Can you tell the difference between a dead-end situation and a faith test? They have similar, if not identical, characteristics: hopelessness, unreasonableness, and ridiculousness. Nevertheless, one is for spiritual growth, and the other is a big waste of time. Can you tell the difference between the two?
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye (Psalm 32:8 KJV).
I’m facing this dilemma right now. Of course, I asked the Holy Spirit if I should keep on track or turn in a different direction. He answered by dropping little specks of encouragement to stay on board. Nonetheless, as time passes by, it gets harder to hold on. Perhaps this is the test I need to elevate my faith to sample just a glimpse of the magnitude of God’s glory.
I’m clinging to Psalm 37:4-5: Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass (NKJV).
If my heart is aligned with God’s ways, and I’m meeting the conditions of these verses, I put my hope in His Word.
I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
(Isaiah 43:19b NLT)
I know the Bible gives many examples of people who were confronted with what seemed like dead ends, like parting the Red Sea, Isaac’s miraculous conception, and the prison doors that opened for Peter; all of these incidents could have easily been mistaken for dead-end circumstances.
Continue or discontinue?
Whenever you are at an impasse trying to decide if you should continue in faith, seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance (see Proverbs 3:5-6). He is the only One who knows if what you’re going through is in His will.
If you are having trouble discerning His promptings, be honest and tell Him you can’t understand what He wants you to do. Tell God you don’t want to make a mistake and give up too soon; however, you don’t want to waste time if He needs you to change tracks.
A faith test or a dead end? Hmmm!
© 2019
See you next time on Paulette Talks Faith.