Four Great Questions To Ask God Every Day

This is an excerpt out of a book that I read on my retreat. It really spoke to me. I hope it speaks to you.

From time to time, I meet people who are having a hard time and who sometimes admit they are discouraged and depressed. As I ask them for details about their lives, I often discover that they are acting totally on their own strength and energy. They are trusting in their experience, their education, their acquired skills, and their natural know-how. In some cases, they are trusting in others to provide for them. Their discouragement is rooted in the fact that they are failing in some way or others are failing them. They are disappointed in themselves or in others. Friend, any time you try to define and reach your own potential using human resources alone . . . you are going to fail. And the more you fail or feel that others have failed you, the more you are going to be subject to disappointment, discouragement, and depression.

The real key to reaching your potential lies in trusting God to help you become your best. We do this by actively and verbally placing our trust in the Lord, saying, "I need You, Holy Spirit, to help me become and do all that God has created me to be and do. I need You, Holy Spirit, to work in me in such a way that I will want to accomplish and be able to accomplish all that You have purposed for me to do in my life."

There are four great questions we are wise to ask God daily:

1. What do You want me to do? God desires to reveal to you the next step you can take into your own potential. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you specifically what He desires for you to do in any given day. Is there someone He desires for you to contact? Is there someone He is planning to bring across your path? Is there a meeting you should attend or an appointment you should make? Is there a decision you should make?

Be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit deep within your heart. Trust Him to give you precise guidance and direction.

2. How do You want me to act? For everything that God desires to accomplish on this earth, He has a method He plans to use. For every purposed there is an accompanying plan. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how You are to accomplish the goals He sets before you. What methodology or protocol should you use?

3. When do You want me to act? We often fail because we get ahead of God, or we lag behind. For every thing that God desires to accomplish on this earth, He has a precise timetable. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you His schedule and His expansion plan. When you act can be as important as how you act and what you do.

4. How can I best represent You today? The Holy Spirit desires to influence others not only through what You do and say, but also by your very presence in any group of people. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the joy, peace, and forgiving spirit that bear witness to Christ Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to make and mold you into an even greater Iikeness of Christ.

Listen closely for God’s answers to your questions. Some of those answers are likely to be revealed to you as you read and study your Bible on a consistent, daily basis. Some answers may come as you hear a sermon or teaching tape. Some of those answers may come as you listen quietly before the Lord. Some answers may come as you receive godly counsel from believers who are skilled in their fields and humble in their hearts before God.

When you know God's answers . . . and only when you know God’s answers . . . begin to act. Stay sensitive to the Lord all day. Ask repeatedly, "Is this what You want me to do? Am I doing this in the way that is pleasing to You? Am I on Your schedule? Am I reflecting You in a way that brings glory to Your name?"

Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit - Copyright 2005 by Charles F. Stanley (pgs. 44-48)