Redeemed Woman

As Christian women, our hearts desire to do God’s will (Matthew 6:9-10). His indwelling Holy Spirit is continually sanctifying our hearts for His purposes and good works (Ezekiel 36:27; Mark 1:8; John 14:26; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8; Titus 3:5-8). We want to live a life pleasing to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Galatians 5:24; Ephesians 4:20-24). And so, our decisions are dictated by what we understand are God’s desires for us. In other words, His desires become our desires (1 John 2:16; Psalm 37:4; see my post).

The problem at hand for all of us is that the Bible also clearly teaches that our fleshly desires are at war against God’s desires (Mark 4:19; Romans 7:14-25; Romans 13:14; Galatians 5:16-1). I am certain that we all can testify from life experiences that this struggle within us is real. God Himself testified that “every intention of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5-6). Jeremiah lamented in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jesus expressed plainly to his disciples that they were evil (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13). Jesus also urged Peter to “watch and pray that [he] may not enter into temptation” for “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).” Paul and Peter warned the early believers to persevere against the fleshly desires within (Romans 12:9-21; Romans 13:12-14; 1 Peter 4:1-2; 2 Peter 1:3-11).

In this blog post I want to share my meditations on how to discern whether your heart is telling you of God’s desires or of your own fleshly desires. I pray you will find this post helpful as you journey through life’s many decisions.

Did you pray when you prayed about the decision at hand?

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.

-Jesus (Matthew 6:9-10, ESV)

It is safe to say that if you neglect praying in your decision-making, you are in danger when it comes to following your heart. But let me clarify by what I mean when I say pray. It is NOT declaring and decreeing, demanding, vision questing, emptying yourself, or other mystical, new age practices of the like. These “prayers” are self-centered and self-seeking at their core.

Jesus teaches us that our prayers are addressed to the “Father in heaven”. Meaning He is above all things, separate from creation, supreme in category. What heart posture do you suppose we should have before Him in our prayers? Shall we not cry out, “Holy is Your name! And may Your name be holy in this heart of mine!”? Shall we not surrender ourselves – heart, soul, and mind- to His kingship and plea for His kingdom to come into our hearts? Jesus modeled this posture of prayer in the garden of Gethsemane when He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done (Luke 22:42).” This is faith in God, not in your prayers (Psalm 5:2; Mark 11:22-23).

So whatever decision is before you, you humbly and trustingly lay it at the Father’s feet and commit your way to the LORD as you ask for His wisdom (Proverbs 16:1, 3; Philippians 4:6; James 1:5). When your heart is right before and with the LORD, you can follow it.

Did you filter your decision through the word of god?

We do not rightly discern our own hearts most times, but thankfully God knows the depths of our hearts (1 Kings 8:38-39; Psalm 44:21; Psalm 119:120). We can trust in God’s judgments through His Word.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (ESV)

Not only does the Word of God accurately judges our hearts, but it also points us to God’s ways.

Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:104-105 (ESV)

Also,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…

2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)

The Word of God is the only trusted litmus test to see if what your heart desires is God’s will. The Bible may not address every specific situation, but it is sufficient in guiding your heart to what is pleasing to God as you think about your options and potential consequences. Most importantly, the Bible helps you see the intentions of your own heart – honest self-awareness through Bible-based self-reflection; this is the work of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:5-8).

conclusion

We rarely second guess the many little decisions we make every day – what to wear, what to eat, which Netflix movie to watch. However, when it comes to big life decisions, like getting married or choosing a career, the decision-making process is a bit more complicated. Truthfully though, we will always decide what our hearts desire in every decision, no matter the gravity. Some major decisions may take more mental effort to decide as we weigh the pros and cons and evaluate the risks or costs. But, ultimately, our decisions always reflect our hearts. We are safe to follow our hearts if we have checked off the two above criteria.

Often times, we confide in a friend when making big decisions. It is equally important to ask for advice or wisdom from friends who love the LORD, whose own hearts are surrendered to Him, and who meditates on God’s Word. These friends are best fit to give you advice when you have to make big life decisions. And the best part is that they will also intercede in prayer for you.

Finally, I believe that sometimes we make it harder than it has to be or make it a mystical affair when we are looking for signs and feelings. How many times have you said, “I made that decision because I had peace about it”? Just having the feeling of peace is no assurance that we have decided rightly. As Christian women, we need to be concern about what is good, right, and pleasing to God. We need to be concerned about trusting in God no matter what happens. Our peace come from the fact that our consciences are clear when we choose what is right and good. Our peace come from the fact that we put our trust in God completely especially when we don’t know exactly what to do. (Philippians 4:6-8)

Our God and Father, reign in our hearts. May Your truthful and perfect Word saturate our minds. May our minds be sound, full of Your wisdom, and our hearts be God-fearing as we make decisions every day. Give us the mind of Christ. Teach us Your ways and lift our burdens!