Kids Talk About God
How does God guide you in making hard decisions?
By Carey Kinsolving and friends
(Part One of Part Three)
“I talk to him and ask him what to do and what college to go to,” says Abraham, 8. “God helps me make a decision like if I should hit my brother.”
Decisions, decisions. If you’d like to enter college in one piece, you would be wise to refrain from hitting your brother. Hit mine instead. Just kidding.
“One day I wanted to beat up my sister, but God told me not to do it,” says Jonathan, 8.
I’m glad you listened, Jonathan. Never, ever hit a girl. Don’t even think about it. Some boys who hit girls grow into men who hit women. I hesitate to use the word “men” because real men don’t hit women. Only cowards resort to this kind of violence.
If you want to make life easier for yourself, decide in advance to follow God’s standards. Then when occasions arise, there will be fewer things to decide. You can act without hesitation upon your convictions. In a culture where morality is relative, you’ll have to swim against the stream. Just make sure your convictions are biblically based.
“When I had a new dog, I had to choose if I wanted to keep him or give him away,” says Ambee, 11. “I had a pool in the back yard, so he didn’t have any room to play. So that night, God told me to give him to Mr. Carol. He had three acres. I did, and the dog is still alive and running happily.”
Ambee’s story is a great example of discovering God’s will. Nothing in the Bible says that if you have a dog in a small back yard, you should give it to someone with three acres. However, promises abound for those who depend on God for guidance.
One of my favorites is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all you heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Don’t think God is too busy to direct you in small things. Notice that God promises guidance to those who trust and acknowledge him in everything.
God’s revealed will is in the Bible. The mind is a beautiful thing, but never use it to rationalize away God’s revealed will. We must obey God even if our feelings scream and our minds imagine logical reasons for disobedience.
There is probably no greater area for rationalizing away God’s will than in a troubled marriage. Yet God has revealed his will regarding all marriage essentials: Jesus said marriage is a lifetime covenant where two people become “one flesh” (Mark 10:5-9). God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). With sexual immorality being the exception (Matt. 19:9), separated or divorced Christians should reconcile or remain single (I Corinthians 7:10-11) until one of them dies (Romans 7:2-3). Jesus said a man or woman who divorces and remarries commits adultery (Mark 10:11-12).
Think about this: Walking by faith means believing God more than our feelings. Desires and emotions can change, but God’s Word remains the same. Obey God’s revealed Word and trust him for everything else.
Memorize this truth: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:4-5).
Ask this question: Are you delighting yourself in the Lord to the point where you can trust him to work out things in his own way and time?
“Kids Talk About God” is written and distributed by Carey Kinsolving. To access free, online “Kids Color Me Bible” books, “Mission Explorers” videos, a new children’s musical, and all columns in a Bible Lesson Archive, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. To read journey-of-faith feature stories written by Carey Kinsolving, visit www.FaithProfiles.org.
