throughout this week we will explore ways to prayerfully discern and accept the will of God.
Let’s pray. Dear Heavenly Father, open my heart, mind, ears, and eyes as I prepare to discern and accept Your will. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Take some time to read the following scriptures that we will focus on this week.
James 1:5 NIV — If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Philippians 1:9-10 NIV — And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.
1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV — For God is not a God of disorder but of peace — as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
Isaiah 43:19 — Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Are you thankful that you “get to” work in God’s harvest field?
Do you rejoice that your name is written in Heaven? Do you share this gift with others?
As you reflect on the week, take time to surrender your answers to God. Be reminded that you are blessed to do God’s kingdom work with a “get to” mindset through His strength.
Sunday I encouraged you to listen to Strong by Anne Wilson. Try praying through her lyrics, “I hit my knees with my hands held high saying, “Dear Lord, Jesus, you know I can’t do this on my own. Lord knows I’ve tried, but I’m good at falling down. Thank God you’re good at picking me up off the ground. The world’s gonna try to break me but I know the one who makes me strong.”
Colossians 3:12-17 MSG — So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
How do we keep our “get to” in focus? Dress in compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, and discipline. Wear love. Cultivate thankfulness. If you have a word of the year or mantra, keep it at the forefront of your mind. We’ve learned this week that we must set boundaries. We also must fervently pray because the Devil is scheming in our “have to.” I encourage you to write “get to” statements as your gratitudes.
I get to work.
I get to clean my house.
I get to pay my mortgage.
I get to shop for healthy foods.
I get to cook for my family.
I get to take my family to the doctor.
I get to exercise.
Now it’s your turn. What are your ”get to” gratitude statements? Be reminded that you can’t do this life on your own and your “get to” will be accomplished by relying on God’s strength. As a result you will be fruitful for God’s glory.
Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for Your quiet strength. I desire to wear Your love so that I can carry Your fruit as I get to walk this life with my family and friends. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Proverbs 17:22 NIV — A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
A cheerful heart does not come easy. Often we have to wrestle with the Devil because our “get to” is easily crushed by taking our focus off of God and the joy that He has set before us. What is one way we can maintain a cheerful heart? From the @whoathatsgoodpodcast, “Don’t let people’s expectations control your yes and no. Follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.”
The mind is a very powerful tool that has the power to be good medicine or crush one’s spirit. Be reminded today that you are a child of God. Recite: I “get to” walk with Jesus by the gift of the Holy Spirit. I “get to” serve God through my yeses and my nos because not everything is my assignment. Give yourself grace and remember that even Jesus needed time to turn to His Heavenly Father.
What is one way you can build up your boundaries so that the expectations of others don’t crush your spirit? Trample the Devil through worship and prayer. Sunday I encouraged you to listen to Child Of God by Crowder. Some of the lyrics sing, “Clap them hands, stomp them feet. Devil ain’t got no hold on me. Dance all day, dance all night. Good God, I’m on fire. I may be flesh and bone. But in my haunted soul. I got the Holy Ghost. I know where I came from. Can’t keep me from my home. I am a child of God.”
Let’s pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for I am full of joy through the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Help me not to give in to the Devil’s schemes and allow the expectations of others to crush my spirit. I trample the Devil in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV — Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Often our weariness comes from overcommitment. Our “get to” turns to “have to” because we haven’t set proper boundaries and we leave the door open for animosity to creep in. Whether we are serving in our homes, churches, workplaces or communities we must prayerfully look at each task as an opportunity. Steven Furtick has said, “Sometimes the interruption is the assignment.”
Another God Wink on this week’s theme was when my daughter shared with me an excerpt from the 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna West, on you don’t “have to’” you “get to.” “This is one of the simplest changes in perception, and yet also something truly fulfilled people master: the knowing that everything is an opportunity to experience. You don’t have to go to work; you get to go to work. You don’t have to wake up early; you get to wake up early. When you start considering things not as obligations but as opportunities, you start taking advantage of them rather than trying to avoid them.”
Ask God to hold onto you in your times of weariness. Sunday I encouraged you to worship with, Hold On To Me by Lauren Daigle. Some of the lyrics sing, “When the best of me is barely breathin’. When I’m not somebody I believe in. Hold on to me. When I miss the light the night has stolen. When I’m slammin’ all the doors You’ve opened. Hold on to me.”
Let’s pray. Dear God, give me strength to do Your will. Guide me in setting boundaries. Give me a heart of submission to Your purpose so that I don’t get weary focusing on the tasks outside of Your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
