How do you know when it’s time to make a big decision in your life? How do you know when circumstances squeeze you into a corner and force you to radically alter your lifestyle? Does God see your desperation? Does He hear you pray for guidance? Does He have a plan, a “way out” of the confusion and the mire? First, you have to know the absolutes-the unchangeable bedrocks that ground your life and your faith to prevent you from veering off course.
Here are a few of them:
1. God has purpose in everything to bring glory to Himself. (Romans 8:28)
2. God loves you and takes your best interest to heart. (Matthew 7:9-11)
3. God’s view of your best interest is always focused on the eternal life perspective.
4. God planned and knows your future for all eternity. (Ephesians 1:5-13)
5. God sacrificed His Son, Jesus, in order to offer you a future with Him. (John 3:16)
6. God is willing to have you sacrifice your earthly well-being to further His work. (Hebrews 11:24-26)
7. God is the source of comfort and solace when the mazes overwhelm you. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
8. God surrounds you with spiritual brothers and sisters to help and encourage you. (Philippians 2:1)
9. God builds, changes, solves, and removes change mazes in your life to get and keep you on His agenda. (Ephesians 2:10)
10. God’s plan is for you to grow to be more like Him throughout your lifetime. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)
Once you are standing on the solid ground of God’s truth, and you are walking close by His side, then there are some essentials you must consider on whether or not you change the direction you are going. These life choices may be large or small, but the principles remain the same.
1. Don’t let your emotions get in the way of listening to the Lord.
2. Get the facts.
3. Ask friends, experts, and other Christ-followers for their counsel.
4. Ask God to lead you as you face the maze.
5. Consider what Jesus would say about you making the change.
6. Measure the change against Scripture and your spiritual belief system.
7. Remember what you have learned from similar changes already
experienced in your own life.
8. Weigh the risks.
9. Evaluate the stress involved with making the change.
10. Estimate what the consequences might be if you change or don’t change.
No change is easy. Stepping out on faith requires keeping your eyes on Christ when everything else in your life tells you to be confused, worried or frustrated. Pray through Psalm 25. The psalmist prays an emotional prayer for guidance that will articulate many of the feelings in your heart at this life-crossroads. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The only earth-traveller who got it right every time was Jesus. The rest of us just keep holding onto our Father’s Hand and try to read the Road Map.
From Navigating Your Change Mazes, by Tom Lutz
with Julie Barrier