Charles Stanley - Guided By God

An exciting adventure begins when we walk in step with Jesus. In the first part of his series, Steps to God’s Guidance, Dr. Stanley explains what life entails when we choose to be guided by the Father. We must completely surrender to Him if our actions are to reflect His glory.

Because our world is a complicated place, we all need guidance sometimes. Some of our decisions are so important that they could affect our entire future. We’re faced with financial issues, health concerns, relational struggles, and all kinds of challenging situations. It could be that we’ve done everything we can to research a subject, but we’re still confused regarding what to do. Or maybe our problems just seem beyond solution. Perhaps others are asking us for advice, and we’re not sure what to say. In times like these, we need someone who can give us true and wise counsel, and the only One who never guides us the wrong way is God.

The Lord is a loving heavenly Father who is never too busy to listen to us when we come to Him for guidance. He’s given us a wonderful promise in Psalm 32:8-11 to encourage us when we’re in need of His guidance.

The source of the promise is almighty God. The Creator of the ends of the earth, who has all knowledge and power, is the One who makes this promise: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go” (v. 8). This is a personal commitment from the Lord God. If we will come to Him seeking and believing Him, He will give us instruction and teaching for whatever situation we’re facing, and He never makes a mistake. God has complete knowledge of our circumstance, knowing how it began and what the end result will be—if we obey Him or if we don’t. The Lord’s pledge to instruct and guide us is a personal message to every follower of Jesus.

The value of this promise depends upon the character of the One who made it. This is a divine commitment made by God, who never fails to keep His word. We never have to worry that He will not do as He said because He speaks and acts out of His nature—and He is always faithful.