We don't have to go through life wondering what we should do next. We have a Helper.
Just like you smell smoke before you see a fire, God's Spirit speaks to us, keeping us on the best path in life.
You see as God's children, we have the upper hand; we have divine insight from God. His Spirit lives on the inside of every believer. He is there to lead us, guide us and help us make great decisions.
He wants to give us insight about our family, our career and future. He wants to warn us of danger, protect us from harm, give us discernment and creativity, but it's not going to come to your head. It's not going to come through your emotions. It's going to come through your spirit person.
It's like this one example when I was in Australia with my wife ministering. Victoria and I got up early one morning to go get breakfast. I noticed the waiter walked by with a big stack of pancakes. I love pancakes, but I never eat them anymore because they make me feel so lethargic and so "blah" when I do. But these pancakes smelled so good. I thought to myself, "This one time is not going to affect me. Besides, these are Australian pancakes. These are special." So I ordered a big stack of pancakes.
The whole time, down in my spirit, I felt uneasy. Something was telling me, "Joel, you'd better not eat them. They're going to make you feel bad." I thought, "That could not be God. I want these pancakes." Well, you guessed it. I ate three big ones, and they were delicious. I thought they were exactly what I needed; but do you know within 30 minutes, I felt like I had been run over by a truck. I had to go lie down.
That was a small decision with a small consequence. But how many people have bought things that they didn't have peace about and now they're head over heels in debt? How many people have gotten into a relationship and turned the alarm off again and again? Now it's a big mess.
I've talked to person after person that has gone way down the road in a relationship that they didn't feel good about, and they ended up hurt, disappointed, and wasted valuable years. They tell me again and again, "Joel, at the very beginning, I didn't feel peace about it. I knew down in here something wasn't right, but I went ahead anyway." What happened? God was giving them inside information. God sent them the smoke before the fire. He gave them discernment, but they got caught up in the excitement and the emotion of the moment, and they overrode what they were feeling in their spirit.
If you will be sensitive, God will give you insight into things you would not have normally known. He will give you wisdom to help other people. He'll give you wisdom to solve difficult problems. Not only that, God will give you discernment to know right from wrong, discernment to see what is really true.
You're not always going to understand why you feel a certain way. You may not be able to explain it. It doesn't make sense to your mind, but don't try to figure it out. Just trust what God is saying to you. He knows what's best.
God wants to lead us, but He's not going to drag us. If you'll be sensitive, God will always give you a warning before you make a mistake. When you feel that, be wise enough to just step back, slow down and pay attention to what God is saying down in your spirit. Colossians 3:15 says to let peace act as an umpire, deciding with finality the decisions that arise in our minds. This is saying peace should be the deciding factor when it comes to the decisions we make. In other words, "How do I feel about this situation? Do I have peace or is there unrest?"
When you feel an uneasiness or unrest, it's not God trying to take something from you. It's God trying to get something to you. It's God saying, "Hey, wait a minute. I've got something better in store. I'm going to amaze you with My goodness." Don't be hardheaded and have to have it your way, in your timing. Don't override what you're feeling down in your spirit. It may not make sense in your mind, your emotions might be telling you otherwise, but you'll know when you're hearing the right thing deep down in your heart. Don't ignore the smoke you're smelling; God is trying to save you from heartache and pain. He's not trying to make your life miserable. It's just the opposite. He is trying to protect you and keep you on the best path.
Sometimes we're pursuing the right thing; it's just not the right time. But I've learned this: everything God has laid up for me, everything that has my name on it; nothing can stop me from that. No person can hold me back. No circumstance can hinder me. Nothing can stand against our God. At the right time, God will make it happen.
If you will stay in faith and just keep following that still, small voice; then at the right time, what already has your name on it is going to be released to you. God will make sure you come in to the right opportunities, the right people, the right breaks. You may have had closed doors in the past, but don't lose heart. It either wasn't the right time or God had something better coming your way.
If you'll learn to trust the warning signs in your spirit, you'll not only save yourself from a lot of heartache, but peace will rule your heart; and you'll continually make good decision after good decision. God always rewards a faithful heart.
JOEL OSTEEN
Joel Osteen is pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas — a vibrant and diverse church that Forbes calls the largest and fastest-growing congregation in America. Joel shares a positive message of hope and encouragement that extends all around the world. This message reaches all across America and 100 nations of the world. Joel's books, Your Best Life Now and Become a Better You, quickly became a #1 New York Times Bestsellers and are distributed worldwide in several languages.