Lighting the Future | Part 1

Would you like to illumine the path you are on with the word of God hears Adrian Rogers with people as counselors and Bible teachers a Bible question what is number one question how can I know the will of God for my life and that is a great question. That is a wonderful question and it applies to all of us. Welcome to find featuring the profound truth of the gospel through the practical messages of Adrian Rogers man is a clever creature but he has lost his way in the dark. We live in a day of guided missiles and misguided men.

Which is a shame because God is cultivated wonderful plans for each of our lives.

If you have your Bible turnout of Proverbs chapter 3 will begin in verse five is Adrian Rogers begins part one of lighting the future figured out what question is asked more than any other question.

When people ask counselors and Bible teachers a Bible question, what is the number one question one question is how can I know the will of God for my life. That question more than any other question is asked how I know the will of God for my life and that is a great question. That is a wonderful question and it applies they bring.

It applies to you. It applies to all of us now man is a clever creature but he has lost his way in the darkness, the atom has been split in man is now able to destroy himself and the environment with him. We had the exploration of space. We put those first major satellites and now we have the space stations orbiting the earth and we sent probes to Venus and Mars and Jupiter and beyond all that, I mean that's just in our lifetime we now in our lifetime, that of instant communication by radio and television and we can watch news as it happens across the ocean just in our lifetime and amazing thing and now we have the Internet than the. The information superhighway and some of our kids are becoming roadkill all that information superhighway, but we have instant communication, I was speaking in Maven stadium in the promise keepers rally in Knoxville. I was on the platform came from the platform went right up to the speakers place where the speakers were sitting by the time I got back to my place. I had received an email from Australia person who just heard me speak and was responding to my speaking while I was speaking there on the platform. This man was listing and responded by email. That's the information age in which we live and in our lifetime we seen a cashless society that is coming and it is coming own very strong is just around the corner of the automobile began in 1903, but we have and how automobiles they can travel 600 miles an hour. We have airplanes that travel 2000 miles an hour spaceships 24,000 miles an hour and we get there quicker but we still don't know where were going. We have all this that is happening in our lifetime and the Bible says in the last days knowledge shall increase and that has happened, but we live in a day of guided missiles and misguided men. We have lost our way in the darkness and that is a pity that is a shame for God has promised to guide us how to use them versus and I want you to listen to these before we get into our text that I want to read in a moment. This is just to set the stage for the text, Proverbs 3 verses five and six we read that in the moment but listen to the Scriptures that tell us that God wants to guide us in Isaiah chapter 58 in verse 11 and the Lord shall guide the continuing is not a great promise.

How would you like to say, day by day, moment by moment Almighty God is guiding me that is what he says the Lord shall guide the continually either.

That is true, it is not limited in others. Psalm 32 and verse eight I will instruct the and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go, I will guide the with my dear, what guiding with the ideas that's the most intimate guidance and irritability, wife in a restaurant, start a conversation. She looked at you and you shut your mouth to don't go in before I can guide my kids are my when they were little baby sitting on the front row not be preaching why nobody also note that I look at him, so you will get it when you get home and it is right on that is guidance with the eye that is that is the most intimate kind of knowledge that God wants to guide us that way that he can guide us with his eyes.

I Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 10 of the Bible says therefore we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which he had before ordained that we should walk in that is that God created us for plan the good works that he has before ordained that is, he laid out a plan for us. He wants to guide us and we are so blessed. There is a father of Bubba's controlling all things.

There is a Savior before so we can walk in his footsteps and there is a Holy Spirit within us, impressing our hearts so that we can find a way in a dark dark day.

I was a something else that God has a special plan just for you that God doesn't be with us in mass. He deals with us as individuals. God makes no duplicates. Everything that God makes is an original, just like every snowflake has its own specific pattern. God made you as an individual and God has a plan just for you and the Bible says in Psalm 37 verse 23 the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord is not incredible.

This is of a good man are ordered by the Lord every step you take is to be in his plan and in his purpose and use it will that's true for those like you pastor Rogers that God is called into the service. No, listen to me. It is true for you.

The same plan that is true for the preachers true for the plumber the same plan that is true for missionaries proof the secretary. God has a plan for every individual life that God called me to preach but you see a plumber as being a plumber in the name of Jesus is more pleasing to God than a preacher who not been called yet understand this is not that some things are higher than others belies place the will of God will of God with us in business. Whether you are a homemaker you know whatever you all the will of God is the highest place now to preach when you been called to do something else would be to take second mass, but on the other hand, if you have been called breach and I have you to have to step down to be the president of United States because that is God's plan for you. God has a plan for your life believe that statement may now want to leave its mad.

Don't let this just blow past God loves you. God has a plan for you. God says I will guide you continually. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord about God is with us as individuals. Dr. Steven over at said that God's great plan is for us to find the follow and the finish the will of God for our lives is what it is. So let's talk a little bit about how to light the future. Now go to the text that you turn to their in Proverbs chapter 3 verses five and six it says this trust in the Lord with all your heart, with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, Melissa and all thy ways acknowledge him and he direct God's now that's God's word. I submit use either true or false, I believe is true. You may distribute trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he really, really, really well.

I promise it will direct by past. Now let's just break that down and look at it in the three basic things I want you to see that text that you and I are to do. First of all, we must let God choose the way. Now we do that to ways. How do we let God choose the way weather must be a full confidence in God. Many of us don't trust the Lord enough to lead and guide us. Notice in verse five trust in the Lord with all thine heart that I'm not asking you to trust in a proposition. Trust the person trust in the Lord with all my heart. You cannot trust somebody you do not know and you cannot know someone that you will spend time with you see when you trust somebody is because you spent time with them and if they trustworthy you come to love them, and if you come to love them and you can trust. Trust in the Lord that you know him intimately enough to trust in him denies my wife will save me something like this. Adrian will you do something for me was my first question what is now access a legitimate question was about. She's a labor leader something for me and I say what is it she said nevermind. Just trust I go but I say okay why because I love a girl and I know her love for me and I don't have to work and hear anybody say, close your eyes and open your mouth well now you got to know a person for you close your eyes and open your mouth. Is that not right, but if you if you them and you know they love you, then you can trust them because you know them and the reason many of us don't trust the Lord that intimately is that we really don't know him that intimately there is no story of a man who walking by seaside cliff fell over the cliff grabbed the scraggly limb and hanging there with hundreds of feet beneath him and waves crashing on the rocks and he is screaming for help and in the darkness. He hears a voice say you need help. Yes I need help in the voices trust me said I trust you voices let go of the limb. He says, is there anybody else out there why play there. I mean you going to trust no human cannot trust in the Lord with all of your heart and in order to trust him with all your heart, you have got to know him intimately and don't trust your own understanding.

Look at it in trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not under your own understanding and always his weight is over here is God, and over here is our understanding. Our reason and were torn between those two things we say well we take the word of God and we paraded past the judgment bar of human reason our understanding and we try to wait out and see that is really best brother in this trust. Frankly, that's three people five people don't. They don't trust me look Malachi 310 bring all the time to storehouse of brewing either with a flood post volatile for you the windows of heaven for you, bless, especially not be room enough to receive it? If you believe that you guys would go she would she would if you believe that you can let your insane God says you bring that to mean although it is inevitably a blessing when the room received the resume and would do that is as it went away the minute that I get to God about it out of is my own understanding over here is the Lord what most of us do this kind of lean to our own understanding. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on the line own under standing that you can't trust God that way until you know him. That way we want to trust our own understanding of the Bible says there is a way that seems right unto a man within thereof are the ways of been our minds sometimes don't lead us directly and again Jeremiah chapter 10 verse 23 and 24 I know that the way of man is not in himself is not in man that will direct his steps. Most of us.

We want lean.

However, to our own. Under standing. That is not that we are not to have understanding the understanding is to come from the Lord, not your own understanding. Go back Proverbs chapter 2 we not just about flying blind. God gives you understanding look at you with verses one through six. My son, if thou wilt receive my words and high my commandments with the so that thou inclined I hear on the wisdom and apply thine heart to understanding EA without Christ after knowledge and lift us up by voice for understanding, if thou see kissed her as silver, and searches for her as for your treasures then you shall thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God, for the Lord giveth wisdom out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. God is not saying that you not have understanding. He just say don't lean on your own understanding getting the word of God. Search for God's way, just as you would silver and gold. And God says that you will find that what were talking about is letting God choose your way with a personal there must be full confidence in God, trust in the Lord be having confidence in him, not not not only must they be full confidence in the Lord, but they must be faithful compliance faithful compliance man. Notice again. Look, if you will. In this passage of Scripture in all thy ways acknowledge him in all thy ways acknowledge him in every situation, mouth, you know, surrender to plan. Most people want somebody give them a plan for their lives. God's plan for your life is not a roadmap. It is a relationship. I'm glad that God that just write out a plan to seal it, and handed to us as a this is what you go to do next 50 years. Next 20 years. How boring.

Or maybe how frightening will know we are to trust in the Lord with all of our hardly not into our own understanding.

And then in all of our ways acknowledge him every time you come into the situation. Just acknowledge God in that situation say Lord what you want me to do here Lord what you want me to do here. Now most of us want to acknowledge God in certain areas of our lives. But what is this verse say in all thy ways acknowledge him? Do you want God to have control of all the allies did what some people think they have really arrived when they say this I give attempt of my money to God I give the seventh of my time to God I am a viable Christian yes three 110 is God's and 1/7 of my time is God's. I found in the house of God is every Lord's day, every seventh day are given to God in every 10th part of my income.

I've given to God. You think that's good Bible Christianity own day.

It is not listen to me one 10th of your income that belong to God. 10 tenths Colombia 1/7 of your time doesn't belong to God. It all belongs to God. Don't get the idea that life is like a pie you can take out seven pieces and take 1/7 and given to God when you eat the rest the idea that you take 1/10 to give to God and the rest is yours know the 1/7 in the 1/10 is only an indication that it all belongs to him, saying, God doesn't want to buy groceries. I must say, God, God knows that you have a car payments.

God knows all of these things, God knows that you should lay by for retirement. God knows all of that but frantic when it comes to finding God's will for your life, you must take every red cent that you have and every moment that you have and in all thy ways acknowledge him in all thy ways acknowledge him, don't segment your life that no say this won't work if you try there must be a full confidence and a faithful compliance 20 saying, let God choose your way. Are you really ready for God to do whatever he wants to do in your life. I mean have you sign the contract at the bottom. Stephen oh Fred I mentioned in a little while back for the greatest preachers in the world and recognize that was a young man started out, his father was a faithful missionary Stephen Holford as a young man having been a proclivity toward engineering.

He loved automobiles, you would know this about Steve over Billy love motorcycles and to drive one race them and take them apart and put them back together. He had planned this in his life. Steve over said I am going to be an engineer.

I make a lot of money and then I'm going to use my money to support missions and the things of God that would been fine with us what God called them to do, but God and not called them to do that down in his heart he knew he was running from God. He got deathly ill. His father missionary in Africa not really even knowing that Stephen Holford was deathly ill and according to Dr. Holford two weeks from death received a letter from his father and his father had written to him these words to his but one life will soon be passed only what's done for Christ will last God and use that to pierce the heart of young Stephen Holford and he bowed his head, then at hostility prayer. Prayer three short phrases in that prayer. Listen to it anywhere, anytime any cost. Now was just receiving over, close, that is for you or me for all of us to say have you said that I could ask if you will anyway. Can I do that, you know why you're having difficulty with that because you don't trust the Lord with all your heart, please us for a few close your eyes open your mouth you put something in there.

You don't want.

Huge Israeli don't trust in some way this is going to work his way through trust. Hardly not into thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy path. Point number one let God choose the way. Point number two. Let God confirm the way because you see is one thing for God to choose the way. But it's another thing for God to confirm that this is the way he's chosen that is there a lot of folks here in this building that say well yeah sure I'll do God's will, but I don't know what it is. Yes say anytime, anywhere, any calls, but what is the time where is the place. What is the cost I know now all right now the Bible says he will direct your path.

If you do this he will direct your paths. Now how does God confirm the way.

Once God's chosen.

The way how does God confirm the way God direct your way by his word by the Bible to give you some Scripture met with him about lighting your path lighting in future Psalm 119 verse 105 byword is a lamp to my feet and a light to my pad word of God.

God gave you his word coming up tomorrow will you part two of this important message. In the meantime, here, love, word finding, we love hearing how this ministry and the messages of Pastor Rogers have inspired you in your faith journey. If you can go online to LWF.org/my LWF story.

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