![\"\"](\"https:\/\/refocusingwido.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/RefocusingWidows-banner-300x58.png\")
A “Handy” Decision-Making Guide<\/h2>\nA “Handy” Decision-Making Guide<\/h2>\nDiscerning God\u2019s will can be challenging in the best of circumstances. But when we\u2019re dealing with grief, hearing God\u2019s voice can feel impossible. Those areas of the brain that have spent years mapping, tracking, and organizing all your relationships and experiences are now devoted to rewiring circuits, trying to reconcile what the brain thinks to be true with what your present reality is!<\/p>\n
Many factors can contribute to a sense of confusion, uncertainty, and just plain old exhaustion. We may be trying desperately to adapt to a new season of life. Sometimes that means new relationships, responsibilities, and opportunities. Which way should I go? Which path should I take? How can I know that I\u2019m doing what God has in mind for me to do? What if I miss His will?<\/p>\n
In the early stages of WWII, Winston Churchill made this statement regarding Russia and her actions as a nation at the time: \u201cIt is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hearing what God is saying sometimes feels like a \u201criddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma\u201d. The good news is that there is a key, and it has to do with knowing Him. The following scriptures speak so clearly to this:<\/p>\n
\u00a0When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.<\/em>\u00a05\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger\u2019s voice.\u201d — John 10:2<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMy sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;\u201d \u2013 John 10:27<\/em><\/p>\n Jesus says several wonderful things here in this passage. First, we see that it is possible to know His voice and to hear him clearly. The key to this is listening. Second, we learn that those who belong to Jesus will follow ONLY Him, because they will not recognize the voice of a stranger. How do we get to this point?<\/p>\n I like to think of it like learning to recognize someone\u2019s voice over the telephone. The first time I call, I might say, \u201cHello, Barb, this is Sheryl Gehrls from Refocusing Widows.\u201d After we\u2019ve talked a few times, I might say, \u201cHi there! This is Sheryl.\u201d After we\u2019ve come to know each other well, I might say, \u201cHi! What\u2019s up?!\u201d \u2026.and just proceed to start talking because you would know my voice. You might hang up on a telemarketer, but you would rarely hang up on someone you know and love!<\/p>\n The very simplest way to know if you\u2019ve heard from God is to examine the results of your actions. Has there ever been a time when you felt strongly that you should do something? You did it and the result was great? Or you didn\u2019t do it and you experienced disaster? Has there ever been a time when you felt a warning that you shouldn\u2019t do something, but you did it anyway? What was the result of your action? These are very likely times that God was whispering to your spirit, but you may not have even recognized His voice for what it was!<\/p>\n Today I\u2019d like to share a very simple technique that can help you know if you\u2019re hearing God or not by using something that you always have with you \u2013 your hand! Most hands normally have five fingers \u2013 well, technically four fingers and a thumb \u2013 but for our purposes five. There are five factors that, when aligned with each other, can serve as indicators for knowing God\u2019s direction in any given situation.<\/p>\n Second, <\/strong>Scripture. Is there anything in God\u2019s Word that says you should or should not do this thing you\u2019re thinking about doing? Have you honestly searched the Scriptures? I once had a young adult tell me that she and her fianc\u00e9e were moving in together until they could afford to get married. When I asked her what God had said about that, her response was, \u201cWell, God hasn\u2019t said we can\u2019t!\u201d Really? I wonder if she had truly searched the Word on that subject.<\/p>\n Third, <\/strong>Circumstances. Is your situation such that you can do what you\u2019re thinking about doing? Are you considering taking in six siblings as foster kids when you live in a tiny two-bedroom apartment in the city and already have a cat and two dogs, a wife, and a baby? Or has He told you to drive across the country holding evangelistic tent meetings when\u00a0 you don\u2019t have either a car or a tent? Granted, I\u2019ve seen God ask people to do some pretty unlikely things, but generally if your circumstances impede your doing what you think you\u2019re hearing, it\u2019s probably not God. (BTW, if the other four align, perhaps God is asking you to take a leap of faith! \u2026but you didn\u2019t hear it from me!)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/refocusingwido.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/caves-of-gargas-hand-free-content-clip-art-cartoon-hands-cliparts-thumbnail-232x300.jpg\")
First, <\/strong>PRAYER. Can you honestly say that you\u2019ve prayed about the thing you think you\u2019re hearing? Many times we talk all the way around an issue, but never quite get around to truly praying about it and listening for God\u2019s response. Don\u2019t say you\u2019ve been praying about it if you\u2019ve only been thinking about it in your head!<\/p>\n