Many people want to know God’s will for their lives, but not everyone is active in pursuing it.  Over the past several weeks, we’ve looked at principles to discover God’s will.  The truth is, however, unless you get up and get moving, it’s probably going to remain a mystery.

God uses the Bible to guide us, but if you’re not reading it, then it’s not much help.  He also directs us through our gifts and unique design to his path, but if we’re hiding our gifts and abilities, then you wouldn’t know that.  He also speaks through wise, godly counsel, but if you never seek out those kind of friends, then you won’t hear it.

I don’t think it’s a problem of God not speaking, I think we’re not listening to the ways He talks.  What do you need to do to move forward in hearing God?  Do you need to pick up the Bible?  Is there a ministry you could volunteer to do and make a difference?  Who is in your life that can be that wise counsel we all need?

To get God’s guidance you need to get moving!

In a few short weeks, Americans will once again have the opportunity to vote for local and national leaders.  America’s towns, counties, state and federal officials will be decided by those who turn out to vote.

How about the Christian?  Should we even worry with it?  Maybe we could just stay home and let happen whatever happens and we just pray about it?

Here are a few reasons why I believe American Christians should vote:

1.  You’re an American.  People all over the world wish they were you.  They don’t have a hope of deciding who’s leading their country and calling the shots.
2. Men & women have laid down or risked their lives for over 200 years to give you and I the privilege of voting.  It’s more than a right, it’s an honor paid for in blood.
3. We Christians get to have an influence on national policies just like any other group by voting.  If Christians stay home and all the anti-Christians go vote, then don’t be upset by what laws and regulations get passed over the next several years.

How should Christians vote?  Well, this is where it gets dicey!  Let me give a few suggestions:

1. Get educated.  Don’t just go in and push the buttons you always push.  Know who’s running for office and what they stand for.
2. Compare what the candidate(s) believe in, compared to what you believe.  If you find out that a particular candidate stands for something you don’t want to see in our country, then don’t vote for them.  Yeah, this takes time, but it beats being ignorant!
3. Pray for guidance on this very important decision.  God promises to provide wisdom to those who seek it.  His wisdom might come through a news program, religious programing, articles on the candidates, talking with other wise Christians about the elections coming up.
4. Encourage other Christians to vote.  All it takes for evil to win is for good men to do nothing – someone said.  Laziness and apathy are not godly attributes.

Finally, pray, pray, PRAY for our nation and its current and future leaders.  We need godly leadership throughout our nation and prayer is the key to moving God’s hand.

What are you doing as a Christian to prepare for this coming Election Day?  Be sure to get registered NOW to vote if you aren’t already.

Your life is the sum total of the decisions you’ve made for better or worse.  How can we better influence our decisions so they line up with God’s will for our lives?  Understand three things:

• The Providential will of God.  This means God is just going to do some things because He is God.  We should seek to be part of things that God has predetermined to bless, like the church (Matt. 16:18)
• The Moral Will of God.  These are the things that God has already stated that He will bless or curse as a result of behavior.  (John 13:17; Deut. 28)
• The Personal Will of God.  This becomes much more clear when we understand the other two parts of God’s will.  When we first submit to the providential and moral will of God, then there are fewer questions and more answers.

As we are out of alignment with the providential or moral will of God, we can’t possibly think that we will hear clearly on His personal will for our lives.  Begin seeking God’s will by submitting to the providential and moral will of God.  Then, ask Him to speak to you through His Word, Spirit and others.  We’ll talk more about this over this coming weekend in part 3 of Game Plan.

Is there anything in your life blocking you from knowing more of God’s will?

In the search for God’s will for our lives we get all caught up in “What should I do next?” or “What should I do with this decision?”  For too many, the focus is all wrong.  The reason it is wrong is because our priorities are often all messed up and we want to know what to do when we get to third base when we haven’t even made it to first yet.

Jesus said it like this, “But seek FIRST HIS kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  The context of “all these things” is our daily needs.  In other words, instead of making the aim of your life figuring out what strategic moves you need to make next at work, or what new stock you should buy (or not), try seeking His kingdom first.

What I’ve found is that many of us are not ready for God to unveil His incredible plan for our lives because we’re too busy chasing our own plan.  Instead of asking what should I do next, why not ask “Who is truly first in my life?”  Once you get that resolved, the rest will amazingly fall into place.

There’s no easy way to success in anything.  It’s not easy to have a great marriage, be an incredible golfer, or raise awesome kids.  Too many believe in the fantasy that Olympians and others somehow stumbled onto their success overnight.  We see them at their best, while making it look easy, so our tendency is to think it came easy.

I assure you; the basketball star shot a million free throws before hitting one just before the buzzer.  The singing sensation practiced many hours before getting on the stage.  And that author wrote many manuscripts and book proposals before finally getting someone to publish it.

Too many in our culture want to believe in the overnight success.  We want to believe that we can work out one day and become buff, diet for two days and lose a few pounds and pick up an instrument be fantastic.  The problem is – it just ain’t true!

Whenever you see someone successful, what you don’t see is the hours of hard work, training, conditioning, preparation and effort to get there.  Same holds true for walking in the will of God.  All of us would like to know God’s will, fulfill our destiny and live out our life purpose.  However, it’s not an overnight thing.  We discover God’s will through strategic steps that are laid out for us in the Scriptures.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll blog about some of these principles from the new series we launch this weekend called GAME PLAN.

Do you want to know God’s will and fulfill your life purpose?   If you’re in driving distance to Crossroads, then I invite you to join us for the next four weeks.  If not, then feel free to check out the podcast on our website: www.crossroadsavon.com