Cessationists: How does God guide you?

Albion said:

So, do you get the same personal treatment when it comes to every other decision you face in life? That's where this dialogue started

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It varies... sometimes a word of Scripture becomes deeply compelling. Sometimes a purely rational choice bathed in prayer.
Sometimes a dream or vision will highlight a way forward.
Sometime being woken in the early hours with a deep sense of His presence and peace about a matter.
Sometimes an urgent compelling sense of the need to move immediately.

I might mention that I have a career in technology and am gifted with a keen mind, so if the evidence of consistent confirmation was not there in reality, I would question the process.
Over the years however I have seem outcomes more than I could ask or think as He has led me in the way.

I remember years ago meeting a family of believers from Holland who were living in a village between the front lines. The villagers were hiding in fear in their basements with house after house being flattened by artillery fire.
Somehow in prayer they felt to refuse fear, and simply go back up into the house and make a cup of tea. This they did and when the battle had moved on, their house was the only one left standing. This was the Nyhoff family from Dunedin. Their decedents can confirm this account.

Albion said:

But when the passage you cite is interpreted as meaning that we can all just be churches unto ourselves and do whatever seems right to us--basing it upon nothing other than "The HS inspired me to do or say that"...and moreover, that every last decision or act or thought we have in life is based upon this gut feeling or invisible whispering in our ears, quite independent of what the Bible teaches...

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I cant recall anyone recommending this as we have dialogued...

Hi HatGuy,

I'm a hat guy as well and never leave the house without one. Before I give my brief answers I want to say I haven't read the other responses.

HatGuy said:

I figure this forum will probably consist of the most cessationist, but please put this somewhere else if I am wrong.

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I think you would be right to ask in this forum but would add this isn't a "confessionally Reformed" forum so you will get a lot of Calvinists giving answers from a "non-confessional view."

My question is to understand from cessationists how God guides them to make decisions - where they will live, how to live out their vocation, etc.

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As a Reformed Christian I attempt to make life choices and decisions based on a biblical worldview formed by scripture (Romans 12:2), prayer (Philippians 4:6), studying theological works (Titus 2:1), seeking advice from my Elders and trusted brethren (Proverbs 16:4).

Say you feel you would like to plant a church. How do you know you should? How do you know where you should? That sort of stuff.

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In Reformed Churches the process is more organic. Often the Elders of the Church see a need in a given area and decide to plant a Church, it's not usually the duty of a layperson to get a "feeling" and act upon it without the Elders confirming the need for a Church plant. Usually, the Elders see the qualifications in a member and ask them to pray and meditate upon the scriptures to see if they are being called. Other times a person may feel a call to ministry and they bring that idea to his Elders who give him advice, mentor him, etc. Of course no two churches are the same but this is how I've seen the process play out. Big Eva style churches do tend to work on "feeling" but we also see the biggest defection to woke-ism, heretical teaching, giving into society, etc., that's all coming from Big Eva so...there is that.

So, to answer the question in the title, God guides us through His word, feeds us with the preaching of it and the sacrament of the Supper and the Church.

Yours in the Lord,

jm

Isilwen said:

Maybe for spiritual things, but for our jobs? Not so much. Also, where we want to live? Again not so much.

All that becomes is micromanaging and I don't believe God created us to be micromanaged. He gave us intelligence for a reason. We should make our own decisions as to our job, as long as it isn't sinful as well as where to live.

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My most profound examples of His miraculous intervention came when He was 'micromanaging' me... I was surely walking 'in the Spirit'

As for jobs houses etc. we have seen His hand profoundly in these decisions as well.

The less time you have left in life the more each moment counts and you want to be in the centre of His will. Walking in the works preprepared for you becomes critical, this for me is the reason for living, it is worship with life.

Carl Emerson said:

My most profound examples of His miraculous intervention came when He was 'micromanaging' me... I was surely walking 'in the Spirit'

As for jobs houses etc. we have seen His hand profoundly in these decisions as well.

The less time you have left in life the more each moment counts and you want to be in the centre of His will. Walking in the works preprepared for you becomes critical, this for me is the reason for living, it is worship with life.

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Good for you?

I wasn't created to be micromanaged. So, not sure what more I can tell you.

Isilwen said:

Good for you?

I wasn't created to be micromanaged. So, not sure what more I can tell you.

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Being micromanaged by Love is how we were created to function.

Carl Emerson said:

Being micromanaged by Love is how we were created to function.

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I will agree to disagree.

Isilwen said:

I will agree to disagree.

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1 Cor 13
1 If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.

Carl Emerson said:

1 Cor 13
1 If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.

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Says nothing of being micromanaged.

As I said, I will agree to disagree about being micromanaged by God.

Isilwen said:

Says nothing of being micromanaged.

As I said, I will agree to disagree about being micromanaged by God.

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If you surrender to His will and give Him control - who is managing your life?

Carl Emerson said:

If you surrender to His will and give Him control - who is managing your life?

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What part of I will agree to disagree are you not understanding?

Isilwen said:

What part of I will agree to disagree are you not understanding?

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One of the saddest things to see is believers being afraid to be controlled by love.

Carl Emerson said:

One of the saddest things to see is believers being afraid to be controlled by love.

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You go ahead and be micromanaged all you want. God gave us a brain and the ability to reason so we can make our own decisions in life. He isn't there to make all our decisions for us. Yet, I guess there are those believers who are too afraid to make their own decisions in life.

That's what's sad, those who don't use the brain that God gave us with the ability to reason and make our own decisions.

With that post I'm done with this thread!

There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.

Proverbs 14:12