Is this discernment? Thoughts please

elnatk

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Hi!
Just wanted to get some thoughts on this situation.
My friend felt God say to sign up for part-time bible college (this took place in March) in the mid year intake (July). She enrolled and asked God to open doors for her in her job (she works full time and would have to sacrifice one day of work). Doors were opened as her boss gave her Tuesdays off. Fast forward a couple of months later, she attended a conference and felt God say to her "I don't want a part of you, I want all of you" in regards to College.
She made the decision to defer college and start full-time college next year. When she shared this to me, I didn't feel right. I thought to myself, well God spoke to you earlier this year to do Bible College, why would He change His mind and tell you not to do it?

Was this the spirit of discernment? Or was my friend hearing from God?
Thoughts?
 

SkyWriting

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Hi!
Just wanted to get some thoughts on this situation.
My friend felt God say to sign up for part-time bible college (this took place in March) in the mid year intake (July). She enrolled and asked God to open doors for her in her job (she works full time and would have to sacrifice one day of work). Doors were opened as her boss gave her Tuesdays off. Fast forward a couple of months later, she attended a conference and felt God say to her "I don't want a part of you, I want all of you" in regards to College.
She made the decision to defer college and start full-time college next year. When she shared this to me, I didn't feel right. I thought to myself, well God spoke to you earlier this year to do Bible College, why would He change His mind and tell you not to do it?

Was this the spirit of discernment? Or was my friend hearing from God?
Thoughts?

God does answer your prayers before you are born and His intentions and process are not easily examined.
How does a person get their prayers answered?
 
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AnnaDeborah

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I don't know if your friend is right or not, but if she is right, it doesn't mean that God 'changed His mind'. There may be reasons why God wanted her to sign up for a part time course first.

I knew someone who felt God wanted him to go to university and then midway through the course, felt he was called to leave. He struggled with this for years, thinking he must have 'got it wrong' the first time, because why would God 'change His mind' about uni. Then he started a ministry with uni students and realised that he needed university experience to do this, but didn't actually need the degree. He had assumed 'go to university' meant 'go and stay until you have completed the course'. But what God wanted was for him to go to uni until he had learned enough to equip him for a fruitful ministry to students in several years time!

Sometimes we do get it wrong. But sometimes, what doesn't seem to make sense to us is because we are assuming we know God's plan and it might be something very different to what we are thinking.
 
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HTacianas

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Hi!
Just wanted to get some thoughts on this situation.
My friend felt God say to sign up for part-time bible college (this took place in March) in the mid year intake (July). She enrolled and asked God to open doors for her in her job (she works full time and would have to sacrifice one day of work). Doors were opened as her boss gave her Tuesdays off. Fast forward a couple of months later, she attended a conference and felt God say to her "I don't want a part of you, I want all of you" in regards to College.
She made the decision to defer college and start full-time college next year. When she shared this to me, I didn't feel right. I thought to myself, well God spoke to you earlier this year to do Bible College, why would He change His mind and tell you not to do it?

Was this the spirit of discernment? Or was my friend hearing from God?
Thoughts?

Your friend was more than likely just trying to make a decision about college.
 
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Greg J.

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Whenever God is not clear, I suggest praying about it daily until the person has a peace for one or the other decisions. I don't mean pray "did I hear you right, God," but pray about the question ("should I go full-time to college"). Sometimes he is not clear even after much prayer, in which case, IMO the decision is yours (or perhaps a 3rd choice, or neither choice). In my experience, God will move my peace and confidence toward one of the choices. Praying lets God speak to your heart and/or gives you a chance to work out your choices more clearly by giving you a chance to digest the choices more fully. Definitely get your heart to the place where you are willing to accept whichever choice the Lord wants for you, otherwise your bias may make it more difficult to hear him clearly.
 
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