ASK GOD FIRST!

1 Kings 22:5 Then Jehoshaphat added, "But first let's find out what the Lord says."

King Ahab who was an evil King of Israel had the idea of  joining forces with King Jehoshaphat of Judah to reclaim Ramoth Gilead from his enemies. So they both agreed with each other but King Jehoshaphat had the wisdom to say "Let's ask God first".  Wise man!

How often do we get what we think is a good idea, a good plan, we get all fired up with enthusiasm and promptly go ahead to implement it without stopping and just saying "Lord is this what you want? Is this a good idea or a God idea?" 

King Ahab's prophets all told him to go ahead because they knew that was what he wanted to hear, but there was one honest prophet of God who told him the truth, not to go to war or he would die. But King Ahab wanted to hear what he wanted to hear so he ignored the good advise and went to war anyway which led, you guessed it, to his dying on the battlefield! 

Sometimes we get sound advise but we don't always want to hear it do we? "I want to do this, it'll work out all right, it's a good idea!" Down deep, though, there is this little nudge saying "Hold on a minute, that's not God's plan, that's not what He wants."

What if everyone else is saying to do something and you just go along with it because you're not brave enough to say "I don't think that's what God wants". Again you've had this nudge in your spirit to not go with the flow but to stand up and be counted because you have no peace about a situation. Can I encourage us all to listen to the Holy Spirit's nudges? He's trying to save us from heartache and problems if we'll only listen to Him and obey Him.

What about our plans for the rest of this year, as individuals, as a church? It takes humility to lay aside our own agenda and submit to God's agenda but it will bring untold reward if we do as He says not just in the big things, but the little things too. We're to be led by the Holy Spirit in all things.

So what is the Holy Spirit saying to us today?  ASK GOD FIRST, then do as He says.😊 You'll be very glad you did!