How does God guide us? | Nicky Gumbel

[Music] for guidance I go to friends family my mom my brother quite a lot general guidance I go for my friends so I get a lot of ideas and guidance particularly my wife I also often look up to people in the workplace Peter parents about a speech to eat about and to kill my dad comes to girls sometimes internet a little bit confused right now as to what I'm meant to be doing because I don't know all the answers so it's always good to go somewhere else I call that sometimes just to try and like work it out by myself if it feels right then I'm gonna go for it so in that I really want to do then if there is more constant price I'll still do it anyway we seek answers then we will be guided and I would rather try and fail then not try at all where faith today with a dazzling array of choices there's a kind of super abundance of options I read that in the average US supermarket there are forty eight thousand seven hundred and fifty different items to choose from in the old days breakfast cereals it was cornflakes or rice krispies now there are hundreds of breakfast cereals marriage partners in the old days you married a girl a boy next door now you can go on the internet and there are thousands of options jobs and the old days you tended to do what your parents did now there's so many different options and you don't just do one thing you can change many times and choice is a great thing it's a blessing but in some ways it doesn't make the decisions any easier so does it matter is it all just random or is there some purpose to your life on Sunday I was thinking about this talk today and I and I tweeted this quote which goes like this your life has a purpose your story is important your dreams can't your voice matters you were born to make an impact and one of the replies I got to this life has no meaning stories are unheard dreams huh voice voices are lost in the crowd were born we die end of list so I looked at this guy's Twitter handle and his his Twitter bio and it was this atheists to the bone born cynical and went downhill from there loathe all things children most tweets vile and filth is what he wrote and I thought how sad life is a gift amazing gift it's been said the two greatest days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why and there is a God who loves you and your life does have a purpose you're not an accident some Paul writes this this is the New Living Translation of Ephesians 2 chapter 10 and you can substitute for we you can substitute you because you're part of we for you are God's masterpiece the word is the Greek word is per mo from which we get the word poem work about your God's masterpiece he created you anew in Christ Jesus so that you can do the good things he planned for you long ago God designed you with a purpose in mind many people they feel they youth useless they're worthless they're frustrated they say I'm not good at anything but your life has huge significance God loves you you're of infinite value Jesus died for you and he has a specific unique glorious destiny for you don't waste your life your life can make a difference God has good things that's what Paul says he has good things for you to do some of those people worry about this this like the plan purpose cooling isn't that just for like priests nuns missionaries now it's for everyone God has a calling on your life does that mean it's all predetermined there's a kind of blueprint does it mean that you can miss Scott's clan you did one thing wrong and you've missed the whole thing certainly I did think that that's the case I've made many mistakes in my life sometimes I've kind of deliberately ignored the instructions other times I just got it wrong guidance is difficult I've made mistakes I thought God was guiding me about something and I was wrong but God's purpose for you is bigger than your mistakes Nelson Mandela said this don't judge me by my successes judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again yeah it's never too late this is a true story I read about it was that a hundred and four year old woman she was asked what's the best thing about being a hundred and four years of age and she said no peer pressure it's never too late whatever age you are if you are still alive God has a purpose for you and I think it's a bit like the sat-nav the GPS we're not very good at following directions and not even very good at setting up a sat-nav or a GPS now car but what we have learnt is that it's a great help to have one and it's amazing even when you go wrong it doesn't give up on you it reroute you it will go on reroute you over and over again it says as soon as possible turn around whenever possible do a u-turn and the amazing thing about it is it's so patient I sometimes think because sometimes I think I know much better than sat-nav and I decide just to ignore it because I think I've got a better route and it just keeps reroute II it doesn't say look you've ignored my instructions so many times I've had it I'm gonna stop giving you instructions that's what I would do but it doesn't do that it's just infinitely patient and what I found is that obviously you can switch it off you can ignore it but if you follow it generally you'll have a much more enjoyable journey and it will get you to a point where it says you've reached your destination and obviously the analogy breaks down because we're not dealing with the Machine we're dealing with a person who loves us this is a relationship with God but God has a purpose for you he has a wonderful plan for your life and he's infinitely patient and what he says is I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go I will counsel you and watch over you so how in practice do we do we hear that voice how does God guide us well God guys in many different ways but what I found is the is 5 CSS have stood me in good stead as far as guidance is concerned there are different ways in which God speaks to us and leads us sometimes it's just one of them sometimes with a big decision it might be all five so here's the first commanding scripture this is God's guidebook for your life the psalmist says your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path this is the way I found that the main way in which I found over the last 40 years God has spoken to me and as we read this book and I tried to read it daily because I love to hear God's voice he speaks about his love for us his kindness his mercy his grace how important you are to him and it also tells us what his primary calling is on your life and his primary concern is not about what you do about who we marry whether we get married or not about the children the primary calling on your life is into a relationship with him that's what gives ultimate meaning and purpose to your life a love relationship with him and then a love relationship with other people that's what we're cool to we're cool to love our family to love our friends love our neighbor many different ways in which we can do that but as you read you see all the different things that you can do little acts of kindness can make such a difference everybody out there is struggling and you can make such a difference with your money you can use your money to give generously and make such a difference to people's lives there's so many different ways to love and then God's purpose is that you should become like Jesus be transformed into his likeness I remember when I stop practicing as a barrister and I went off to train for what I'm doing now I went off to theological I became a student again I haven't been a student for for many years I've been a barrister and as a barrister I wrote opinions and I got paid for those opinions rather overpaid for those opinions that I gave and that gave me a kind of feeling of self esteem people valued what I thought then I won't have to be a student and I wrote opinions essays and nobody paid me for them not only do they not pay me for them they didn't think they were very good they were critical of them and my self-esteem went right down I was so into a friendly sit when it's so important to realize what matters is not what you do but who you are and God wants us to become like Christ he wants us to be people of integrity and in this book you see the kind of things we need to do to be as person of integrity there's certain things you don't need to pray about in terms of guidance you don't need to pray about whether you pay your taxes Lord this year should I pay my taxes or not the answer is yes you are to pay your taxes a man who just become a Christian wrote to the Inland Revenue like this he said dear sir I've just become a Christian and I found that I cannot sleep at night so here is a hundred pounds that I owe you PS if I still can't sleep I'll send you the rest and then God has good things that's what Paul says he has good things for you to do or as sometimes lacy says good works you're not saved by good works you're saved by graceful says but you are saved for good works God has a purpose for your life good things for you uniquely for you to do how do you find out what that is here's the second CS compelling spirit to be a Christian is to be led by the Spirit the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts and we begin to hear the voice of Jesus through his spirit within us and it takes a bit of time to get to recognize the the Spirit of God speaking to us it's a bit like know sometimes people ring me up and they say oh hello it's John here and I get into a conversation and I didn't actually know who John is but it's too far into the conversation to ask the question John who so you sort of start asking questions like so how how are things with them with everybody hoping they'll say oh Marjorie's fine I'll give you some clue oh yeah how are you doing with them that thing that you do but when pivot rings one syllable and I know her voice and as you get to know Jesus better you recognize his voice sometimes in my case I'm afraid I don't follow it there are times when I feel the prompting of the Spirit but I ignore it sometimes we're talking about somebody behind their back and I've got this great story to tell and I know I shouldn't really tell it but it's such a good story and I can't resist it but I feel this for it's saying don't speak badly about them behind their back but I go on and tell it and then I feel I know that the Holy Spirit saying don't do that kind of stuff and as you pray as you read the Bible the Holy Spirit speaks to you most of the ideas I've had to do with work in the last one ever it is 34 years of doing this thing I've come as I prayed as I've read the Bible these ideas come good thoughts come bring that person write that letter visit that person and then God guides by his spirit by giving us a strong desire to do things Paul says in Philippians he says God works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose he gives you the desire to do things so for example before I was a Christian the very last thing in the world I would want to have do would be to be a clergyman in the Church of England I mean a clergyman all the things that very long list of things I would have wanted to do clergymen wouldn't even have featured at the bottom I just wouldn't even thought of it most boring tedious I mean dreary life that would mean and then I encountered Jesus and this is what I wanted to do more than anything in the world and I absolutely love what I do God has changed my world and then sometimes you guides him more unusual ways visions pictures prophecies I can think of a prophecy that was given to paper now in 1989 and only now is it beginning to come true but I always think about it when these things happen sometimes it gives just impressions so we pray for but we pray for people on the Alpha weekend we pray for people in the services here and sometimes as you prank something comes to mind just quite Monday I just think of a few days ago that Sunday before loss I was praying for a Swedish man who'd come forward and I was praying Lord Lord speech was just somethings and then I all I could see was two very bright headlights and I feel God is saying there's something about shining in the darkness and he immediately kind of looked he he I said does that mean something to you he said yeah he said that with our family car both the headlights are broken and I've been feeling I need to shine in my family just a very little thing very mundane thing but this is often the way this it prompts us leads us and then the Council of the Saints Saints not in the inner in the special way of very special people but there's another sense of which Saints issues in the New Testament Saints just means ordinary Christians so council of the Saints it's like the church we'll have a whole session when we look at the church but this is about getting advice we're not alone in this God has put you in a community you experience that in the small group here and there's the Holy Spirit doesn't just speak to me he speaks to you so the writer of Proverbs says the wise person listens to advice make plans by seeking advice I'm so grateful for the advice of friends device of my parents now my children ultimately of course we're responsible for our decisions but it's such a blessing not to be on our own be able to talk to people about the decisions that were making how do you know that the prompting of the Spirit or the advice from a friend is really God speaking to us not the devil or the cheese you ate than that before well they're various tests and what we encouraged in the New Testament is test the spirits to see whether they're from God so one test is is it in line with the Bible if it's not God's not going to contradict himself is it loving God is love you read a people saying oh I went off and killed this person because God told me to no they'd know God did not tell you to do that God is love it says about prophecy when we have a picture for someone a word for someone is it encouraging strengthening comforting another test is do you feel peace about the decision Paul says let the Peace of Christ rule in your heart fourth CS is common-sense God's promises of guidance don't save us that the the problem of thinking Paul wrote this to Timothy he said reflect on what I'm saying for the Lord will give you insight into all this sin other words use your mind and as you're thinking God will guide you and I find that's the main way in which God has guided me over the years he presents reasons to the mind for acting in a particular way I don't think it's very helpful of them to say God has told me to do this you may sense that God has told you but he's probably given you reasons it's better to give the reasons then people can argue with that it gives it openness there's stuff in here that will tell us the general will of God so we know from the Bible that singleness is a high calling that marriage is the norm but this book won't tell you who you should marry it's no good saying Lord who should I marry who Ezekiel I don't have any of zekiel so it's common sense yeah are you compatible with that person of all the usual tests work job career that's your primary ministry is your job in the workplace and what Paul says is stay in the job that you were in when you were called don't just leave your job when you become a Christian God doesn't call us out of things he calls us into things and that's the moment to leave unless of course you're doing something I'm unless you're an armed robber then you do have to leave straight away you can't do that gradually but but generally speaking stay where you are thank God Charlie Mackesy didn't stop being an artist when he became a Christian I mean think of the impact of what Charlie's done he's he's used his talents he's used his gift he's used his his ministry is his work primary ministry has other ministries as well but his primary ministry is the workplace and it's had a huge impact and God has given you gifts talents he's given you abilities qualities character strengths he's given you experiences of life and he doesn't want anything to be wasted he wants your talents to be used so that you're not frustrated but you're fulfilled in what you do v CS is circumstantial science God is sovereign he rules and reigns in this universe and he can work things out Paul says this we know this is like it's from his experience he says I know I know this we know that in all things God works for the good for those who love him and have been called according to his purpose in everything in your life God is working for the good that's in all the bad stuff that's been done to you God can use that for good but also the bad stuff I've done the mistakes I've made in the past even the bad stuff I've done that was wrong for he can even use that for good he can use everything all the situations to get yourselves into all the struggles all the circumstances God is at work in all of them for the good he is guiding and often you could only see that as you look back with hindsight I think of my marriage proposal which was about the worst marriage proposal that anyone could do I had done all the tests I thought I'd written down the five Cs s I've been through all that process but I still wasn't sure whether it was right and I know people wasn't sure either we were very young and we're very kind of tentative about the whole thing and I I think my proposal must have been one of the worst and certainly one of the most unromantic proposals that has ever taken place we had supper and I've just I was the thought that she probably might not want to marry me so I didn't want to be rejected so I thought I mean you be careful about how I asked questions so the first question Alice I just said would you ever like to get married and she said yeah let's get married sometime so I said who would you most like to marry quick as the flash she replied Prince Charles so I said well would you marry me thankfully she said yes and for the last 37 years I thank God every day that she did but at the time I wasn't sure she wasn't sure but looking back we can see God's hand sometimes the open stores like that sometimes he closes doors when I left the illogical College we applied for nine jobs and none of them worked out we were rejected over and over again I was the only person in my year I didn't have a job when I moved back to London and I thought about going back to be a barrister and then finally I got a phone call inviting me to come and work here which I was so thankful for but it was tough and very disappointing at the time but now I can see that God closed those doors for a purpose in everything he was working for the good sometimes we can't see why he's doing it and we just have to trust and I'd encourage you what this verse tells us is don't look back with regret don't look around with worry look up and trust God that in everything in your life he is working together for your good if you walk in this relationship with God reading commanding scripture listening compelling spirit talking counts of the saints sinking common sense watching circumstantial signs your life will make a difference in fact you will have a far bigger impact than probably you will ever realize in this life I always involved in organizing an event to celebrate the life of Sir Nicholas Winton so Nicholas Winton is now over 105 105 years of age in December 1938 he was a young stockbroker on holiday in Prague and he saw the Nazi occupation and he realized that Jewish families were in jeopardy and in the space of three weeks thousands of distraught parents were interviewed and in the space of nine months he arranged for 664 Jewish children who would otherwise have been killed in the Holocaust to be transported it was called the Kindertransport to this country he managed to persuade the Home Secretary here to allow them into Britain he found families for them who fostered them he forged the permits that got them over the border out of Czechoslovakia placed them in the families here and saved them when war broke out he became a fighter pilot and he absolutely forgot about what he done he didn't even tell his wife about it 50 years later in 1988 his wife was in the attic and she came across the suitcase and she opened it and inside were all these pictures and letters relating to each of the children and Esther Rantzen heard about it and tracked down some of the children and invited them to the studio without telling so Nicholas Winton Nicholas Winton was invited the studio totally unaware of the reason for his attendance and he was placed next to a woman called Vera Gissing who was one of the children until that moment she and the other children had no idea who it was who had saved them had rescued them and this is what happened back here is the list of all the children this is Vera dearmond not very guessing we did find her name on his list Vera Gissing is with us here tonight hello Vera and I tell you that you are actually sitting next to Nicholas Winton and it was just so wonderful so terribly terribly touching [Music] anyone in our audience tonight who owes their life Jennifer's wintering if so could you stand up please [Music] I love that moment where he stands up and turns around and sees the impact of his life that he'd never realised he'd simply used his god-given talents and as you use your god-given talents as you follow his guidance through your life in relationship with him one day God will say to you stand up turn around and you will be amazed at the impact that you've had maybe you invited somebody here maybe you're a small group helper or deed and someone's come on this life and you'll do your turn around and you'll see the impact on their family on their children on their children's children maybe just some little act of kindness someone in the office next to you and you'll see the impact on their life maybe just you stood up for someone on YouTube and it had an impact on their day or some encouraging words you spoke or some money that you gave to change someone's life one day God will say to Charlie Maxie stand up turn around you had no idea the impact that sculptor's had on thousands of lives and he'll say to you stand up turn around well done you've reached your destination [Music] you [Music] you

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Length: 30min 8sec (1808 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 15 2016