I know in the body of Christ many are facing very difficult situations. Many are under attack, many are discouraged, and many have been paralyzed by recent attacks that have come into their lives. I hear people saying, “I’ve prayed and prayed and it seems that God is just not answering.” Or they say, “This is the driest time in my life, yet I believe that I’m doing what is right.” They are endeavoring with all of their hearts to follow God but they are finding it very difficult.

At every turn they are facing difficulty, obstacles, and persecution. It seems that their circumstances loom on every side like mountains. They believe there is no where to turn, no escape to be found. We can be sure of this, there is a right response. God has not left us without answers to life’s questions. No matter how difficult our situation, God is our solution. The Bible says in the book of James:

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.
(James 1:5)

In times like this, we need heavenly wisdom—we do not need another man’s opinion, and we do not need to hear the latest rumors. Sometimes what we think we need is more information about the situation, when in fact the more information we have, the more confused we become. What we need is wisdom from heaven, wisdom from God for our lives. However, James goes on to tell us that when we ask for wisdom we need to believe, be in faith that not only will we receive the specific wisdom that we are requesting, but have faith in the specific wisdom that we receive.

Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord, [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].
(James 1:6) 

Many of us are asking all the right questions, some of us are even getting the right answers, but that is not enough. The Bible says that our faith requires corresponding action. You have to take action on the leading that the Lord has given you. The longer you wait the more difficult it becomes. Many times what happens is that we go to the Lord in prayer, asking for the wisdom for daily living but when the Lord answers our prayers and speaks to our hearts we don’t immediately act upon His Word.

Instead we continue to ponder our problems and seek solutions that are intellectually satisfying. Somehow we seek to satisfy all of the conflicting emotions, to please all of the parties affected, and to address every possible scenario that might arise as a result of our decisions. The result is that we are paralyzed into doing nothing. Our hesitating to act upon the Word of God is producing doubt and our faith is wavering. All of this simply contributes to our ever growing confusion.

The Bible says that we become a man of two minds—one never at peace with the other. The end result is that this instability leads to unreliability and uncertainty in every area of our lives. In short it destabilizes our entire lives. Decisions go unmade, and peace always evades us.

In Proverbs we are told that we are to trust in the LORD with all your heart; that we are not to lean on our own understanding. This is the faith we must have in the wisdom that God gives. We have to learn to cast our cares upon the Lord and bring our requests to Him, including our request for daily wisdom; God is faithful to lead and guide us through even the most difficult times. He alone can enable us to navigate the most difficult obstacles in life. We then must take action on the wisdom we receive and trust Him with the results of our decisions. We must never forget:

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.(Rom. 8:28)

Peace to you as God leads your life into His divine purpose. You can trust Him to lead you and provide for you and love you always. Life’s decisions are not always easy, but never forget blessing is always the result of our obedience.

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