Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Seeking Guidance from the Holy Spirit

A quote from a book I am reading:

A key test to know whether we really want God's guidance is to ask, How often do I seek God's guidance when I'm not facing trouble or a difficult decision?

He goes on to say:

A helpful way to learn to see guidance is at first to avoid seeking guidance for external decisions like taking a job or whom to marry. Start by seeking guidance for the growth of your soul. What that means is ask questions like these:

How do I become a more truthful person?
Whom do I know who can teach me to pray in a way that will nourish my soul?
What practices will enable me to live in joy continually?

These are not earth shattering thoughts. We know there is nothing new under the sun. But how often do we (I) get caught up in worry over external things such as jobs, or marriage, or large purchases? And then how often do we put much concern in the things that enrich us spiritually? Not very much, for me anyway. Sure, I want to grow. I want to work out my salvation. I say this, yet I spend my quality time with God wondering if I should pay off my school loan or my car first.

I think it's time for me to come up with more questions for the Holy Spirit that would affect the growth of my soul. I'm taking suggestions.

2 comments:

Emily said...

I read this!

Brian Arnold said...

If you get any good suggestions, let me know. I'm kind of at a loss for some myself.