Ever heard someone who made a clearly bad choice say “I know God wanted me to do it, I don’t understand why it turned out so badly.“
Aside from the dubious results of blaming God for something He was not a part of, this keeps you from making necessary changes. It also makes it difficult to learn from our mistakes, as we won’t admit we made a mistake!
I watched one couple drive a business into the ground and lose a lot of money because they kept insisting God had called them to do it and he was going to bless it if they just kept trusting him. Even worse I’ve seen divorces that come down to one or both spouses “following God”.
Of course, I do understand how pride keeps us from admitting we were hearing ourselves, not God, when we started down a bad path. I also understand how easy it is to assume something is right with God because we desperately want it. When Lori and I started having sex before the marriage I was convinced God had given us permission. Of course, He had not, and we suffered for going against His Word.
I realise problems don’t mean you are out of God’s will. Paul had a lot of problems that were a direct result of following God. Likewise, everything going great is hardly proof that you are in God’s will. But serious opposition or problems should cause us to prayerful reexamine our path.
One good way to avoid getting yourself into a situation like this is to seek wise counsel from spiritual people you know and trust. If you have reasons why you can’t do that, odds are you are not following God.
Originally Published: www.the-generous-husband.com
