pYesterday we looked at how God can speak through others. When you feel your conscience moved/that Bible verse is stuck in your head/your heart is racing and you feel a clear sense of direction, what comes next? Well, firstly, doing what God wants doesn’t always have to be tough. It might be as simple as doing exactly what you know He’s asking you to do. Simple as.br /
But what about when it isn’t straightforward? Today we want to look at those times when trusting God is the polar opposite of what seems the logical way to go. The times when trusting in God’s voice takes some real guts. When the officer, with all his power and experience, chose not to consider what God said through Paul, all seemed fine. At first, the direction they chose met them with a ‘gentle south wind’. Look at verse 14, though. That hurricane wasn’t in plain sight at first, otherwise the officer would never have listened to what the pilot said. What we’re getting at is this: God’s way isn’t always a natural first choice (in fact, it often never is). Eventually, come verse 20, the crew had lost ‘all hope of being saved’ (NIV). Not good.br /
Praying when hope is lost, speaking to that person for the millionth time about coming to church, not going to that university, doing the opposite of what friends/family expect from you. When God asks you to go against your instinct, it’s always worth the risk./p
pWhat now?br /
How d’you know you should take a risk, then? If you’re at a fork in the road, do these checks: search your Bible (app) for instances that speak about your situation. Pray lots. Speak to an older, wiser Christian./p