How to Know

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – August 7, 2016

But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”   Genesis 15:8

You know by first knowing God. He does not leave you in the dark to grope around in unbelief. He wants you to go to Him for discernment and understanding. If assurance of knowing what God was saying came easily, you would be tempted to take the credit for your accomplishments with the Almighty. He wants you to know what to do, but on His terms. Many times, knowing what to do follows belief and obedience. Take God at His word today and be faithful to His instruction. It may mean extending kindness to a nemesis at work or praying more for your teenage child and saying less. Indeed, “how to know” follows “how to be.” Be patient, and allow God to work in spite of your self-imposed deadlines. Trust Him as you wait on Him.

Furthermore, do not let your drive for possessions paralyze you from trusting and obeying. When you are ready, God will allow you to understand how you can have something. He trusts those who show themselves trustworthy. Be faithful with your finances; they protect you from bypassing God’s best. Personal debt can short-circuit God’s work, so rely on Christ, not credit. Reliance on credit can easily take the place of reliance on God’s provision.

So, take a financial reality check and start by paying off the credit card with the lowest balance. Money can draw you closer to your Master or drive you further away. You can know you are positioned to buy something if you have the cash for the purchase. Cash collaborates with the future, but debt presumes on the future. Paying as you go helps you to know the Lord’s leading. So, follow the Lord by faith. You will know all you need to know, as you get to know Him. Knowing Him is your passage to knowing what to do.

The Lord loves you too much to leave you in the lurch. He constantly communicates with His children through Holy Scripture. He may speak to you in a dream. He may be shouting at you through friends and foes. Circumstances may be squeezing you toward specific outcomes. Be aware of all that is converging around you, for Christ does not work in a vacuum.

God is working all around you. Engage with Him in your crisis of belief. He will let you know what to do next. Trust God with this one thing, and ask Him for discernment on the next steps. Validate your idea with those who know you best and who hold you accountable. Be faithful with these small steps, and He will position and promote you to experience larger roles and responsibilities in His timing.

Resist the temptation to rush to the next big thing. There are a lot of little miracles yet to be encountered. The lion’s share of your vision may happen after you are gone. The continued execution of “how to know” may follow you into eternity. So set the table now for those who will feast on the results of your faith after your exit. You know by knowing Him.

The Bible says, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Ephesians 1:17).

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