Saying Yes to God When It Doesn’t Make Sense
How do you know if you are making responsible or irresponsible decisions in life? What do you do when God leads you out of the comforts of your current season but has yet to show you the details of what comes next? Why doesn’t God just come down and verbally instruct us on what we are to do in every area of life?
These are some of the questions I have struggled with over the past couple of months. Though there are a variety of answers to these ponderings, I have found a select few anchors for the soul that I want to share with you. These considerations have been of great help in settling my heart and mind in a season of personal uncertainty.
Many challenges accompany questions of this nature. These types of questions often provoke strong emotions and come with serious future consequences. Determining God’s direction correctly in major life decisions can create an internal frenzy of anxiety and doubt. It often feels like your entire life is on the line, and one wrong decision can thwart everything you hold dear.
The Value of Our Emotions
Let me start by saying that these emotions are good. We are meant to feel the tension that goes with feelings of uncertainty regarding future life choices. I have found that this process has shined a spotlight on my lack of trust in God, my desire to be self-sufficient, and my need to experience the approval of others. Though these weaknesses were always present, the emotions experienced during this season have brought these areas to the surface of my consciousness.
Although God uses emotions as a helpful tool, left unchecked, they can also overwhelm us to the point of experiencing a nervous breakdown. That is why this entire journey must be done in partnership with the Holy Spirit, within the context of biblical community, and with a continual investigation of God’s Word.
My family and I are currently undertaking this process as we seek answers regarding our future. In this article, I will shed some light on principles we have found to be true in hopes of helping those of you experiencing the same tension of the unknown.
Our Experience
So let me get real practical by sharing our current journey of following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. God has recently called us to do three things:
Transition out of my current role as Executive Director of the Illinois Valley House of Prayer.
Engage in a missional form of living using the model Jesus commanded his seventy disciples to adhere to in Luke 10.
Sell our house and strongly consider moving our family to Phoenix, AZ.
Each of these instructions comes with an amazing back story that I unfortunately do not have time to get into now. However, it is important to reiterate that we have received confirmation from the Lord in all three of these directions, and we firmly believe it is His will to pursue them wholeheartedly.
That’s the good news! The problem (at least from a worldly point of view) is that we do not know what comes next. I do not have a secure job to pay the bills after I transition out of my role at the House of Prayer. We do not understand the practicality of how we are supposed to embrace this Luke 10 lifestyle. And we do not have any genuine leads regarding finding a place to live in Phoenix, AZ!
A Word of Caution
Before moving on, I feel compelled to interject an important point. I have personally seen people abuse the notion of what it means to hear God’s voice. These people will say they heard something from God to justify their decisions to pursue a selfish endeavor. Some have tossed all natural reasoning aside and believe that true Christianity is only about following the whims of their emotions regarding what they “feel” God is telling them in the moment.
I am not advocating for this fanatic approach to discernment. God gave us a brain, and He expects us to use it. Often our natural reasoning will align with God’s will for our life. Because something makes sense to pursue using innate wisdom does not mean it is void of spiritual credence.
Concerning proper planning and preparation, I know of others who have chosen never to plan for anything because they believe that planning is opposed to following the Spirit’s guidance. This is not only foolish, it is also unbiblical: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5 emphasis mine).
Once again, I am not advocating for a flaky or haphazard approach to life. Using natural wisdom and engaging in responsible strategic planning are beautiful ways that God leads His people. The point of this article is to share that there will also be times when God asks us to sacrifice those methods and embrace a path that appears foolish to outsiders. We can only know when to do that by continually abiding in Christ and obeying His gentle promptings. Our deep connection with God is the primary factor in our discernment process.
Are We Being Irresponsible?
Considering all of this brings me to a question my wife and I keep asking ourselves … “Are we being irresponsible?” To move forward with these major life alterations with little to no knowledge of what comes next appears at face value to be reckless and imprudent. Add to the fact that we have three children under the age of ten, and the consequences of these decisions become far more intense. “Are we crazy?” has definitely been a question explored in our times of processing what we are about to give up as we pursue our next season of life.
This morning as I sat down and began journalling these thoughts, the Lord highlighted some major differences between responsible and irresponsible risk-taking in the life of a believer. To help illustrate my findings, I will share examples from our current season.
Let’s begin with my job. Leaving a job that makes up the vast majority of our family’s income without securing a well-paying alternative would be irresponsible for most people. I take seriously what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Yikes, I certainly do not want to fall into that category as a husband and father.
So why leave a job that currently provides for the needs of my household? The only answer I can give is that Sarah and I clearly believe that God has told us to do so. If this were not the case, and I chose to leave my role at the House of Prayer simply because I was fed up with my current position, that would be an irresponsible risk. Turning in my letter of resignation based on an emotional yearning to do something different would be a mistake, especially without securing my next line of work.
But that is not what we are doing. This decision has been bathed in prayer and confirmed by the counsel of other Christians we trust. Sarah and I truly believe we are called to make this move even without a guarantee for my next place of employment.
This is not a refusal to provide for my family due to personal laziness or reckless dream-chasing. Instead, it is deciding to provide for my family in faith, knowing that God is in control even though I don’t see the concrete path for our financial provision.
Submitting to God’s Leadership Over Our Natural Reasoning
Next, let’s shift our attention to our home. With the help of some friends, I just finished the last major project on my honey-do list before putting our house on the market. This week our realtor comes over to take pictures, plant the “Home for Sale” sign in our front yard, and list our property on all the popular real estate websites. This is an exciting development except for the fact that we do not know where we are going to live next!
To be fair, a friend of ours has given us the option to stay in their small camper while we figure things out. But for a family of five and a dog, that will not be a good long-term option.
So, the question naturally arises, “Why sell our current home without knowing where we will live next?” Here again, after much prayer and processing this move with the Holy Spirit, we feel we are supposed to sell our house now, even before our long-term housing option is secured.
This decision would be irresponsible if we were sick of our current home and just wanted to get out of it, but this is not the case. We strongly feel the Lord telling us to sell now. It is as if the Lord is calling us to get out of the boat and take a step on the water without any land in sight! We have resolved to submit to God’s leadership over and above our natural reasoning and desire for security. Trust me, this is not easy, but it is what we know He is asking us to do.
Attributes of Responsible & Irresponsible Risk-Taking
These two examples help us understand the difference between responsible and irresponsible risk-taking. Responsible risk-taking involves having the courage to move forward with a decision when you genuinely believe that God has led you in that direction. These decisions (except in extreme circumstances) require a thorough discernment process. Crucial activities that lead to healthy discernment are:
Supplication & fasting
Silence, solitude, & listening prayer
Exploring the Scripture & seeking biblical confirmation
Pursuing wise counsel
Prophetic confirmations
Maintaining patience
Though I imagine there will always be a degree of uncertainty and lingering doubt, there should also be a strong sense of peace that accompanies following God’s direction. If you are filled with fear and anxiety after coming to a decision, your discernment process is probably not complete. I have found that God is gracious to give an inner peace for even the riskiest decisions.
On the flip side, irresponsible risk-taking usually involves rushing into decisions based on external circumstances or internal fleshly emotions without receiving confirmation from the Lord. I feel confident writing about this side of the risk-taking coin, as I have certainly been guilty of this hasty form of decision-making.
Based on my previous experience, I can boil foolish risk-taking down to this: irresponsible decisions result from me choosing to lean on my own understanding instead of trusting in God to lead and guide me (Proverbs 3:5). Ironically, depending on your own rational reasoning is primarily how the world encourages people to make decisions in life.
Unfortunately, this mindset has seeped into the church as well. As a result, any decision that falls outside of the cultural norm is often labeled as irresponsible and opposed to God’s will, no matter how much a person has done their due diligence in seeking God on the issue.
Being a Fool for Christ
Here’s the truth … If you are going to be a person that follows the leadership of the Holy Spirit, you must make peace with the fact that you will often be looked at as a fool. Paul makes this point when addressing the church at Corinth:
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)
After examining this passage, we should expect the world to consider our Spirit-led decisions to be foolish. But what has amazed me is the number of people claiming to be Christians that offer equal criticism to decisions that don’t agree with natural reasoning. Because I experienced this personally, I strongly urge you to be prudent about who you engage in your decision-making process.
Just because someone goes to church on Sunday and aligns with conservative Christian values does not qualify them to offer advice in your significant life decision. Guard who you let in on this process; otherwise, you will find yourself offering up the intimate details and decisions of your life to people who will reject choices that don’t fit their worldview.
In Matthew 7:6, Jesus hints at this reality: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
When you make decisions by the process outlined in Proverbs 3:5, many will reject your conclusions. This is because we live in a society that idolizes human reasoning above divine direction. Noah understood the mockery that comes with following God rather than human logic. This man built an ark to save himself and every kind of animal from a flood that would cover the earth. That alone seems crazy but add to the fact that up to that point in history, it had never rained before!
Like Noah, we must understand that “a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore, do not try to get validation or acceptance from people who are not filled with the Spirit. They will view your decisions as foolish, and you should not be surprised when they do so. I would even argue that if the world applauds most of your decision, you may want to re-examine whether you are actually following God’s plan for your life.
The Privilege of Trials that Test Our Faith
All of this leads me to one final question. If it is so vital for us to follow God’s leadership and make decisions according to His will, why does He often hide many of the next steps from us? It would certainly feel easier to make these difficult decisions if I knew what was coming down the pipeline. After pondering this question, I arrived at two possible solutions.
First, I know God is greatly invested in the process He is walking me through. There is great sanctification happening in me as I forsake the temptation to lean on my own understanding. This inner growth can only be achieved through the patient endurance of God’s unfolding will.
This outlook causes me to adopt an attitude of joy rather than frustration or self-pity. James 1:2-4 has been illuminated for me in this season, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” I can embrace a spirit of joy as God offers me the privilege of walking through trials that tests my faith and produces beautiful endurance in my life.
Better than You Could Ask or Imagine
Second, and this may seem cynical to some, but I think God hides what is next for me because I would likely mess it up if I knew what He was planning to do. I have a bad habit of trying too hard to make things happen in my life. I love to strategize, organize, and see tangible growth. This is good up to a certain extent. But these skills hinder my walk with God when I attempt to make things happen in the flesh without the leadership of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:1-3). In the end, some of my greatest strengths have the potential also to be my greatest liabilities.
Thus, I believe God is hiding many of His future plans to protect me from hijacking His vision for my family in this season. What a gracious thing for Him to do for us. I wonder if He is doing this for many who are stepping out in faith and walking into the unknown.
It seems to me that this is one of the primary ways He fulfills His word given in Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
Once we believe we know the fullness of God’s plan for us, we inevitably shrink it down to our own humanistic understanding. But by hiding aspects of our future, God is able to release to us something far better than we could ever have asked for in the first place. This is the beauty of taking responsible, God-ordained risks; it sets us on a course for the Lord to open doors of opportunity that we could have never envisioned walking through.
So I implore you to join me in embracing God’s wisdom over man’s reasoning. Let us walk the challenging but fruitful road of obedience to Christ. The journey is not easy, but for those who walk it faithfully, there await eternal treasures that exceed anything that we could ever have asked for or imagined!