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WHEN IT COMES TO 'SIGNS,' THE QUESTION IS WHETHER SUCH ARE FROM GOD OR THE DEVIL
From hardship comes the greatest opportunity for glory. Christ proved that. He went from the greatest hardship ever endured to the greatest glory.
In our lives, we have a similar chance -- in fact, a series of such opportunities.
One key to finding that glory is not hovering upon the hardship.
When difficult circumstances come, we must focus on the solution and then quickly move beyond the negative. The more we talk or think of the negative, the less glorious is the remedy.
Also must we be careful in viewing what occurs. Not every hardship is a sign -- a roadblock -- from the Lord. It can also be a "sign" from the enemy. We often wonder: is it an indication from God? Should I not move? Should I take that job? Should I meet that person -- or not?
We want God to lead the way -- as we should -- and often, He does.
But the enemy also sends us messages; he is the false prophet; he is the counterfeit. He certainly sends roadblocks. We must be on guard not to listen to him. He tries to sway us with adversities -- large and small.
Signs are important. They always have been. They figure prominently into both books of the Bible.
But just how intensely should we follow every one of them?
The safeguard, again, is not hovering on the negative.
Should I purchase that car? Should I get married?
Remember, a sign is not just stop or go. It can be "slow down." Patience. When something comes that seems to be a sign -- but causes confusion and inner turmoil, with no way of reading it clearly -- it's not from God. A sign is clear. North. South. East. West. Follow not perplexity.
How challenging it can be! Often, we are "whipsawed" by what seem like contradicting indications. When there are problems, we wonder if it is the Lord putting up a roadblock. Is it Him -- or the devil trying to discourage us?
The answer is to rise above it. Rise above all negativity. Give it no power. Learn (meditate on any mistake you have made, but in a positive way) and advance. God sees our mistakes as learning experiences -- unless we obsess over them.
Then the devil has energy.
He feeds off obsession.
Only by praying with the heart will you thus discern it. Do not follow a "sign" into the realm of darkness.
There are events -- and adversities -- sent as "signs." No one should doubt that. There are twists and turns we can not fathom because they go beyond the horizon. They are not happenstance. Often events in our lives come to instruct, correct, and purify. There are no coincidences.
But when our hearts tell us we are on the right course, we must follow that and not let the devil send a sign that we take to be from the Lord. You know what it is if the fruit is anxiety.
Discernment comes from the deepest recesses of the spirit. We must "rest well" around a circumstance. The question should always be: What resonates at the deepest part of my spirit?
God has instilled us all with the ability to recognize the truth but that truth is in the heart, not the head.
Prolonged, heartfelt prayer is the only answer. Be patient. Is a sign from God or the enemy? Is the loss of a job an attack, or a correction? Is the loss of money a purification, or the discouragement of Satan?
With his signs come discouragement, despair, or just plain unsettlement. Mainly, he sends confusion. He overcomplicates. He tries to make us concentrate on nothing but negatives.
Clearing the mind and persisting in prayer will bring the answer -- in due time. Through events, we will be shown the correct way without straining for an answer.
The operative phrase here is "due time." In due time, the disciples were shown Who Christ really was. It took several days -- it was not an instant demonstration after the cross -- but when it did come it left no doubt and showed itself forth in light and not darkness.
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