Man's wisdom vs. God's

"If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23).

What does it mean for us individually to take up our cross daily and follow Christ? Author Leslie Ludy writes, "I can either claim my life as my own and do what my flesh desires, or I can submit my entire existence to Him. The more I yield to His Spirit, the more I am able, by His supernatural grace, to live the set-apart life He has called me to live." Taking up our cross daily means that our jobs, our time and our lives no longer belong to us, but to God to do with as He will for His glory.

The following three biblical events have one thing in common: Noah building an ark, Joshua leading God's people to march around Jericho seven times quietly then shouting, and Gideon reducing his army of 32,000 down to 300 before fighting the Midianites who numbered over 100,000 men. These events make no sense to our logical human reasoning.

God has a Plan A for our lives, but sometimes His answers to our questions or problems do not make sense to us. Romans 8:6 (Amplified) reads, "Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death.... But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and peace both now and forever."

Plan B is when we take it upon ourselves to apply human wisdom and reasoning to our problems without the influence and submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit. "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. Why? So no mortal man can boast" (I Cor 1:26).

King Saul had a Plan B when he attached the Amalekites. Instead of doing as the Lord commanded (kill all the enemy and their livestock), he spared their king and saved the best livestock to sacrifice to God. That made sense to Saul until Samuel pointed out his disobedience. Saul's response was, "I have sinned...because I feared the people and obeyed their voice." As a result, God rejected Saul from being king.

Henry Blackaby writes, "...Isaiah 55:8-9 indicates the best human thinking is far below God's wisdom: "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord." If we want God's best for our lives, if we desire to please our Lord, then there will be many times when His solutions will not make sense and will require faith and sacrifice on our part. Are we obeying the voice of the people based on fear of what others might think or say? Are we obeying the voice of our flesh [sense and reason without the Holy Spirit]? Or are we listening and obeying the voice of the Lord out of love and reverence for Him?

Are we willing to be fools for Christ or fools for satan?

Tough Question, Tough Answer

How hungry are we to know God's will? How many times have we said, or heard someone else say, "If only I knew what God wanted me to do, I would do it"?

There are numerous books on how to determine God's will in our lives. Right now there are a lot of high school seniors wondering which colleges to apply to and which major to choose. Or perhaps you are struggling with whether to stay in your current situation or switch to another. Whatever it is, do we really, really want to know His will?

I am reading a fascinating book by Henry and Melvyn Blackaby entitled Experiencing the Spirit. Here's what made a huge impression on me.

"Our relationship with Christ is the key. We must know Christ well enough that we already know our answer before He tells us the assignment. The more you know Him the more the answer to any assignment will be 'Yes, Lord'."

Let's think about what the authors are challenging us to consider. Without knowing God's will, can we truthfully say to God, "Whatever You ask me to do, I will do it"? Or, "Whatever college You want me to attend, I'll go there." Or, "God, if You want me to quit my job, I will."

The authors point out that we must not look at our talents, our personalities, or our desires in order to determine if we will obey God or not. If we really understand who He is, and what His word says, then we must rely on His supply for all our needs in every assignment. He's simply looking for a heart of obedience.

And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Is He really Lord of our lives, or do we merely obey when it's convenient and within the scope of our abilities? Or our bank account? Or when it's not too much of a stretch?

The authors challenge the reader with the notion that perhaps God may choose not to reveal His will to us in a certain situation because He already knows our heart is not one of obedience in that area. Could it be His mercy to be silent? Could it be His mercy to withhold the knowledge of His will because it would be better for us not to have known His will rather than to know it and then choose not to obey?

I am struggling with some decisions right now. Maybe you are, too. I want to know God's heart on each decision. After reading portions of this book, I am challenged to say, "Yes" to God, before He even tells me what His will is. I want to be stretched to new levels of spiritual maturity. How about you? Is anything too hard for God?