As women standing for marriage restoration, we know all about having to make decisions we don’t want to make, BUT they still have to be made. And many times they’re decisions that will affect our lives and the lives of those we love in ways far beyond our ability to comprehend or understand at the time we’re required to make them. So it’s very important to learn how to rely on God’s guidance and direction when making such difficult decisions. And we have to be very careful not to allow our pain and disappointment, or anger and pride lead us into making the wrong decisions, because Proverbs 14:12 warns There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. And it IS our responsibility to make sure we understand what God wants us to do, especially in light of the stern warning found in Hosea 4:6, which says my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. But what an AWESOME promise the Lord gives us in Proverbs 3:5-6, which says Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. And we should NEVER forget His MOST AWESOME promise in Psalm 37:4-6, which is Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. And then when we need to be reminded what it means to have God on our side, we have the assurance found in Romans 8:28-33, which says And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Obviously, there’s no doubt that when we do things in accordance with God’s plan and purpose as found in His word, we can rest in the confidence and assurance that HE WILL guide and direct us, bless and protect us, and even glorify and justify us! That should be all the encouragement we need to seek a better understanding of His will, as we make a deliberate and intentional determination to be directed by His word. And let’s not let the devil deceive us into believing that we’ve made so many mistakes already that even God can’t straighten it all out, because that is a lie straight from the pit of hell! What Satan meant for evil, God intends for good and we have to take Jesus at His word in Matthew 19:26, which says Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” And God promised us in Jeremiah 33:3 that if we call unto Him, He WILL answer us and show us great and unsearchable things we do not know! And we CAN rest in the confidence we have in God’s word (the Bible), because He assured us that it will never return void, but that it would always accomplish the purpose for which He sent it!

Yesterday, Charles Stanley’s TV program addressed the question of Seeking God’s Guidance, and it’s a very important message for everyone facing difficult decisions, especially those that have the potential to affect the rest of our lives so significantly, as many of the decisions we make while standing for marriage restoration do. And here’s a link to Dr. Stanley’s sermon outline, which contains the scripture references he uses in the message. May the Lord, and the Lord alone, guide and direct us as we face the decisions we have to make every day as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, and may all of our decisions be God glorifying and family unifying!

Posted Monday, September 11th, 2006 at 12:16 pm in Seeds Of Faith.