My pastor has just completed a series of messages on divine guidance and has encouraged us to meditate, expand and share them because the Body of Christ badly needs to go back to these basics. Indeed, if we don’t get this right we risk messing most part of our spiritual journey up.
The key verses were: Is 30:21 - And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," – and also, Ex 23:20-22, “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him… if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”
This means that GOD is committed to leading us; but are we equally committed to being led? We cannot tell the future, but GOD can. We don’t know what lies ahead of us, but GOD knows. What seems wonderful, beautiful and exciting today might turn out to be our ugliest nightmare tomorrow. The only way to avoid making any terrible mistake is to follow GOD’s instructions and pay attention to His warnings. Here are the necessary requirements for the one who truly desires to be led by GOD.
1. Become a sheep, not a goat. This is the very first condition. It is not because you can correct your child in a certain way that you can correct every child in the same manner. Either they will not understand your correction, or they may understand it and refuse to obey. If one member of church A is in the hospital, my pastor is under no obligation whatsoever to visit, pray or assist them in any way. If a member of church B falls into sin, my pastor has no right admonishing them. His sole responsibility is the members of his congregation or ministry. Likewise, the LORD only leads HIS sheep -He has no business minding someone else’s- and you will only hear, understand and follow HIS leading if you are one of HIS sheep (Jn 10:4-5). “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” If I do not want to lack of ANYTHING, then, GOD must be MY Shepherd. It is neither the memorization nor the recitation of this verse over and over again that will cause me not to lack; but it is because I am HIS sheep that I will naturally be led to a place of abundance where all my needs will be met.
I said, become a sheep – the LORD’s sheep – not a goat. GOD will judge between both and will separate one from the other. There is a difference between sheep and goats (Ez 34.17, Mat 25.32). Sheep have a strong flocking instinct and become very agitated if they are separated from the rest of the flock. It is easy to keep them inside a fence. Sheep eat grass and a few select herbs: an image of a Christian who is careful about his/her spiritual diet. Finally, sheep keep their babies by their side at all times; nursing them frequently and they will stand and fight to death to protect their babies against any predator.
Goats are naturally curious and independent. They are difficult to keep in and will go under or over or through most any fence, unless of course they decide to just open the gate. They will nibble on grass, herbs, weeds, trees and even paper! This is an image of Christians who are not content with the boundaries placed by God in their lives and also of believers who will eat all manner of spiritual food, from every manner of preacher or prophet out there. Lastly, goats will leave their babies for long periods of time and will only come back to nurse them a couple of times a day. They will fight a predator; but if it comes to a choice between their babies and their own life, they will run away and abandon them.
Have a ‘wonderblessed’ week!
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