When to Act

Trying to discern God's will? If you have never been down this path before it could seem difficult. Over the years I have watched as people struggle to come to a decision. What should we do?

The truth of the matter is that there is a lot of advice on the subject. Henry Blackaby in "Experiencing God" would tell you to continue to do the last thing God told you. Eventually He will show you the rest of the path. While I do believe it's good advice, there are times when we have to act. There's probably nothing more frustrating than seeing a door before you and wondering if you should walk through.

My advice? Test the door.

Ecclesiastes 11:4, "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done."

While the Lord often gives us clear directions, I believe there are times that He waits to partner with us. In other words, He is waiting for us to act. When we act in faith then we bring ourselves to a place where God can move. Rather than sit back and wait for everything to come into place, we may have to test the door.

Several years ago, my pastor told me that there are several types of doors that we will face:
1) Those that open automatically
2) Those that require us turning the knob
3) Those that are locked
While I do not advise pushing/knocking a door down, there is nothing wrong with checking a door knob or two.

What I have discovered in my relationship with the Lord is that when we act in faith He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. I'm not telling you to operate from presumption. Presumption says "I'm here so where are the blessings?" On the other hand, we cannot expect God to partner with our disobedience. Saying "No" to the Lord keeps us from entering into the best life possible. I have watched both of these attitudes at work over the years and discover people that blame God for their bad choices. And then there are the times when it wasn't very clear...I wasn't really sure...then by faith I chose a path and God was there.

The story of Gideon and the fleece is rather popular. God has told Gideon to go out and fight. Rather than jumping up and joining God, Gideon placed before God a test. God in His grace answered Gideon. However, placing fleece out before the Lord is not an act of faith. When we put things before the Lord: act here, move there, make this show up, and then I will act isn't faith either. Unless the Holy Spirit is directing you to wait for certain things to happen, we need to move.

If we wait for perfect conditions, we won't get anything done. Can you imagine the Body of Christ waiting for perfect conditions when it comes to evangelism? Waiting for perfect conditions until we serve the needs of the poor? Who would get saved? Whose needs would we meet? Jesus feeding the 5,000 didn't wait for perfect conditions. He simply asked, "What do you have?" He took the bread and fish, blessed them, and placed them in the disciples hands. The result? The multitude was fed and God received the glory.

What has Jesus blessed and placed in your hands? When are you going to act?