We Have a King Eternal

Reading through the Bible, you can find this phrase: “and the people did what was right in their own eyes” repeated quite often & when this phrase was used, it was often in direct correlation to their kingdom lacking a king. (Judges 17:6; 21:25; & find list of other mentions throughout the Bible, here.)

But our kingdom, the kingdom of God, is never lacking a King. Our King eternal is God Almighty. Despite this fact, I find myself living as if it weren’t true quite often, living as the Israelites did during the time periods talked about in Judges when they were without a king—doing what seems right in my own eyes.

This is not to say that I am indulging in sin, but rather the fact that I often forget, “oh yeah, I should probably ask God what His opinion or direction is here.”

Even If, He Should Still be Consulted

As I have talked a lot about recently, I like feeling capable. I like feeling like I am able to find a solution to whatever problem arises & ask God to help me do just that. In other words, I like to be in the driver seat (in control), with God acting as my assist when I “need” it.

But even when I DO feel capable, DO figure out a solution, & DO feel confident in my ability to carry it through, I need to stop & consider whether I am simply doing that which seems right to me… in my own eyes… or whether I am turning to my King for direction & wisdom.

There is so much I could unpack with this particular topic, but let’s touch on a few key points today in regards to “gray” areas in the Bible, allowing God to disrupt our plans, & letting God direct how we confront situations… rather than doing what seems right in our own eyes.

1. “What about the ‘gray’ areas in the Bible, where it doesn’t specifically call something a sin? Is that my call to make?”

The answer to this seemingly innocent & obvious question is: no—just because something is not clearly forbidden or called sin in the Bible, does not mean it is then up to you to do what seems right in your own eyes. It could be a concern of a weaker brother or sister (someone in your friend circle who struggles (openly or secretly) with it as a gateway to sin), or it could be that for you personally, (whether or not you willingly admit it). Either way… God knows better than even you in making those decisions.

When Jesus ascended to Heaven after He rose from the dead, after dying to pay our sin debt to God, He sent to us the Holy Spirit to act as our Helper & Counselor. (John 16:5-7)

Whenever a situation is questionable on whether or not something not specifically forbidden in the Bible is okay, whether it is based on a rule from a particular church or pastor, or whether it was just how you grew up, we always ought to defer to God, through the Holy Spirit, for His guidance in your situation & circumstances particularly.

Conflicted Feelings Is Often a Sign to Avoid Something

If you feel conflicted about engaging in whatever it is, I highly discourage you from participating, as this could be a clear sign that the Holy Spirit is sending your heart a warning signal… & the Bible does tell us that if we are unsure whether something is a sin & yet we indulge in it, to us it IS a sin because in the indulgence we are making a decision that even if we aren’t sure if it is okay with God, we’re willing to risk dishonoring Him for our own gratification. (Romans 14:23)

A personal example of this would be my second ear piercing. I grew up believing that it was sinful to have more than one piercing, but couldn’t find evidence of this & I really wanted one. And, knowing my intentions were because I thought it looked cute versus a way to show off, I felt it was okay… but wasn’t quite sure if it was sin… & I got that piercing anyway. God reminded me that because I wasn’t sure & did it anyway, that it was a sin for me to have done it… so I asked for forgiveness, removed the earring, let it grow back, & asked for Him to give me a clear answer, determining to give it up if that clear answer never came. For me, it was a sin because I chose to do it not knowing whether it was a sin, showing I cared more about my desire for it than honoring God with it.

The Holy Spirit will give you peace if you determine to turn to Him rather than doing what seems right to you. It may not be immediate & it may not be the answer you were hoping for, but keeping that determination to wait on His response will ensure that you do not dishonor God with your choices.

2. “What about my day-to-day living in the little moments/routines? As long as I try to do good & not sin, is it okay to make my own judgement calls?”

This one is a little trickier. It is both a “yes” & a “no.”

I would say, if you are living your life with the goal to please God with your thoughts, words, & actions (even if you mess up sometimes & have to turn to that daily repentance to clear your conscience & move forward in His grace), then you are living in a way that honors Him.

BUT, the big but in this instance is the willingness to let God interrupt your plans & also making sure to bow your fleshly instinct for His lead & wisdom to win in every situation–this is a lifelong learning process.

It can be so easy to have a schedule, a routine, & the little ways you like to do things or how to spend your free time to relax (aka your “me-time”), but we always must bow those routines, habits, way of doing things & me-time moments to Him, being willing to let Him interrupt it with His own plans, wisdom, & way.

I Like Knowing What’s Coming & Having a Plan

I don’t like having my plans interrupted. If you read my post about “What If I Ruin My Children,” you’ll see that one of my concerns for having children was my own selfish fears of having my schedule & free time interrupted daily. That is a sinful fear because I want control of my own life versus letting God take the reins & guide my moments.

We need to be willing to lay down “the way we do things” to His will & plan for any given day, knowing He sees past, present, AND future, as well as the innermost thoughts of every person. We need to learn to have a heart that is willing to say, “God, these are my plans for today, but help me be willing to let You interrupt them if You so desire… & help me to ask for Your help in following Your detour versus clinging to my design for my day. AMEN.”

So, you can be living in a way that overall brings God honor & glory, while still making small choices to do what seems right in your own eyes by grasping to Your plans & being unwilling to be interrupted by letting Him lead with His plans, wisdom, & way.

3. “What if I am taking a stand against something that displeases & dishonors God? Isn’t it enough that I am DOING something, when so many people, even Christians, seem to only sit & watch it happen?”

Oh, this one gets many a Christian & I have most likely fallen into this very trap myself on occasion.

We can be doing godly THINGS with the right HEART, but still completely miss the mark because we are doing it in such a way that makes sense to US.

God sees beyond what we see. I can be as determined as ever to create change in something, but if I am doing it in a way that makes sense to me, without bowing that urgent, desperate desire to fix things to HIM, then my attempts are not going to be as effective as I would hope them to be.

I need to be willing to see a wrong, take a deep breath, & PRAY as my first instinct… taking that concern to Him for a solution: “God, this really makes me angry & I really want to speak out about it… but give me the words… help them be bold, full of Your Truth, grace, & love… & give me the timing & place that is appropriate, so the right ears may hear & change may occur. Show me & guide me on how I may help!”

We can easily get drawn into self-righteousness when He is the only One Who can create any real & lasting change on others’ hearts. So, instead of blaring your agenda, no matter how noble & biblical it may be, make sure you take that concern to God first for guidance & wisdom rather than reacting in a way that seems right in your own eyes.

Is Life a Big “Choose Your Own Adventure” Story?

So, is life a big “choose your own adventure” story? This topic is such a deep one. There are so many areas of our lives that it touches & so often, because oftentimes something just seems right to us, there are circumstances where we can be completely clueless to the fact that we are indeed living in a way that simply seems right in our own eyes & may not be what God desires in a given situation.

But we must always remember that we are NEVER without a King who can guide us & strengthen us, & Who gives us wisdom as we seek Him.

So, go to your King every day, in every decision big or small, in everything.

Shine HOPE by letting your King be KING in your life, in matters of discernment, in letting God interrupt your plans for His, & in fighting concerns you have in life.

Our King is worthy of praise! Amen!

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