Sons not Sims: Making Decisions In God's Will

 

We were created to be sons (children) of God not Sims. Sims is a popular video game where you create and control a community and its inhabitants, who are known as Sims. The Sims are completely helpless. You have to tell them to do everything, right down to using the bathroom, and if you leave them alone too long they relieve themselves all over the floor. A Sim is the opposite of who we were created to be. We are children who are taught by the Father how to live, not Sims who are controlled and have no decision making abilities.

 
The Field of God's Will
I used to think of God’s will as a narrow little path that if you stepped off you were out of God’s will. Until God’s will was described to me using the metaphor of a field. God puts us in this field and tells us to go and do as we see fit for as long as we stay within the boundaries of the field. These boundaries being His law and who He created us to be. Coming to understand this showed me that His will allows for some freedom of choice. So much worry was taken off of my shoulders! I had been plagued with fears and questions of, I want to do this but what if it’s not in God’s will? Now I am not saying that God throws us into the world with no direction, for he tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you(James 1:5, NIV).” Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV).”

We May Have Some Direction
God tells us in these verses that if we seek him, he will give us understanding and if we trust him, he will make our paths straight. I am a firm believer that sometimes God puts ideas into our heads. I will go and visit someone off-the-wall and they will tell me my visit was an answer to prayer. I have also had people come and speak with me and this has been an answer to my prayers. Later, they shared with me they felt that God had wanted them to come and speak to me.

Sometimes God gives us choices in life and all possible decisions are of his will. So if you are faced with a choice and are praying about it, digging into the word about it, and have asked fellow believers what they think about your decision and there is no clear answer then either decision that you make could be in the will of God.

The Gift of Making Decisions
The way I picture this gift of decision making that God has given us is, when we are born we are completely reliant on our parents to make all of our decisions for us. As we grow our parents teach us and slowly allow us to use what we have learned to make informed decisions on our own. Parents are not expected to tell their kids to not stick your finger in the electric outlet every day for their whole lives.

In the same way God teaches us how to live. When we are young Christians, i.e. children in the faith, sometimes he outright shows us what to do. However, as we grow we are expected to take what he has taught us and use it to make wise decisions. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 spoke of how Paul was feeding the Corinthians milk instead of solid food. Which was a metaphor for how he was teaching the Corinthians basic spiritual truths when they were spiritually old enough to be learning and exploring deeper spiritual truths. We are called to deeper growth in Christ where we will eat solid food and have the knowledge to make biblically based decisions.

How have you received direction from God?
What have you done when God's direction was unclear? 
Share in the comments below.

 
*originally posted on 7/6/12 and updated on 12/29/2018