February 7, 2007 - If you always do...

So much of our spiritual lives seem to be about learning what we missed out on the last time we went around the mountain. Wouldn’t it be great if each time the Lord had a lesson for us to learn we would willingly submit to the process of learning He intends and embrace the new way He wants us to think and act? It must be that we don’t believe we need to learn these lessons, or we are confident that we already “got that.” So instead of learning the first time, we end up having at least one more opportunity to learn what God has in mind for us.

I’ve found that who I receive my counsel from in these times is crucial to whether I will learn what God has for me. I have a statement up in my office that says: “My closest friends are those who motivate my thirst for God.” Those friends are the ones I need to draw counsel from in times of discouragement, learning and application of God’s life lessons. They will be available to correct me when I step off the path God intends, encourage me to stay on the path God intends and point me in the direction on the path God intends. With their help I can keep from going around the mountain over and over again.

Yet the one person I need to go to for the wisest counsel is God Himself. Our Lord Jesus always did what Father God wanted because He said He only did what He saw Father God doing. So while I seek the counsel of others, I must seek God’s counsel for no matter how wise those trusted friends may be, their wisdom will never totally match up to Father God’s wisdom which He says He will freely give to anyone who asks for it (James 1:5-6). This week as you approach a mountain of experience that looks all too familiar, make sure to take some time alone with Father God and seek His wisdom. If you find yourself back at the foot of the same mountain, then in order not to head down the same path that will lead you back to where you find yourself standing, it’s time to find a new path, a different one that leads you away from the mountain because you handled the situation in a different way. Remember the adage: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” Don’t campout at the same mountain over and over, God has better plans for your life.

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