How does God guide you?

DirectionSeeker

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James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

I've been praying for a (big) desire for 7 months. Although I can feel God's presence and peace when I meditate (silently listening for God to speak) I am not hearing whether or not God wants to grant this wish for me or not. A no would bring me peace in mind and I'd be able to stop expecting it to come to pass, but at the same time I don't want to let go of it as it's my heart's desire (and would amplify the Holy spirit fruits in my & family's life if it came to pass) unless my Father clearly says to abandon it.

Surely, if it was a no, I'd hear it by now?

How do you discern between a yes or a no from God? Has silence ever been a yes to one of your prayers? How does a no from God feel to you?
 
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Maria Billingsley

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James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

I've been praying for a (big) desire for 7 months. Although I can feel God's presence and peace when I meditate (silently listening for God to speak) I am not hearing whether or not God wants to grant this wish for me or not. A no would bring me peace in mind and I'd be able to stop expecting it to come to pass, but at the same time I don't want to let go of it as it's my heart's desire (and would amplify the Holy spirit fruits in my & family's life if it came to pass) unless my Father clearly says to abandon it.

Surely, if it was a no, I'd hear it by now?

How do you discern between a yes or a no from God? Has silence ever been a yes to one of your prayers? How does a no from God feel to you?
Welcome! The Holy Spirit will guide you in all truth. This means you already know what to do if you walk daily in His Holy Spirit.
Be blessed.
 
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DirectionSeeker

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Welcome! The Holy Spirit will guide you in all truth. This means you already know what to do if you walk daily in His Holy Spirit.
Be blessed.

My desires and motives for said desires have become in line with His, that's what the waiting season of 7 months has done to me. What I pray for feels right. I just don't know what God is trying to tell me with the circumstances I'm currently living in. I seek confirmation - will my wish come to pass, and if yes, when?

So while I don't feel that sensation of guilt or remorse (which I remember doing when I lived in habitual sin, a conviction from the Holy spirit) and while I feel like this is God's will, I don't know if this is God's plan for me and my family.
 
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bèlla

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The bible provides ample examples of people waiting on the Lord in faith with no idea when their prayer would be met. It is a consistent theme in the Old Testament. God provided the answer in His timing. Not their’s.

~Bella
 
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Albion

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James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

I've been praying for a (big) desire for 7 months. Although I can feel God's presence and peace when I meditate (silently listening for God to speak) I am not hearing whether or not God wants to grant this wish for me or not.
A no would bring me peace in mind and I'd be able to stop expecting it to come to pass, but at the same time I don't want to let go of it as it's my heart's desire (and would amplify the Holy spirit fruits in my & family's life if it came to pass) unless my Father clearly says to abandon it.

Are you expecting to hear a voice saying "You're approved" (or the opposite)? And within a certain time frame?

We pray, and we make known to God what we need. He either grants it or knows better about what you asked for. If events do not then provide a tacit confirmation, what comes to pass is itself what he, of his wisdom and caring, has ordered.
 
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DirectionSeeker

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Are you expecting to hear a voice saying "You're approved" (or the opposite)? And within a certain time frame?

We pray, and we make known to God what we need. He either grants it or knows better about what you asked for. If events do not then provide a tacit confirmation, what comes to pass is itself what he, of his wisdom and caring, has ordered.

What I'm afraid of is damage to my faith/trust in God, and that would happen if I keep expecting my petition to come to pass when in reality there's an opposing undertow without me ever finding out about it, rendering every prayer for this petition powerless. But that should not be a problem as the Bible clearly says we can ask for wisdom, no?

This is the reason I made this thread - how is a no revealed to you specifically by God? Do you hear him say it in your spirit? Do you feel a certain feeling that you've learnt implies a no? Has silence ever meant a "yes" to one of your petitions?

Also, I normally don't ask for wisdom about every single petition I express to God, only for those that I've been praying for a long time (as the one I've done for now 7 months)
 
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Albion

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What I'm afraid of is damage to my faith, and that would happen if I keep expecting my petition to come to pass when in reality there's an opposing undertow without me ever finding out about it, rendering every prayer for this petition powerless. But that should not be a problem as the Bible clearly says we can ask for wisdom, no?

First, you should not "expect(ing) your petition to come to pass." Our Father wants to hear from us, and we are invited to petition him. Almost anything can be asked of him. All this is Biblical, BUT not the idea that he MUST grant whatever we ask, whether that is in harmony with our best interests and/or God's own will and intentions.

Second, you are only torturing yourself. If God were to grant your petition, he would make it come to pass. If it doesn't happen, he has something else in mind for you.

It's not unusual in anyone's life to think we really need or want something and cannot live without it...only to realize later on that we were totally wrong about that and if what we wanted had in fact come our way, it would have been the worst thing possible. We must let God be God, my friend, and yes I know that that takes some patience on our parts...and a trust in Him.

By the way, that is exactly what Jesus told his disciples. "Trust me"

Everybody understands "love me" or "believe in me" or "follow me," because we expect such demonstrations of faith in the Lord. But it's not always the case that we humans think in terms of "Trust me," yet THAT may be the most liberating of all and the most profound evidence of discipleship.
 
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DirectionSeeker

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First, you should not "expect(ing) your petition to come to pass." Our Father wants to hear from us, and we are invited to petition him. Almost anything can be asked of him. All this is Biblical, BUT not the idea that he MUSt grant whatever we ask, whether that is in harmony with our best interests and/or God's own will and intentions.

Second, you are only torturing yourself. If God were to grant your petition, he would make it come to pass. If it doesn't happen, he has something else in mind for you.

It's not rare in life that we think we really need or want something and cannot live without it...only to realize later on that we were totally wrong about that and if what we wanted had in fact come our way, it would have been the worst thing for us. Then we shake our heads in relief that ourwish DID NOT happen after all.

I am not ironclad expecting a particular outcome to come to pass because that would, like you say, be wrong (selfish and putting God to the test).

However, I am expecting God to answer in one way or another. This is Biblical. We should not have doubts when we ask God (i.e., we can be sure of His help in one way or another). In this particular case, I'm expecting to at least be granted wisdom regarding whether or not the petition is God's plan for me or not (ideally, the petition granted itself). Once again, asking with humility, therefore without any terms such as within a certain time period.

Hence this thread. I wonder how people's experiences with this has been. Was wisdom ever granted? As far as I'm concerned, if nothing at all is given I don't see how that fate is any different compared to the one the unbelievers have when the Bible clearly says that wisdom and guidance awaits those walking with God through the Holy spirit.
 
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St_Worm2

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Hello @DirectionSeeker, don't forget that God answers our prayers a third way too, yes, no, or wait.

The greatest faith builder is the third answer. Of course, it is often the last one that any of us want, but that's why we trust God anyway, because we know that He sees what we cannot (the big picture of our lives), and because we know how very much He loves us, and that He always wants the very best for us.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is this one.

Psalm 37
4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

This verse is a command with a promise attached to it. The key to fulfilling our half of the verse, the command half, so that God can fulfill His half, the promise half, is to always chase after Him, never after the things that we want from Him. So, take your eyes off of what you desire, and spend your time growing in and delighting yourself in Him instead (He knows what you want, but He may have something even better in mind :) .. and again, this is where the trust and faith parts of our Christian walk really come into play).

Praying for you.

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - one last thing about v4 above, be careful not to set up a quid pro quo with God (by thinking that you can somehow "delight Him" .. instead of delighting "yourself" in Him) to get Him to give you your heart's desire. He wants a growing relationship with us, but not that kind of relationship ;)
 
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DirectionSeeker

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Hello @DirectionSeeker, don't forget that God answers our prayers a third way too, yes, no, or wait.

The greatest faith builder is the third answer. Of course, it is often the last one that any of us want, but that's why we trust God anyway, because we know that He sees what we cannot (the big picture of our lives), and because we know how very much He loves us, and that He always wants the very best for us.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is this one.

Psalm 37
4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

This verse is a command with a promise attached to it. The key to fulfilling our half of the verse, the command half, so that God can fulfill His half, the promise half, is to always chase after Him, never after the things that we want from Him. IOW, take your eyes off of what you desire, and spend your time delighting yourself in Him instead (He knows what you want, but He may have something even better in mind .. again, this is where the trust and faith pieces of our Christian walk come into play).

Praying for you.

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - one last thing about v4 above, be careful not to set up a quid pro quo with God (by thinking that you can somehow "delight Him" .. instead of delighting "yourself" in Him) to get Him to give you your heart's desire. He wants a growing relationship with us, but not that kind of relationship ;)

That Psalm verse is one of my favorites too. It has in fact fundamentally altered the way I perceive the world. In the old days that are no more, I used to think what I could do and achieve in life. Life felt restricted, and some things I glanced at I perceived as impossible. Ever since I've let God's words pour into my soul however, they have become what dicates my life. These days I think what God can do in my life. My life is not my own but His.

This has lead to my particular petition to God. I only see good in it. I dream about it. I delight in my thoughts about the good things I can do with it should it come to pass - my family's freedom, the resulting increased time with the Lord that would occur in this otherwise short life, seeing my family devote themselves with the talents God has blessed them with without being held back no more...

It certainly seems like it has been a "wait" from God on this one. I have indeed spiritually grown during this period. If God wasn't the center of my life before, He sure is now. I'm completely dependent on Him. Without Him I'm nothing. Only He can uplift me from this pit of despair.

I feel ready to receive this blessing I'm asking Him of. But nothing in life will be more important to me than what He is. I delight in the Lord indeed.

I just don't know where to go from here. After all this time, surely I'd receive further instructions from Him? Will this come to pass? Should I let go of it? My hope with this thread was to hear how other people's outcome has looked like in similar scenarios as mine. What happened in the end?
 
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St_Worm2

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Wow (@DirectionSeeker), it sounds like you have a wonderful relationship with our Father :)

From your description of all of the blessings that would come from Him granting your request, for both you and for your family, I can understand why waiting is particularly difficult (it certainly would be for me).

I'll pray that you will either have your answer much sooner than later, or that the Lord will grant you more peace as you wait (if He has decided that waiting is still what is best for you at this time, that is).

God bless you!

--David
 
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JIMINZ

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James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

I've been praying for a (big) desire for 7 months. Although I can feel God's presence and peace when I meditate (silently listening for God to speak) I am not hearing whether or not God wants to grant this wish for me or not. A no would bring me peace in mind and I'd be able to stop expecting it to come to pass, but at the same time I don't want to let go of it as it's my heart's desire (and would amplify the Holy spirit fruits in my & family's life if it came to pass) unless my Father clearly says to abandon it.

Surely, if it was a no, I'd hear it by now?

How do you discern between a yes or a no from God? Has silence ever been a yes to one of your prayers? How does a no from God feel to you?


I have found, when we have apparently exhausted every avenue in our seeking the Lord, we come to not necessarily a cross road, but a fork, it seems like in the natural we can all deal with the crossroads of life but when we come to a fork in our path seeking God, we falter, why is this.

I believe it is because we have come to a point in our walk where it appears as though we have perfect clarity on what the future could possibly be, IF it is the Will of God for us.

A simple question then, If you were driving out in the country on the back roads and you came to a fork in the road, there are only two choices besides going all the way back where we came from, or moving forward, which road would you choose to take, Right or Left, you know that one of these roads will lead you to where you would like to eventually end up but you don't have a clue as to which one.

It seems as though you have come to this Spiritual fork, you are waiting for God to give you information on what you should do, but think on it this way, God will lead us into all Righteousness, I believe God is waiting for you to
LET HIM LEAD YOU, but how can He lead you if you are sitting on the side of the road waiting for instruction on which road to take.

Choose a road, make a move, step out in Faith Believing that God will direct your Path, even if it is the wrong road, God is always able to lead you back to the correct one, but as long as you sit, He is unable to lead you anywhere.

Our walk with the Lord is a Faith Walk, put your Faith into Action, take a step, if nothing happens then take another using your best judgment, then another and so on.

God will give you everything you need to know, when you need to know it, it's always on a need to know basis with God, God has apparently given you the Desire of your Heart, which He said He would.

Psalm 37
4) Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.


Does this verse mean God will give to you the desire you have in your heart, OR, does it mean God will actually PLACE a Desire into your Heart.

God is speaking to you and what He is saying is.

MOVE!

 
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What I'm afraid of is damage to my faith/trust in God, and that would happen if I keep expecting my petition to come to pass when in reality there's an opposing undertow without me ever finding out about it, rendering every prayer for this petition powerless. But that should not be a problem as the Bible clearly says we can ask for wisdom, no?

This is the reason I made this thread - how is a no revealed to you specifically by God? Do you hear him say it in your spirit? Do you feel a certain feeling that you've learnt implies a no? Has silence ever meant a "yes" to one of your petitions?

Also, I normally don't ask for wisdom about every single petition I express to God, only for those that I've been praying for a long time (as the one I've done for now 7 months)

Ask sincerely to the Holy spirit to make you know his will for that, sometimes if when you pray you feel the 'way open' in your heart that a good sign.
 
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Maria Billingsley

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will my wish come to pass
The Father's will be done. Our wishes may or may not be in His will. Seeking a sign so that your wish be granted may not be the approach your heavenly Father wishes you to take. Rest in His Peace.
 
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Brenda Blakely

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Wow, I really like your handle. God must be so pleased that you are seeking direction from Him. He has sent the Holy Spirit to guide us but for me I sometimes have a difficult time hearing from Him and knowing without a doubt that I am in God’s plan and His will. For me it helps to study scripture and to know how God guided the people in His word. I don’t think God has a formula for guidance but I do think He has principles that He follows. I know that whatever He has planned for me lines up with the Ten Commandments. I know that He will not lead me into something that is not for my good. I know that even when I mess up and go the wrong way He can make it work out if I repent and seek Him. I know that when I am weak, He is strong. All of these line-up with the scriptures and when I study and learn them I am better equipped to know what He wants me to do. For me my relationship to God (He says my sheep will know my voice) and my relationship with other Christians has been the most help in knowing what God is answering when I pray. I always pray for Him to do His will in my life-not my will but His- and for Him to help me to serve Him, love Him and love others as myself. I am praying for you to find clear direction. I am praying for blessings as you grow in your relationship to God. You are on the right track, just hold fast to that which is good.
 
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