Where is God Leading Me?
Guest Blog – by Justin
I do not know exactly where God is leading me.
As most college students or recent graduates, I am in a season of life with many defining opportunities and decisions that will set the trajectory for my career, family, ministry, and more. In this season, my tendency is to look ahead and fantasize about the day that I will finally have it all figured out. The uncertainty wears on me, and I long for the rest and security that a set path would seemingly bring.I am now seeing how detrimental this is in my life. My trust largely shifts to my own shoulders, hoping that I can combat, formulate, and prepare for all the “what ifs” that every direction offers. Also, it leads to my spiritual unrest and lack of peace and joy. In this mentality, the reason I live becomes solving this big problem of what to do with my future. At this moment, I don’t know the exact steps or details that God has in store, but I can have faith. Faith that God is bigger than me. Faith that God is capable of anything.
“But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness” Romans 8:10.
“How do you discern what God is writing into the blank check of your life?” David Platt said this recently and went on to say that to start, we should all be asking the Spirit of God…
“Where is the best use of my life for the spread of your gospel and your glory among the nations?”
These questions are very helpful to me, and I think the greatest contributor to our understanding of these questions is that of the Spirit. In Acts, a tremendous amount of emphasis is put on Him with regard to the direction of the early apostles.Acts 13:2 “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”
Acts 16:7 “And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”
Acts 20:22 “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there.”
Our lives are not our own, and when we have confidence in who our lives belong to, only then can we begin to see with clarity as we are led by the Spirit. Only then do I personally feel hope in the choices, circumstances, steps, and beyond that my future holds. Only as I am walking in the Spirit will I ever begin to be “constrained by the Spirit” as Paul is in Acts. God is calling us to walk by faith and in the Spirit.
Peace is possible even when I don’t know what the future looks like logistically because I know that Christ is shouting “Trust me!” All the “what ifs” and worrying about details bring a burden when we lose the faith in Christ’s control. The trust and confidence we have in Christ does not come from theological knowledge or biblical maturity. While good things, our faith stands firm when our eyes are set on the object of our affection, Christ. By losing sight of “why” we do things, the specifics of “what” we do will not matter.
The foundation must be that our lives and existence is clear in its purpose to love and serve Christ for the spread of His gospel and glory among all peoples. He is asking us to look to His face more than anything.
