Page 64 give you supernatural guidance. However, He has given us no such promise. He leaves the decisions in these areas to our discernment. However, if He does lead you in some supernatural way on a non- moral issue–be it an inward prompting, a ,personal prophecy, or an outward sign such as a dream or vision–it should only be trusted if it is consistent with wisdom (sound judgment) and the moral will of God disclosed in Scripture. If God’s people would pay heed to the above principle, it would spare them from making many foolish decisions in life. It certainly would have spared Jack from missing out on two wonderful opportunities that the Lord brought his way. I’d like to mention one further point on this score. Even if you make a foolish decision . . . even if you make a mistake in judgment . . . even if you miss a golden opportunity due to an error in judgment, God’s sovereign will is so grand that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). This is not an excuse to make foolish decisions deliberately. But it certainly does remove the pressure to always make the best decision. If we are yielded to Him, the Lord will forge wisdom within us on the anvil of our mistakes. This is the genius of our God. He has a way of making lemonade out of our lemons. So while I am trying to mitigate the pain and damage that foolish decisions reap, experience (even when brutal) is a very effective teacher. I will end this chapter by summarizing what we’ve learned by
My child, trust firmly in the Lord, and do not fear the judgment of men when conscience tells you that you are upright and innocent. For it is good and blessed to suffer such things, and they will not weigh heavily on the humble heart that trusts in God rather than itself. Many men say many things, and therefore little faith is to be put in them. Likewise, it is impossible to satisfy all men. Although Paul tried to please all in the Lord, and became all things to all men, yet he made little of their opinions. He labored abundantly for the edification and salvation of others, as much as lay in him and as much as he could, but he could not escape being sometimes judged and despised by others. Therefore, he committed all to God who knows all things.
Thomas a Kempis