THE NEXT STEP

It would seem that a certain sect of Christian believers are in a state of quandary about “THE NEXT STEP”. This is because when it comes to the things of God the present is always the best time reference. We must look at our walk with God in the current light of what we are doing right now. We are told in the Holy Bible to focus our resources, energy and time on the things of God that pertain to us today. Notice the scriptures in Ecclesiastes 9:7-8

7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. KJV

We see that God’s time reference is “now” this is because Our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ abide continuously in eternity. Eternity incorporates all time so we as creatures of this earth only understand time in reference to our plant because that is what we have experienced in our lives. In Ecclesiastes 3:1 we notice that only things under heaven have a time attached to them depending upon their purpose.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: KJV

Therefore as believers we must be certain we don’t confuse time with God’s Will. What I am stating is this, we just read that everything under heaven has a purpose and that purpose is given a time frame because it is under heaven the combination of the start time and end time makes up the season. We just read everything has a season, the season is known as the time window to accomplish the purpose, or we could say the goal, or God’s Will. The only two time frames you can be one hundred percent (100%) confident about are things done in the past and/or things done right now. Since the Holy Scriptures declare that Faith works in the Now according to Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. KJV

And 1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. KJV

We can clearly see that trying to use your faith on the things that are known is futile. Faith was designed by God to bring to pass our hope for a blessed future. We have a good hope from God when we mix that good hope (desire, belief, expectation) with God’s Word of Faith we can bring to pass God's Will for our life. Notice that this hope (desire, belief, expectation) is what births confidence within us according to Hebrew 10:35-38

35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. KJV

The patience God is speaking about is our timing from speaking forth that which God promised us spiritually (our good hope) unto the manifestation of the physical blessing of God. Faith is that season, that time frame of claiming the Word of God boldly in the midst of contrary circumstances. We are told through God’s Holy Word that when we concentrate our confession of faith upon our hearts desire of fulfilling God’s will we will certainly possess the Promises of God.

Mark 11:22-24
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. KJV

Since it is obvious that we need faith to operate effectively in God’s Kingdom we must also conclude that we must operate in the now time frame of God. We needed to establish a foundation for this teaching that lets everyone know that now, currently, today, is the place of time that should be given more weight than the future. If you won’t put a higher priority upon the things going on in your life today you probably will not build a desirable future for tomorrow. Notice this concept in Matthew 6:33-34

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. KJV

Jesus told us even when it comes to the practical things of money, food and clothing that we should not be consumed with the future thoughts of how to obtain the basic necessities of life. What should every Christian do first? The Believer should seek first the Kingdom of God. In other words find out about how the spiritual principles of God operate in this earth. Then understand how His righteousness was transferred to us because Jesus did everything right in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. When you think about trying to live right it is a good thought but it will never replace the righteousness of God displayed (demonstrated) by Jesus. You are in right standing with God solely because of what Jesus did at Calvary. The part of each Christian was to believe on this Gospel of Peace and accept Him into our heart, the biblical message of Jesus is truth. Thus, you are a Christian simply because you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and He (as the perfect sacrifice) was raised from the dead unto everlasting life, or we could say eternity. We believe that and confess that openly and boldly declaring to everyone that we are Christians not by our own works but rather by the works of righteousness from Jesus Christ Himself. Since God did all the work and instructed us on what to believe He gets all the credit and therefore we take part of His Great Grace. The whole Christian experience is an everyday fulfillment of appreciation of the Blood of Jesus. This daily thought of the work of God in our life keeps us focused on taking one day at a time to live for God to make up the pathway to fulfill God’s Calling upon our complete life. Notice in Matthew 6:11 we are encouraged to seek daily bread.

Matthew 6:9-11
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread. KJV

This is letting us know that we need to wake up every morning with a hunger in our heart for God. In the Old Testament they were told to eat the Passover lamb that day, leaving nothing until the next morning. –Refer to Exodus 12:5-11 Likewise, this speaks to our heart about fresh manna from heaven daily that will rot if you try to reuse it again at a later date.-Referring to Exodus 16:15-21 God desires for His children to walk in close fellowship with Him on a daily basis. We were saved at Calvary once upon the confession of Jesus but we come to know Him more intimately through daily communion with His Holy Written Word (the Holy Bible). Now that the platform has been set let us explore the doctrine of “The Next Step”. Angela and I have seen many Christians feel guilty about leaving a place of worship, or a job, or a location because of friends and family. This is normal and natural. I will say that again, “This is normal and natural”. The problem is we are not to live normal lives, nor are we called to follow the natural ways of mere men. Jesus said as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Son’s and Daughters of God.

Romans 8:12-14
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. KJV

Verse 14 is teaching us that we, as children of God, can expect to lead by the Spirit of God which may be contrary to the flesh, or we could say different from the natural process. Therefore, if you are lead by God’s Heart you should expect that many people in the natural (the flesh) would disagree with your decision. Yes, my faith friend, even you might disagree with God’s decision but His Spirit dealing with your reborn spirit will still take place. We can note various examples in the New Testament when God spoke to one of His Children and they obeyed God.

Mary obeys the Angel concerning Jesus in Luke 1:26-38

Joseph listen to an Angel of God concerning taking Mary as his wife in Matthew 1:18-25

Zacharias hears an Angel concerning the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1:9-20

We hope you noticed that all these specific cases just stated in the New Testament dealt with the Angel(s) of God as the messengers of God. This was very common in the Old Testament remember when these incidents took place the New Covenant had not been established yet. Now we will shift our attention to the New Testament and notice a distinct difference. Specifically the ministry of the Holy Spirit or we could say the working of the Spirit of God.

Matthew 4:1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. KJV

Acts 10:19-20
19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. KJV

Acts 13:2
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. KJV

Although we will state very plainly that the ministry of the Holy Spirit does not hinder the ministry of Angels it does allow God to speak with you directly because the Holy Spirit abiding Presence lives inside of us. All Christians have the Holy Spirit because we are born of the Spirit of God.

John 3:5-8
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. KJV

We have a brand new spirit within us this spirit is referred to as the spirit of God, or we could say our reborn spirit from God. The new reborn spirit of God is your new heart made up of God’s DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). This means that you have God’s very nature inside of you and even better than that you are made up of God’s Spirit. Yes, the Holy Spirit of God lives inside of your reborn spirit leading and guiding you into all truth.

John 16:13
But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. AMP

This speaks of the purpose of the Holy Spirit inside of every Believer. Notice that He has a very specific task this one scripture shows us three tasks associated with the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

  1. He will guide you into all the Truth
  2. He will not speak His own message because He will only speak what He hears from the Father
  3. He will show you things to come

Now let us examine each one of these assignments for further explanation of these truths:

First the Holy Spirit will bear witness to truth, He is the Spirit of Truth. If something is not ringing right in your spirit (a hesitancy, a check, a pause, a red light, a bad feeling) it is because it is not right. If someone is lying to you your heart will know it, if you are in a habit of listening to your heart. The way the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart is primarily by the witness of truth in your heart that means it may not be a voice but rather a witness. Remember 1 John 2:20

But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. KJV

Since this was the first thing mentioned in God’s list of assignments to the Holy Ghost we should make a mental note to seek truth in all we do. If you are not sure about what you are speaking, hearing or doing as it relates to truth, please don’t speak it, hear it, or do it until you know it is truth. Stay with the truth of God’s Word and the truth of His Way to be true to yourself and God.

Second, the Holy Spirit will not give you any information that is contrary to God’s Word. The Holy Spirit will only speak what our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus have spoken. Therefore it is easy to tell whether or not it is the Holy Spirit speaking, or some other spirit trying to influence you to do evil or some person speaking from a natural perspective that favors men. Measure everything by the Holy Written Word of God then proceed with the principles of God. This is stated because we know that you can not find everything inside of God’s Holy Word but we know there is a principle that covers all your actions. For example the word of God doesn’t tell you which house to buy, but it does tell you to live modestly and stay within your budget. The Bible will not spell out the name of your wife, but it does instruct you on what type of wife to select. The Word of God will not state the name of the company you should work for but it does tell you to follow peace and glorify God with all the works of your hands. If the job will not glorify God (a good honest job) you can dismiss the thought to make a dishonest gain. If you don’t have peace about selecting a job in the future you probably should not accept that position. So when you hear from the Holy Spirit by peace or blessed assurance or a confident knowing or good feeling on your inside, know with all confidence that the message is from God, specifically our Heavenly Father.

Third, the Holy Spirit will show you things to come. The Spirit of God will definitely show you things concerning your future. We believe God is faithful to do His part but man should do his part to receive the information from God. This is very critical to the success of each Christian because if you have received a word of wisdom about your future and you don’t believe it or you don’t pay it any attention God’s purpose will probably not be wrought in your life. There are some things that are going to happen even if we do nothing but the majority of good things that should happen in our life the Lord needs our cooperation. We must listen to God’s Word by meditating upon His Word to enlighten our understanding so that we can be in agreement with God’s Will for our life. Once we understand God’s Word we are in a better position to receive the future plans of God. As soon as we know exactly what the Lord desires for us to have we can start the process to receive from Him. How can you know the God of tomorrow if you neglect to hear the God of today? The point is you (or anyone else) can not know how God will operate tomorrow if you don’t understand His principles of today. This is why we stated earlier to be sure you spend time with God each and everyday to guide you into His perfect future for your life.

Since those three features of the Holy Spirit are inherit in every believer we should be empowered to make wise decisions when we place our thoughts in His Hands. The Lord always sees more things than we do, He is an expert at seeing the big picture. We are encouraged in the Word of God to acknowledge God in all our ways so that He can direct our paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. KJV

These verses point out four principles

  1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, this is not a part time proposition
  2. Lean not to your understanding, if you decide based upon your limited knowledge you are probably not seeing the big picture
  3. In all your ways acknowledge God, Pray first always in the Name of Jesus, humble yourself before God that He may exalt you in due season
  4. He shall direct your paths, after trusting, walking by God’s Counsel, and praying, obey God’s direction, He said He would direct your path therefore you must take “The Next Step”

“The Next Step” may not always be clear for each Believer and for that reason many stumble. When the Lord gives us a “Next Step” it might not be something we really want to do but it is no less an instruction from God. If you are not willing to do a simple instruction from God how will you follow a complete procedure by God? We often want God to spell out His complete program for our life but that is not the way the Lord typically operates primarily because we stated earlier that God takes us one day at a time. We may not like the sound of that principle but it is no less God’s System. Remember we ask God for daily bread, not a loaf for the whole month. God will be ready to speak with you on a daily basis and if you do not show up He will faithfully be there the next day with open arms. Many times people get a prompting in their heart that is very soft that is God’s tap on your shoulder. This tap may be in the form of a thought or ideal that needs your time and attention. If you neglect to listen to that prompting God will have to wait on you to respond to His impression, His unction, His thought, His witness. Since it is God’s Will to give you current instructions (fresh manna) on a daily basis let us examine the notion of waiting on God. I will add if you know in your heart that you need to go to work and help your company that is God fresh manna for you today. Doing what is right is always God’s Will, getting up early to pray and read your Holy Bible is God speaking to you. Don’t miss the prompting of God because you are expecting a grand spectacular visit from Heaven that lights up the whole room. God is always with us and He consistently helps us guard our mouth, control our temper and guides us into good decisions for the day. This is why we keep stating that God is right on the inside of you so waiting on someone who is there doesn’t make sense. If you believe God is off on a very far away place with no way to communicate with you then waiting on an answer from Him would be understandable. This type of communication sometimes took place in the Old Testament but today with God living on the inside of you the wait is over. Generally speaking we are never waiting on God. Remember we discussed earlier that God is larger than time, time is inside of God’s Universe under Heaven. To imply that we are waiting on God is to imply that He is behind us or away from us. We know God is not trying to catch up with us, and vice-versa we should not be trying to catch up with God because we together abide as one. So often we think that we are waiting on God but in reality God’s plans and purposes have already been established for our life even before we were born. Notice Jeremiah 1:4-5

4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. KJV

And Hebrew 11:23
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. NIV

And Luke 1:13-15
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. KJV

With these three references in mind we have established a truth because in the mouth of two or three witness let every word be established according to 2 Corinthians 13:1. This is why we stated we are not waiting on God, no my faith friend, we are not waiting on God to make a decision about what we are called to do. In fact, the Lord knew what you were called to do even before you did. Notice the example of Paul:

Acts 26:13-18
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. KJV

And Peter, Andrew, James and John were no different

Mark 1:16-20
16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. KJV

This shows us the simplicity of God’s calling in the previous five examples they (Paul, Peter, Andrew, James and John) were busy doing their daily work and the Lord called them while they were busy doing what they normally do. Too many times people try to over spiritualize God’s Ways the simple fact of the matter is none of those people stated that they were waiting on God, nor is it implied that they were seeking God’s timing. No in fact they were doing their normal course of business and God called them to do an assignment and they were faithful to fulfill His calling upon their life. I know someone will say that those were the apostles they are different. No my friend, they were called disciples first and because they kept on growing by spending time with God their apostleship was consummated in Christ Jesus. The Lord’s Will for their life was not thought up during their ministry it was preordained and they yielded to the Holy Spirit to reach their final designation. Generally, when the Lord starts dealing with you about something you need to answer Him as soon as you understand the request or direction or warning. If you do not spend the time necessary to understand what is going on in your heart when something is not right that is your problem, and He is waiting on you to resolve it. We are never waiting for God to make a decision because God has already made the key important decisions for our life and He is waiting on us to agree with Him. Generally speaking the only reason we are not walking in some of the fullness of His calling is because we are not ready. This is true for most Christians, we as God’s Children must be willing to develop our heart by taking the road of character that the Lord ordains for all His Children to walk. If we refuse to walk this path or we are slow in our steps there will be delays. Also, the Lord will ask His Beloved Children to spend extra time with Him for added personal instructions at different times of your walk with Him. If we seem to be lax in our approach to spending time with God this too will cause delays. God ordained that we should grow at a steady pace, even in childbirth the process is around nine months. For a child to become an adult takes at least 16 to 18 years. So is it in the Kingdom of God, many times the Lord has given His children an instruction that is not profound or deep it is a natural test of their obedience to His word and many children don’t take it seriously and further revelation is stifled. For example, Angela had on her heart to get up early and pray, she did faithfully for a while and then the Lord spoke to her about going to bible school. Remember, how Moses had to look at the burning bush first then God spoke to him in Exodus 3:2-4. Remember how Jesus asked to use Peter's boat and Peter agreed and waited for God to finish His message then Peter receive the revelation that Jesus was a Man of God in Luke 5:1-11. Remember how the lad had five loaves and two fishes then gave them to Jesus for the miracle that is still spoken of today in John 6:5-14. The point is that our Lord will deal with you directly for something He desires and that is the exact time you need to answer Him. Please don’t make the mistake of not answering the Lord today because you assume He has not revealed to you a part of your future that you would like to know. Keep your life simple, if you don’t know something about your future you just don’t know it, abide confidently in today. Remember now faith is, go with what you know. Some have said I really don’t what to make a decision today that will cause me to miss God’s Will for my future. This type of reasoning is unscriptural, we could say ungodly because God is not the author of confusion but of peace according to 1 Corinthians 14:33 Why would the Lord deal with your heart about a “Next Step” that you feel in your heart is a blessing to then say after He dealt with you, “Not now, but maybe some day”. No, my faith friend, generally speaking the Lord speaks some good news to our heart and then we start planning when and how we can achieve this goal. Here again He is waiting on a response from us and if we don’t know how to respond at that time we need to get off our feet and on our faces to seek God’s purpose and plan to achieve His Goal. The Will of God is only a mystery to those who are lost or those who don’t know just how open and honest the Lord really is. Jesus will never try to confuse you He will always deal with you on two levels which are truth and love. He loves you so much He will always tell you the truth so that His truth can set you free. You do not have to wait to know God’s Will when you already know God’s will for today. Once you know God’s Will for your life right now you indeed know God’s Will for your life today.

A wise man once said, “Your future is nothing more
than an accumulations of tomorrow’s today’s.

If you are seeking to know God’s Will for your future you are violating the previous verses we covered about walking with God in the “NOW”. Those who pray to God about details concerning their future are desiring to walk by knowledge instead of walking by faith. We have already concluded according to the word of God found in Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38 that, “The just shall walk by faith” or we could say, “The Christian shall live each day by their faith in God displayed that same day”. In all the examples we just read concerning Paul, Peter, Andrew, James and John the Lord was very clear about expressing His specific will for their life at that moment. We say that to re-emphasize the point that if you believe you are waiting on God for some direction for your life you are probably not listening to what He has already said to your heart on a previous occasion. God is very good about communicating His Will, He may not tell you everything you need to know for the next month, or even the next week but He will place something on your heart today if you need to change what you are currently doing. This direction may come in the form of a simple instruction, a dream, a vision, or dissatisfaction for your current work or just a knowing that something is wrong. Whatever the case may be don’t harden your heart to God’s new direction as the children of Israel did in the wilderness.

Hebrews 3:7-10
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. KJV

Notice verse 10 speaks of the Children of Israel not being familiar with the ways of God. We as Christians should not be ignorant of how the Lord deals with us today. We must know that God is a Spirit and those that worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth according to John 4:24. This means that God will start dealing with you inside of your heart, in your reborn spirit. The languages of God consist of a witness, a knowing, an understanding, an assurance with joy and peace. If you do not have peace find out why by studying God’s Word for more understanding of exactly what is going on in your life. If you don’t have a knowing about what you should be doing right now please find out why by praying in tongues and spending some extra time in God’s Word to find a principle that you need to apply. If you are not experiencing the Love of God overflowing in your life find out why and what steps you need to take to get His Love in abundance inside of you to overflow to help others around you. If you don’t understand why you are doing what you are doing something is wrong because generally your mind needs to be at peace to enjoy the peace and Presence of God. These fruit of God’s Spirit should be present in every believer but we must acknowledge that there is something not quite right in our life when they are absent. In God’s perfect plan He will just speak to your heart about a desired change in your life. This change may be His decision or it make be due to contrary circumstances either way you need to do something. If you are not hearing the first attempt to get your attention usually God will withdraw at least one of these languages to get our attention. This should start us asking questions in our mind for what is missing. If we acknowledge God at that time He will start showing us exactly what we need to do. If we still are not getting the message He will start removing more of His languages even up to the point of dryness in our heart. Friend, if can not sense God’s Presence waning in your life you are in need of some real spiritual help from God. This is for our own benefit to keep us inside of God’s Will for our life. The frequency of the promptings of God will increase until you make a decision because the Lord is so gracious. He will use different people or different avenues to communicate with you until you personally decide to acknowledge that something is there or you inwardly decide to ignore Him. This is why we suggested spending time daily with God to quickly determine when something is wrong in your spiritual walk with God. Doing those intimate times of fellowship with God’s Heart you will know what He is speaking to your heart. If that doesn’t work God will start sending people across your path to speak words of truth to your heart. Often times people don’t realize when they reject good counsel from people who have a heart for them they may be rejecting God. We know your friends and family may not always be right but let’s face it you are not always right either. So be humble and recognize that following God’s Plan for your life is a process that takes patience and your willingness. You must be willing to follow His principles to properly grow in the things of God.

Now we will look at a few examples of major decisions to help you understand the practical side of this write-up.

Do you marry a special someone in your life as a Christian? Ask yourself the following questions to start with and then follow God’s Peace.

Are they are Christian?
Are you both commented to the same church?
What are your parents thinking about this person?
What are your friends thinking about this person?
What does your Pastor think about this decision?
Have you been to premarital counseling?
Is the individual good to their existing family?
Will they make a good father or mother?
How much conversation do we have about God as a couple? (If the answer is not much, that is a huge red flag)

All these things plus many more should be weighed out and thoroughly considered because as you ponder each one of these questions the Lord is there and He will help you answer each question one at a time. Therefore the big decision of whether or not you say “I do” will be easy because you will know in your heart if the Lord is encouraging the decision or discouraging the union. The accumulation of all the smaller questions will generate an answer of peace. You can’t ignore a multitude of “no” answers on the majority of smaller issues to render a “Yes” on the major question of marriage. Remember in the multitude of God’s Word there is safety. This means Godly Counsel should be based upon the Word of God if you have a lot of people just speaking to you from their opinions or experience you can’t consider it Godly counsel unless you can discern some of God’s scriptural principles in their words.

Proverbs 11:14
Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. KJV

And Proverbs 15:22
Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. KJV

What about the major question of, “Whether to take a new job or not?” We will follow the same process because we are teaching principles and precepts. Ask yourself the following questions to start with and then follow God’s Peace. Remember we should be led of God’s Holy Spirit in everything.

Will the job require extra long work hours?
Does the job require a relocation?
What does my family think about the possibility of leaving the community?
How will this decision affect my church?
Will the relocation bring me closer to my extended family or relatives?
How important is it for me to make extra money at this point in my Life?
Has the Lord showed me anything about this job being in my future?
Do I have peace about changing churches?
Is this job a promotion from man or a blessing from God?
Lord what do you think about the person who will be over me in this new position?
Lord, I thank you that I know exactly what you would have me to do in Jesus Name!

While spending some time with the Lord cogitating these specific questions plus others that come to your mind the Lord will guide you into all truth. The last thing you need to do is speak words of doubt and fear. We should never proclaim statements like, “I don’t know what to do!” or “The Lord is not talking to me right now”. Remember that the Holy Bible declares that a double minded man (or woman, or child, or teenager, or young adult) is unstable in all his ways according to James 1:6-8

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. KJV

We must believe in our heart we have the answer from God’s word with all confidence. We must know that an answer exists for each and every question that was presented to God and He is faithful and just to answer each and every request. Therefore when I add up all the “Yes and Good” answers from God’s Word I will know what God is speaking specifically to me about this major decision. I know someone will ask, “What do I do if the tally is coming out evenly?” Then you can take some more time and prioritize your questions by order of importance. Then judge the top half by the majority, if the answers are more “no” the answer is “no”, if they are “yes” than the answer is “yes”. We all know that God prioritizes (emphasizes) certain truths in the Holy Bible that is what we should also use to prioritize our list. For example if the person is not a Christian (Priority 1) you should not marry them end of discussion. For example if the new job is very ungodly (Top Priority) you should not take the job, end of decision. We could make our life a lot easier if we would only keep the decisions we face in our everyday life black or white, not gray. This means a simple “Yes” or “No”, “good” or “bad”, “truth” or “lie” because that is exactly how the Holy Bible deals with the complicated issues they faced during the whole time frame of it’s writings. God keeps things simple, we would be wise to do likewise in Jesus Name. Let us examine another major decision for more references.

Should I leave my current church to go to another place of worship? Again we must be able to ask the tough questions to find the real answer from God we are seeking. If you never ask yourself any questions I doubt very seriously that you ask God for any information of significance.

Am I being fed the Word of God at my current church?
Do I agree with the foundational doctrine of the church?
Is the church sticking with the vision laid out in the literature?
How does my spouse feel about the church?
What about my children are they being fed and properly supervised?
Am I growing from my current church?
Do I sense God’s Peace and Grace helping me in the church?
Is the church growing with new life?
Does the church leadership have a heart for the poor. the lost and the love for people?
Am I happy to go to church or is it just ok?
Is my Church satisfying my spiritual hunger for God or do I believe I am not growing?

All these questions should be addressed before you make a decision but you must be willing to do whatever the Lord leads you to do. Many Pastors do not teach on leaving a church because they do not want anyone to leave their church and for this reason many Christians are confused. It is sad that so many Christians believe that it is a sin to leave a church simply because they are not satisfied with the teaching. We all know that sometimes it is just a matter of a person getting offended at a message that pierced their heart or pricked their conscience. However, there are other situations where the Lord is dealing with your heart about a change that you need to initiate. If your heart is not being fed at a particular church you are not going to grow. God’s children are admonished by the scriptures to grow up in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 2:2
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: KJV

And Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. KJV

And 2 Peter 3:18
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. KJV

Typically this growth comes from the teaching, preaching and demonstration of the Word of God that is why Jesus told Peter to feed His lambs in John 21:15-17

15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. KJV

Notice that Jesus stated feed my lambs first, this means we start feeding the children God’s Word from a young age. Then as the children grow up in Christ they become sheep and we continue to feed the sheep the same diet of God’s Word. Pastors must be consistent to feed people God’s word to help the people grow up in Christ Jesus. If the feeding of God’s Word is low or inaccurate then our diet is light and our growth will be very slow or non-existent. Notice 2 Timothy 4:1-2

1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. KJV

The teaching of verse 2 encourages all pastors, teachers and ministers to preach, teach and minister God’s Word continuously. This is because the Lord is only obligated to confirm His Word with signs following, He does not have to confirm the words of men.

Mark 16:19-20
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. KJV

This is the reason we must be willing to judge the content of the message to see whether God is speaking to us by His Word or man is speaking to us from his thoughts. As a rule of thumb God gives us a message first to share with His people and then we share what we have in our heart with those listening to us at the church. What if I have no one listening to me, Brother Eric, but I still serve in the church. You, my faith friend, should be sensing a joy and a peace in your service unto God. If you are sensing that manifested presence in your service toward others that is good. If you are not sensing that presence because you are not being fed a good diet of God’s Word from the pulpit you and the people under that type of minister will suffer. There is no quick fix or work around for the congregation not being properly fed God’s Word. In situations where the Pastor is not building up the people on faith and love through an understanding of God’s Word the people are going to drag around on low continuously. This is because God told the leaders to feed His people (His children) His Word. If they do not feed the people God can not bless that congregation in spite of the leaderships actions. I know there are some that think, “God can do whatever He wants to do no matter what man does”. If that was truly the case then, “Why doesn’t God just save all mankind?” In reality that is not the case and that is exactly why God doesn’t come down from Heaven and save everyone. Another could ask the question, “Why does God tell us to preach the gospel when He could use His Holy Angels?” This questions point us to the only reasonable conclusion, which is, God told us His Will for our life and we must be obedient to do it to perform God Will on this earth. It is not a matter of what God could do, it is a matter of God’s expressed will to us for all mankind. Every person in the Body of Christ has a role to play in performing God’s Will and for that reason we must be willing to be led by God’s Spirit. You are supposed to grow up unto the greater things of God. Growth comes in stages, remember there is time to everything under heaven and a season to every purpose on earth. Therefore, you can be assigned to a church for a certain (specific) season but then sense God’s Grace waning in your ministry functions of that church. If you are sensitive to the Spirit of God you will perceive this change and make the necessary adjustments to continue your growth in Christ Jesus. Even if that means leaving your current church to go to another. Believers must realize that we are growing in Christ Jesus that does not mean we are growing by the doctrines of a certain church. Our growth should be based upon the teachings of God’s Word, not on our relationships at our local church. Please don’t misunderstand us we are not advocating to esteem church doctrine and relationships lightly but rather esteem God’s Will for your life higher than any relationship. It should go without saying that the Holy Ghost teaches you all things along with Jesus according to 1 John 2:27

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. KJV

And Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. KJV

When we acknowledge God in all our ways He teaches us exactly what we need to know or shows us exactly what we need to do. If you believe that the Lord is the ultimate Teacher in your life you must also conclude that all other teachers, preachers, and ministers are a far distant second. We have learned some tremendous truth from specific churches but when we totaled those truths together with God’s understanding we noticed our growth in Christ Jesus. Your personal growth is not based on totally on what church you attend by it is a combination of your church and your fellowship with God while performing His Will for your life. God will not allow you to learn everything you should know about Him from one person because if He did you would be so infatuated with the individual that you would probably think that man or woman of God is the same as God teaching you personally. There is a big difference between hearing from God and hearing from man. The key is God dwells inside of you and teaches you by His Holy Spirit through His Holy Word, whereas, man teaches you externally by what you see, hear, smell and touch. The days of being led by the external examples set before us (seeking a sign from Heaven, a fleece, a word from a prophet, etc…) was pretty much done away with in the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament. We read in Romans 8:14, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God”. The Lord desires to speak to you personally as one of His Beloved Children. Remember we read in John 4:24 that those that worship God must, I repeat must, worship Him in spirit and in truth. So don’t look so hard at people that you forget about seeing the Lord inside of you. All you need to do is listen for God’s Language of knowing, understanding, assurance, joy and peace to know if you are hearing from Him. If you are hearing that language of knowing, understanding by assurance in God’s spirit of joy and peace you are probably doing His Will from your heart. Never be ashamed to leave a church because love considers God’s Will first and if the leadership at your present church gets upset when you try to follow God’s Will for your life they are not operating out of God’s Love they may be operating on selfish motives. If you were leaving the church to open up an alcoholic bar and become an illegal seller of drugs that still would not give them a godly reason to call you ungodly names and act mean (or ugly) towards you. People who are unkind and selfish are not following God’s Will for their own lives much less for those they minister to. Just remain humble and try to do God’s Will from your heart to the best of your ability. It would be tragic to get to Heaven and find out you buried your talent in a church that was dead because you simply refused to follow God’s Will when He prompted you to go. As Pastors Angela and I never encourage anyone to leave a church simply for the sake of trying something different but we do encourage everyone to follow God’s direction for their life no matter what the cost. Dear Believer you are doing God a disservice when you know He is moving you somewhere else and you refuse to go. This is the reason we have so many dead churches still in existence in the earth today. The Spirit of God left a long time ago but the remnant of faithful followers of the small church refuse to leave. Some won’t leave because they like the position of influence they hold in the church, others because of family and some just because they like the people of the church. There are those in the Body of Christ that, we are ashamed to say, simply refuse to grow up in Christ Jesus. They not only like being babies but they quickly get upset if someone speaks to them of change. Remember my faith friend if you are willing to grow change is inevitable. You can not stop the changes of God in your life from taking place if you are growing but you can decide to never change and thus prohibiting God’s growth for your life. The sad thing is a wrong decision to not follow God’s Will for your life will affect yourself and all those who know you and even the people you were suppose to minister to when you became spiritually mature. The decision to follow God's Will is easy it is only men who make things complicated by adding reasons and excuses to not do that which is right and pleasing in God’s eyes. Someone once said, “If your decision is cloudy it is because you are not drinking enough water of God’s Word”. The Word of God is crystal clear when it comes to His Will based upon God’s thinking so if you are confused it is always the product of a cloudy mind of human reasoning. Yes, my faith friend, simplify your life by only doing one thing right and that one thing should be following God’s Perfect Will for your life, not someone else will for your life . Remember Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. KJV

If you are feeling stressed and heavy about the things going on in your life you are probably in need of God’s “Next Step” for your life. This may not be a major step, it could prove out to be a simple “Next Step” of adjustments in your schedule. Whatever the case may be for your life do it in faith and confidence because of Colossians 3:23-25

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. KJV

And Colossians 3:15-17
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. KJV

We know that everything we do on this earth comes back to God. This is His planet and we are His people so why wouldn’t we desire to do His Will in a perfect fashion. It is God’s Will for our life that we keep a perfect heart before Him and we delight in doing His Will from our heart. Therefore when it comes to your “Next Step” remember that God was there before you were. We know that He is our Leader while we are His followers. No one can completely take “The Next Step” without moving both feet. If you only move one foot this is known as a half step and you will not go very far. This means that a person must be willing to leave their past behind to move forward with God’s Plan. The Lord will not allow you to be in two places at once. Remember James 1:8

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. KJV

If your mind is still meditating upon what you are doing that you can not focus on your next assignment by God you are in jeopardy of ignoring (or refusing) God’s more perfect Will for your life. You must be willing to walk by faith believing that it is necessary and for your own good that you are making a positive “Next Step” for the Kingdom of God in the Name of Jesus. Hebrews 11:15 tells us that if we put our mind on things of the past we are very likely to return to those things of the past.

If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it. AMP

This principle was demonstrated by Lot’s wife in Genesis 19:26 and it cost Lot’s family her life.

Genesis 19:24-26
24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. KJV

This is a type and picture of what happens to those who’s heart is not right with God. Either make the commitment to follow God’s Will or suffer the consequence of those who willfully choose to be ungodly. As we can see from this example we can not do both. Jesus Himself discouraged us from trying to accomplish His future Will for our life while our attention is on the things of the past in Luke 9:61-62.

61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. KJV

It is not that Jesus is hard He just knows the principles of God so well that He will not allow you to be deceived into thinking you can do both successfully at the same time. No, my faith friend, one will take away from the other, and the other will take away from the one. You can not go in two different directions at the same time. If you try that over an extended period of time you will only divide yourself into two visions creating a situation destine to fail.

Matthew 12:25
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: KJV

The Way of God is very clear and concise “Stop the Old and Go with the New”. We read earlier that the successful followers of God in the Old and New Testament always stopped what they were currently doing to follow God into a new direction, and that new direction consumed all of the resources and energy. When King David’s best friend Jonathan (Saul’s son) tried to put his heart with David and his service with Saul’s army he experienced the same result as Saul, death and dishonor in 1 Samuel 31:1-9. Even in the Book of Revelations the Lord states do not be lukewarm, either be hot (obedient to God) or cold (disobedient to God’s Will) because if you try to be both at the same time He will not accept your works or your person.

Revelation 3:15-16
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. KJV

This is why Angela and I are admonishing you to stay with a committed decision. If you decide to remain with what you are currently doing then do it with all your might with a clear conscience because you have thoroughly considered your purpose and growth in the light of God’s Will. If you decide to take “The Next Step” in a new direction know that God will not establish you in this new direction until you forsake the old direction. Once you have removed the old work from your activities God is able to establish the new work because you are in the right position of obedience to His Perfect Will for your life. Remember Hebrews 10:9 speaks of this principle:

Then he added, "Look, I have come to do your will." He cancels the first covenant in order to establish the second. NLT

This is the same verse (Hebrews 10:9) in the Amplified Bible Version

He then went on to say, Behold, [here] I am, coming to do Your will. Thus He does away with and annuls the first (former) order [as a means of expiating sin] so that He might inaugurate and establish the second (latter) order. [Ps 40:6-8.] AMP

The understanding that the New Covenant was proclaimed by God and demonstrated by Jesus to be understood by many before it was accepted by Christians let us see that we should always see enough light to take “The Next Step” before we take it. If you don’t clearly know (understand) what you are to do next you don’t have to do anything rashly. However, if you know for certain that you are suppose to stop doing something specific you have enough information because you know your “Next Step” is to step down or move away from what you are currently doing. Taking this “Next Step” will lead you into another “Next Step” and before you know it, my faith friend, you are walking with God into His Perfect Will for your life. This confirms that fact that we should never take a “Next Step” into utter darkness but we should always have the light of His Love directly our paths. Since God’s Love is light and God’s Word is light you should have some light on your “Next Step” with God. If you don’t have some direction (instruction) that lines up with God’s Love and His Word you must ask the question of whether God is in this decision at all. Remember, the Ways of the Lord are simple and He does everything decently and in order so please don’t sweat the decision.

The Lord will always give you adequate time
to settle your heart and make up your mind,
when your thoughts are synced to His time.

Keep your life simple by making your decisions by God’s Counsel (His Word) upon your heart with a clear conscience and we are sure you will do just fine. Angela and I pray that your steps are order by God to lead you into a brighter new day unto God’s Perfect Will for your life in Jesus Name. Amen!

Psalm 119:133
Order my steps in thy word: .... KJV

And Psalm 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. KJV

And Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. KJV

And Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. KJV

In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster

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