Episode 777 Go Where God Is
[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 777 of the inspired stewardship podcast. This is Wendy Gentry from Baker university. I encourage you to live your life from the inside out. And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this. The inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott made her.
[00:00:31] the truth is it isn't about only. Doing what we want and then asking for God to bless it. Instead, we have to look for those places where God is already operating in our world. We have to look for those places where God is operating in our heart, and then we have to work very hard and diligently to grow those places and make them bigger.
[00:00:55] Welcome and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. [00:01:00] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast. We'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you.
[00:01:19] Can impact the world.
[00:01:27] And today's spiritual foundation episode about investing in yourself. I talk with you about why we tend to do what we want and then ask God to bless it. I talk about why instead, we often need to go where God is calling us. And I share some verses to talk about the both, and instead of the either or nature of this kind of thing.
[00:01:48] One of the things that I see happen with folks, and I will freely admit that in part I'm making this. Podcast episode today, because this is something that I struggle a lot [00:02:00] with. It's an area where I asked that question a lot. Am I doing what God is calling me to do? Or am I only doing what I want to do?
[00:02:10] And then asking for God to somehow bless it or make it good or fix it? Whatever something goes wrong. And I think this is an area that we always struggle. I think there's a very human nature around this idea of knowing what the Holy spirit is calling us to do, knowing what God is putting on our heart versus just doing what we feel like doing.
[00:02:34] And then somehow asking for that to be the right thing. And the first thing I want to say is, even though this episode is set up as if it's only go where God is calling us, I don't think it is simple as an either, or I think a lot of things when it comes to theology, when it comes to understanding God, the more I read it, the more I study it, the more I get convinced that [00:03:00] most things.
[00:03:01] In this department are both. And instead of either, or most things are things that are both one way and the other way, even when they seem like opposites. So even when it seems like never do what you want to do and ask for God to bless it always go where God is calling you. That's not going to be 100% true, but at the same time, it's also not true to not.
[00:03:27] Go where God is working and go where God is calling and then ask for that to be blessed as well. They're both partially true. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying this means we just do whatever we want and ask God to bless it. That doesn't work. If we act in ways that are completely contrary to what we're called to do, what we're designed by God to do, I don't think we'll find real success in joy and happiness and said, we'll struggle.
[00:03:57] And asking God to bless it. It's not going to fix [00:04:00] that because God is trying to let us feel that discomfort so that we will go somewhere else and do what we're actually supposed to do. God is using that discomfort to try to direct our steps. To some extent we are given free will, we're given the ability to do whatever we want, but that doesn't mean that everything that we want is good, nor does it mean that everything that we want will be blessed.
[00:04:26] And be given benefits and allow to work out. There is no perfect people. There is no perfect situation. There is no thing that God has called and said, if you do this one thing, then everything will work out. Prayer has power, but it's not a cosmic vending machine. It's not like you just put it in and get out whatever you want.
[00:04:49] Oftentimes the answer to prayer is no or not yet, or not in that way. In a way that's bigger or smaller than you want it to be. Both of [00:05:00] those are possible answers. And instead, oftentimes if we look for where God is already working for, you look for the places in our life and in our heart where we feel that sense of peace.
[00:05:13] Where we feel whenever we're doing this, we're truly doing what God has designed us to do when we're acting in this way. We feel truly to be in alignment with what God has asked for us to do when we begin to feel that sense of comfort without guilt and without shame and without fear, that is often when we're going, where God is calling us.
[00:05:37] And when we act in those places and do what we want. Often then God will show up in, bless it and grow it and bake it bigger than anything we could have expected. There's verses about this as well. If you look at Exodus or Deuteronomy, there are verses, like he said, my presence shall go with you and I will give you rest.
[00:06:00] [00:05:59] This is part of Exodus, chapter 33. It's in verse 14. It's part of the story where Moses is. Interceding with God on the behalf of the people of Israel and saying, you told me to bring these people up. You told me to do this. Thou you have to go with us. You have to show up and take care of us. And you'll notice it is a both.
[00:06:23] And again, yes, they went where God called them to go. But then they also began to do things again against what they were being called to do. That's why Moses has to intercede. And Deuteronomy, which is at the end of that journey is, as Moses is saying his last speech, it says be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them for the Lord.
[00:06:46] Your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail or forsake you again, saying that God is with you all of the time, even when things are hard. In fact, especially. When things are hard when it feels [00:07:00] like it's beyond anything that you can do that is when God shows up. John chapter 10, verse three, just to show that it's not only in the old Testament to him, the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out.
[00:07:17] God leads us the places we need to go. Second, Peter. Therefore brethren be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble the truth. Is it isn't about only. Doing what we want and then asking for God to bless it.
[00:07:38] Instead, we have to look for those places where God is already operating in our world. We have to look for those places where God is operating in our heart, and then we have to work very hard and diligently to grow those places and make them bigger. This is how God operates in the world today. This is what it is means to [00:08:00] be the hands and feet of Christ in the world today.
[00:08:04] And now more than ever, that is what the world needs because the world needs more love. Thanks for listening.
[00:08:19] thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoy this episode, do me a favor. Go over to facebook.com/inspired.
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