There's a young man I know who used to do landscaping in our neighborhood. I saw him one day. His face was a mess. He had a black eye, and his lips were swollen. It looked like he had been in an accident. I asked him what had happened. He explained that on his way home from work, he had gotten carjacked. He was sitting at a light when these guys came up, pulled him out of the car, beat him up and took his wallet and a lot of his equipment. Then he said something interesting, "Joel, the funny thing is that something told me not to go home that way."
Very clearly on the inside, God was trying to protect him. He said, "You need to take another route." The man wasn't very religious, wasn't raised in church, yet he heard it so strongly that he even answered it back in his mind. He thought, "Why do I need to go another way? This is the way I always go. That doesn't make sense." There was this debate taking place on the inside, but he ignored it. He finally said, "I realize now that was God trying to protect me from danger. The next time, I'm going to listen."
See, God knows where the pitfalls are. He knows where the danger is. All through the day, we need to be sensitive to what He's telling us on the inside. We need to pay attention to these promptings. I've learned that God won't allow us to make a major mistake without first giving us warnings. The Scripture says, "God will always provide a way of escape." Could it be that God is providing a way out, giving you wisdom, direction, protection and trying to keep you from danger, but like my friend, you're overriding it?
And, it may not be something as dramatic as he faced. It may be that when you're around a certain person, you feel an unrest, an uneasiness inside. That inner alarm is going off. They may seem nice, friendly or kind. You can't put your finger on it, but something is just not right. Don't ignore it. That's God trying to keep you from heartache. If you'll listen, God will give you discernment. A lot of people are not who they say they are. They may seem fine on the outside, but they have wrong motives. They want to be your friend for what you can do for them. They're takers and never givers. Once they use you up, they'll move on to the next person. No matter how good they look, no matter how much money they have, if you hear that alarm going off, you need to be smart enough to walk away. All that glitters is not gold. Don't override those warnings. If they're not the right person for you, that means God has somebody better in store.
I've talked to too many people who overrode what they were feeling. Years later, there is heartache, broken dreams and pain. It all could have been avoided. Don't be so set on having it your way that you ignore what you're feeling. Trust that God is leading you for your good. Don't override the inner promptings!
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27, NIV)