Decoding Divine Messages is God Speaking to You pt. 1

Mark Finley: In the decision-making process, consider your options. What are the liabilities if I make this decision? What are the benefits in making it?
Mark Finley: This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message, decoding divine messages is God speaking to you. Part one.
Mark Finley: Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com.
Mark Finley: And now, Pastor Mark Finley. Why is it that almost every one of you have a Band-Aid at home, but you are not using it now? Why is that?
Mark Finley: Because you do not need it right now, right? But might you need a Band-Aid sometime?
Audience: Yes.
Mark Finley: You may need one sometime, right? But some people need them right now, right? My sermon today on the guidance of God is like a Band-Aid. Every single one of you will need the principles that we present today sometime in your life.
Audience: Amen.
Mark Finley: But there is somebody here today that needs a Band-Aid right now. Somebody here today is going to walk out of this meeting today totally different.
Audience: Amen.
Mark Finley: Because you have come here needing direction. You have come here needing the guidance of God. And God is going to speak to your heart today and put a Band-Aid on your soul. And you are going to know the direction to go. Let us pray.
Mark Finley: Father in heaven, we have come to open Your Word. We have come to study Your Book. We have come to get guidance from the living Word of God. So speak to us through Your Word today. The hour of Earth's history is late. There are multiple voices around us that are leading us in various directions. But we want to hear the voice of God today. So come and speak to our hearts, I pray. In Christ's name. Amen.
Mark Finley: It was a quiet Sunday morning in Thousand Oaks, California. I was the speaker of It Is Written Television program and so as a result of that, Teeny and I and our family lived in a gated community, because many people who watched us on television would want to come and visit me and many of them came uninvited.
Mark Finley: And so on this particular day, as I was sitting relaxing on a Sunday morning, the guard at the gate called and he said, "Pastor Finley, there's somebody here to see you." I said, "Well, what's the name of the individual?" I did not know if it was one of our friends to come to see us or not.
Mark Finley: He gave me the name and it was a person that I had never heard of before. And the guard at the gate said, "This man is really insistent. He says that he has to see you and he has to see you right now. He wants the address of your house. He wants to come to your house." So I said, "You keep him at the gate. I will come down to see him."
Mark Finley: Coming to the gate, I did not recognize the man. And the man said to me, "Pastor Finley, I have been praying about this and I have a real conviction and the conviction is that I should leave my wife. I should leave my family. I have traveled 500 miles from Northern California and I should come and work with you on your It Is Written staff and travel all over the world with you."
Mark Finley: "Pastor Finley, I have been praying about it. Pastor Finley, that's my conviction, that I need to travel the world with you for with you. That's what God impressed me." I said, "Now my brother, where is your wife today?" "Well, she's back in the apartment." "Does she have any source of income?" "No, Pastor, none at all."
Mark Finley: I said, "You know what, brother, the Lord just impressed me with something. Get on the bus and go back and see your wife. Go back and take care of her." He said, "I do not have any bus fare." I said, "I will tell you what to do. I am going to get you a hotel tonight. I will put your hotel on my credit card. And do you have any money?" "Well, I just have a little bit." "You got enough for your bus fare?" "Yeah, I think I could do that if you got me a hotel."
Mark Finley: Now look, brother, because you think God impressed you with something does not necessarily mean that God impressed you with something. Do you think the Lord impressed this man to leave his wife and children and come travel the world with me? Do you think he impressed him through that?
Audience: No.
Mark Finley: Although he was convicted that he ought to do something, did that make the thing he wanted to do the will of God?
Audience: No.
Mark Finley: Are impressions always a safe guide?
Audience: No.
Mark Finley: What about convictions of conscience? When a person says to you, "I'm really convicted that this is what God wants me to do." Is that always a safe path? How does God guide us? How do we discern the will of God? How do we separate our own feelings of what we think God's will is to knowing what God's will is?
Mark Finley: Seven principles for discerning God's guidance and knowing God's voice. If you are taking notes, you are going to write this down. This is going to be like the Band-Aid that you are going to want to put in the medicine cabinet of your mind, so that when you need it, you can take it out.
Mark Finley: But there is somebody here today that is seeking the guidance of God. Somebody here today that is looking for the voice of God to speak to their heart. And God is going to speak to you. Seven eternal principles that we find in Scripture that reveal to us how to discern God's voice and the guidance of God.
Mark Finley: Here is the first principle: Read the promises of God on His guidance and believe He desires to guide you. Here is the incredible good news: God wants to guide us in making right decisions more than we want to be guided.
Mark Finley: When you are confused, perplexed and wondering what to do in any given situation, fill your mind with the promises of God. The matter may be a small one, the matter may be a large one. But whether it is a financial decision, a decision regarding your children, a decision regarding some aspect of family life, a decision about how to best serve God or where to live.
Mark Finley: Here are three promises for you. Fill your mind with the promises of God. Psalm 32, verse 8. What is the benefit of filling our mind with the promises of God? When we fill our mind with the promises of God, it gives us confidence that God is going to do what He says in our behalf and guide us.
Mark Finley: So the first step in being guided by God is filling your mind with the promises of God that lead you to have a confidence in the ability of God to guide you. Psalm 32, verse 8. Are you ready to read, church?
Audience: Yes.
Mark Finley: I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go. I will guide you with My eye. Who was saying that to David? Who was saying that?
Audience: God.
Mark Finley: God was saying that. And what has God promised? I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go. I will guide you with My eye. Isaiah chapter 58 and verse 11. Isaiah 58 and verse 11.
Mark Finley: Notice the text, the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul in drought. He will strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. The Lord is going to guide you continually. And the Scripture says here, He will satisfy your soul in drought.
Mark Finley: So when you feel confused, you feel perplexed, you do not know what to do, the promise of God speaks to our hearts. Proverbs 3, verse 5 and 6. Promise after promise in the Bible. We are not specs of cosmic dust living on an Earth that has no Savior that holds this Earth that where world that in its hands, that has no Creator.
Mark Finley: The promises of God are for you and me. When you are perplexed, when you wonder what to do, when the decision before you seems to be confusing. Allow the promises of God to give you guidance. The promises of God to give you encouragement. Proverbs chapter 3, verse 5 and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
Mark Finley: Notice the promise of God, trust in the Lord. Do not lean on your own understanding, your own impressions. We need not simply guidance, but we need a guide. Not only guidance, but we need a guide. Trusting in the Lord with all of our heart, acknowledging Him. So the first principle of divine guidance that you find in Scripture is to fill your mind with the promises of God and allow God's Word to bring you into a confident relationship with Jesus, knowing that He will fulfill His promises.
Mark Finley: Now the second principle of divine guidance is, ask God for guidance. Believe He is going to guide you. Now notice what Isaiah says in Isaiah 9, verse 6. For unto us a Child is born. Unto us a Son is given. The government will be on His shoulder. He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government, there shall be no end.
Mark Finley: Now notice the text, what it says. Who is this Child that is to be born? Who is this an obvious prediction about? Who is it a prediction about? Who is it?
Audience: Jesus.
Mark Finley: Jesus. Now what does it say? Who is this Child born to? For unto what?
Audience: Us.
Mark Finley: Us a Child is born. Who is this Son given to, everybody? Unto what?
Audience: Us.
Mark Finley: Us the Son is given. He came to Earth for us. He lived for us. He died for us. He ministers in heaven for us. He is coming again for us. And what is Jesus called in this text? What is He called in the text? He is the wonderful what?
Audience: Counselor.
Mark Finley: Counselor. And who is He to give counsel to? To us.
Mark Finley: Look at Isaiah 11, verse 2. Jesus is a wonderful Counselor. There is no better Counselor than Jesus.
Mark Finley: We will be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you are enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of Scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers. If you want to learn more about the Bible, check out our free Bible series at globalbibleschool.org. That is globalbibleschool.org. Discover answers to your deepest questions straight from God's Word.
Mark Finley: And now back to Pastor Mark Finley. Why is Jesus such a wonderful Counselor? Because there are seven things about Jesus that are given to us in Isaiah 11:2. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, that is upon Jesus. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding. The Spirit of counsel and might. The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Mark Finley: Look, I may not have wisdom, but Jesus does. I may not have understanding, but Jesus does. I may not have adequate counsel, but Jesus can give it to me. I may not have the strength to carry out the wisdom that He gives, but He has might. I may not have knowledge, but He does. And I may not have the fear of the Lord that leads me to Him, but He does.
Mark Finley: Notice, for unto us a Son is given, unto us a Child is born. His name shall be called what, everybody?
Audience: Wonderful.
Mark Finley: Wonderful, wonderful what? Counselor. Is Jesus a wonderful Counselor to you? Notice what it says in Colossians 2, verse 2 and 3. Colossians 2, verse 2, verse 3. Where are the where is the wisdom of the ages found?
Mark Finley: We often live on the husks of human wisdom. We we live on the breadcrumbs of human understanding, when there is a fountain of knowledge for us in Christ. Colossians chapter 2, reading there, verse 2 and 3, "That their hearts be encouraged, being knit together." Colossians 2, verse 2, "In love and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
Mark Finley: So in Christ, we find all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So coming to Jesus, we say, "Jesus, in You are the hidden treasures of wisdom that I do not have to make this decision. But I know in coming to You, You have promised that You would guide me. You long to guide me. Since Jesus is the the knowledge of all wisdom and the fountain of all knowledge, He is able to guide us in each decision we make.
Mark Finley: When the path seems uncertain, He is our certainty. When the way is dark, He is our light. When we are insecure, He is our security. It is not simply guidance we need, it is a what? A guide. When we are confused about what decision to make, Jesus, our wonderful Counselor will show us the way.
Mark Finley: Now listen. There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is the ability to ascertain facts. But wisdom is the ability to know how to use those facts. So you may have knowledge about something, but you need the wisdom from God to apply that knowledge in your given situation.
Mark Finley: I love what one author says. He says, "Through His wisdom, God applies His knowledge to accomplish His purposes in ways which will bring the greatest good to us and the most glory to Him." So look, through God's wisdom, we come to God for wisdom. And through His wisdom, God applies His knowledge to accomplish His purposes in ways that will bring the greatest good to to mankind and to us, and to the most glory to Him. That is Dr. Robert Lightner.
Mark Finley: So when we come to God for wisdom, He is going to share with us from the mysteries of eternity, from the abundance of His knowledge, the direction that He wants our personal lives to take. And as He does that, we have wisdom not only to know what to do, but we have the knowledge to do it.
Mark Finley: I love what Ellen White says in the book Great in the book Christ's Object Lessons, page 146. So let us look at Christ's Object Lessons, page 146. Can you read it with me please? Join me.
Mark Finley: You need not go to the ends of the Earth for wisdom, for God is near. Isn't that good news?
Audience: Amen.
Mark Finley: I need to go to the ends of the Earth for wisdom. Why not, everybody? God.
Audience: God is near.
Mark Finley: God. Where is He?
Audience: He's near.
Mark Finley: He's near. You need not go to the ends of the Earth for wisdom, for God is near. It is not the capabilities you now possess or.
Mark Finley: Well, I read it too fast. Let us go back and get it. It is not the capabilities you now possess or ever will have that will give you success. It is that which the Lord can do for you. We need to have far less confidence in what man can do and far more confidence in what God can do for every believing soul.
Mark Finley: Second principle of guidance is this: We believe in the promises of God that He will guide us. Secondly, now notice the way I have phrased that. I did not say we believe in the promises of God that He can guide us. Is there a difference between believing in the promises of God that He can guide us and believing in the promises of God that He will guide us?
Audience: Yes.
Mark Finley: Is there a difference in that?
Audience: Yes.
Mark Finley: It is one thing for a person to say, "Oh, I I think God can guide me, sure, in some kind of vague, shadowy way." But when I come to that crucible of decision and I am at the crossroads of decision, it is one thing to believe that God can guide me, but it is another thing to believe that He is present in my life, active in my life and from the wisdom of the fountain of eternal wisdom from the ages, that He will guide me at that moment, to have confidence in what He can do.
Mark Finley: Jeremiah 33, verse 3 puts it this way: Call on me and I will show you what?
Audience: Great.
Mark Finley: Great and mighty things you do not know. In the crucible of decision, we can open our hearts and call on Him. And He is going to show us great and mighty things. We can pray with the psalmist in Psalm 27 and verse 11. Psalm 27:11 puts it this way: Teach me Your way, O Lord. So we come to God not with our own understanding. We come to God not telling God what we want Him to do for us.
Mark Finley: We come to God with this humility, with these open hearts and and open minds. And we come to God and at times the answer does not come immediately. So when you are seeking God for guidance, do not always expect a lightning strike out of the blue to get immediate answers. Because often God allows us to wait so that we develop patience, we develop faith, we develop trust. We are drawn closer to Him.
Mark Finley: Psalm 27, verse 14 is a very similar passage. It says, "Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord." So, look, wait on the Lord. You find that again and again in the Psalms. David is saying, "Wait on the Lord. Do not get discouraged if the answer for guidance does not come quickly. Do not get discouraged if if you seem not to see any light on the road ahead."
Mark Finley: What does the text say? Let us read the text, everybody. Psalm 27:14. Reading together.
Mark Finley: Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. There is an author called J.I. Packer and Packer made an interesting statement in a book called Knowing God. He says this: "Wait on the Lord is a constant refrain in the Psalms." And it is. "It's it's a necessary word for God often keeps us waiting. He is not in such a hurry as we are."
Mark Finley: "And it's not His way to give more light on the future than we need for action in the present or to guide us more than one step at a time." So when we wait on the Lord, it does not mean we wait in act inactivity. It does not mean we wait and do nothing. It means when God gives us a little light, we walk in the light that He gives us, knowing that more light will come.
Mark Finley: How many of you drove a car here today? You drove a car here? Okay, a good number of you. How many rode in a car here today? So let us suppose you are visiting a friend back in the countryside of West Virginia. And I mean you are way back in the country. I mean, there are no houses around for 10 miles except your friend's cabin.
Mark Finley: And you visited with your friend all day and you have had a wonderful visit. And now it is at night and it is dark. 10 o'clock at night. And you get in your car to drive home.