Making Decisions

A good friend asked me something like:

"There's a leaders' lunch on next Sunday. Can I go? Brother I_____ is asking for confirmation by today or tomorrow."

"If you feel led to," I answered.

"I think I want to. And I think I should go. I'm letting you know because that will affect our schedule," she said.

"Yeah, sounds appropriate," I said, "So just check how you feel in your spirit. And if you feel a green light, then why not!"

I explained: "Emotion (wanting to go) and obligation (feeling you should go) are never good reasons for decision-making. The best reason for a decision is if, after checking-in with the Holy Spirit, He gives your spirit a smooth, nice, 'go' feeling. If you weren't meant to go, you'd instead be feeling an awkward sense of dread in your spirit."

"Yes," she answered.

Then I gave an illustration from my own recent experience.

"You know how I felt uncomfortable committing to do that lecture for brother J_____ next Tuesday? Remember I wondered whether there might be something else that I might be meant to do on that day which I didn't know about yet?"

"Uh huh," she said.

"Well...last night brother A_____ contacted me, inviting me to go to Ipswich on Tuesday and attend two meetings, then stay overnight in his house, then he wants to bring a group to the Gold Coast to attend our Soak meeting on Wednesday night. At the same time, I'll be able to inspect my house."

"Wow! Thats great!" she exclaimed.

"He wants me to minister the Holy Spirit in two meetings."

She smiled.

"I would have felt pretty bad last night, after hearing that, if I'd [already] committed to brother J_____ without being sure I was meant to commit," I pointed-out.

"Yes," she said understandingly, "Good on you..."

"It was really hard seeing brother J_____ walk away from me on Sunday, seeing his disappointment; and seeing the look of 'I'm not sure about all this,' on sister I_____'s face," I revealed.

"Yes, I know - and people might not understand that, but the Lord knows," she said.

And she mentioned that she's had similar experiences.

"It will be good for her to know that even though we dont understand things, the Lord knows. All we need to do is yield," she affirmed.

"Yes," I said, "'The spirit of man is the candle [the lamp, the searching light, the revealing light, the guiding-light] of the Lord', says the Book of Proverbs."

"Yes," she said.

"The spirit of man! Our own spirit! God's Spirit registers His feelings on our own spirit," I said.

"That's right. The real us! the inner man," she said.

"Even non-Christians who are dead in trespasses and sins - they still sense what God is impressing on their spirit. That's how we come to Christ," I said.

"Exactly," she said.

"If God can draw a sinner through his spirit, how much more can He guide us, now that our spirit has been made alive to God, and His Spirit actually lives in our spirit and we are one spirit with the Lord!" I added.