Discerning the Seasons in Your Life

A few months ago, my family was taking a trip.  To be honest, I don't even remember where we were going.  During the ride, I was just relaxing, listening to music, and thinking.  Somehow, I started thinking about the impact of Google.  It's not a website anymore, it's a way of life.  It's not only a company, it's a verb.  The impact it's had on the way people learn is amazing.  We truly are in what the Bible prophesied, the age of information.  Need to know how to change your car's oil?  Google it.  Need to know how to tie a tie? Google it.  I don't care what any "old school" educators might say, Google enhances problem solving. 

As I sat in the car, I said out loud, "What if we had a question about something before Google existed?  What did people do before it?"  Within 3 seconds, my mom (who is an elementary principal) gave me an answer much longer than I was interested in hearing.  She explained that you could have gone to a library or found an encyclopedia.  I accepted the answer, without response.  Now it was my dad's turn.  Completely serious, he responded to my question with, "Well, I guess you just never knew the answer to the question!"  As you can imagine, mom and I about died laughing.

There are a few questions though, that even Google cannot answer.  I mean decisions that impact your life in a major way.  Google cannot tell you the decision to make in one of life's turning points. This is why discerning God during the seasons of your life is extremely important. 

According to dictionary.com, discerning is, "showing good or outstanding judgment and understanding." 

In my opinion, discerning is one of the greatest advantages of being a Christian.  People throughout the world spend millions trying to find answers to life's questions.  Unfortunately, the answers will never be found where they are looking. 

“And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times  -1st Chronicles 12:32

The Sons of Issachar are probably my favorite group in the bible.  For personal reasons, I have tried to learn everything about them over the last couple years.  There is so much to learn from their way of life. 

So how do you "discern" or understand God in your life?  I think the first step is prayer.  For example,  instead of asking a relative for advice, shouldn't you be asking God?  Why not ask the Truth for the answer?  The greatest aspect of discernment, you can ask God for advice about anything.  Do you audibly hear God?  I hope you don't.  If you do, you're probably on PCP.  In all seriousness, you'll know what God is leading you towards.  Sometimes you'll find the answer to your question in the bible.  You might just walk into a person that will unknowingly be the answer.  Maybe you'll have one of life's "amazing God moments!" The moments that make you say, WOW!

A few weeks ago, I had one of the "God moments".  Sitting on the beach, I was listening to music and worried about an upcoming situation.  As I sat there, I finally just prayed, "God, I need your answer and wisdom in my finances.  I need to know what decision to make."  The next morning, I woke up to a text from my mom.  The text was about the exact situation.  She was worried about the same thing.  My mom never really says much about this particular topic.  That's what gave me complete confidence that God was giving me His answer.  From that moment on, I knew the decision that had to be made. 


A few weeks later, I sat in my room, in complete amazement of God.  Had I not made the decision, it would have been costly for my family.  I thought, "There are so many things going on in this world, and You helped me with finances."  It was one of the moments in my life that I will never forget. 

I truly believe that being able to discern the seasons of your life is extremely important.  Let's face it, life is hard.  Without being able to lean on God for tough decisions, you will never survive. 

I encourage you to read into the Sons of Issachar.  Here is the link:
http://www.battleaxe.org/Issachar.html

The Devil is Trying to Kill You

Harsh words?  Probably.  True words?  Yes. 

This past week at church, our preacher said something that might have scared some people.  "Michael, the devil is trying to kill YOU."  It wasn't a rehtorical question, it was specifically spoken at me.  I wouldn't say it scared me, but it definitely got me thinking. 

It is pretty common knowledge that the devil uses all kinds of tactics to tempt us.  Temptations come in a Jack Daniel's bottle, mansions, and tight jeans.  It's no secret that he'll use anything to push us farther away from God. 

But kill me?  Yes!  The devil just doesn't want us to sin, he wants to destroy our lives.  A simple sin, might not lead us away from God.  Completely wiping out everything in our lives?  Now, a situation like that, might alter our faith.

The devil doesn't want to cause problems in your family.  He wants to destroy it.  The devil doesn't want you to use cocain.  He wants you to kill an innocent person, in an attempted robbery, to pay for it. The devil doesn't want you to desert your child.  He wants you to molest your child. 

I hope you understand that the devil is not just some "enemy" that many Christians claim.  He is the devil (eat your heart out CNN). He is a murderer, liar, and thief.  He doesn't want to discourage you, he wants to ruin the rest of your life. 

I sat in church last Sunday thinking, "The devil wants to kill me?  That must mean I'm capable of achieving things only fathomable by God."  It's the same way for everyone else.  Every single person has some talent that NO OTHER PERSON in the world has.  If we let the devil destroy our lives we most likely will never reach those Heights! 

There's great news though.  We know who wins!  The devil must feel like I do when I record Survivor.  It happens to me all the time.  I clearly remember to dvr the week's episode, then proceed to walk back into the house at 8:57, at the same time Jeff Probst reads the final vote.  Let me emphasize, that I love Survivor!  It kills me when the episode gets spoiled. 

The devil knows the Spoiler of his life!  He never defeats God.  Not in the past, not in the future.  Therefore, the devil can't kill us unless we let him.  We are on the winning team every single time!