I always thought I knew myself really well.  After all, I have been living with myself my whole life. However, as God illuminates things in my life I realized that I only know who I am in my flesh. I really don’t know myself as the person God desires for me to be.  He desires to transform my nature to match my identity.

In transforming me into who he has called me to be he slowly cuts off the things that are not like him.      I love that his correction is always gentle and never condemning. I believe he searches out all the problems and issues of our heart that we didn’t know existed, and then brings them to light so that we don’t have to be in bondage to them anymore. You cannot solve a problem that you don’t know exists. Recently God showed me that I have a problem with trying to please people.  Honestly, that really shocked me because I think when you know me personally a lot of people probably would not describe me as that. However, the bible says that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at our heart. God notices my internal struggle with decision making because he knows that inwardly I do care (to some degree) about what people think.

I first noticed it when I started trying to change the way I was making decisions. For example, When God instructs me to let go of certain relationships with people (usually because they are not going where I am going), I have continued on in that relationship because I don’t want to be rude or hurt that person’s feelings. I have also had people ask me to go places that I know are not beneficial to my growth or christian walk and I don’t want to disappoint so I go.  People pleasing leads to compromise.  Every time we think “I’ll just go for a little”, or,  “it is just this once”, we are compromising the standard that Jesus has set for us.  In order to rise to the standard that God has called us to we will have to leave the opinions of people behind. You cannot be a new person and do the old things. You must learn to let some things go. Pleasing God is sure to disappoint people and pleasing people may cause you to disappoint God. Galatians 1: 10 states, “Am I now trying win the approval of human beings or God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Being a servant of Christ will require you to set everything aside (including what people think) and be wholly devoted to God.

My nature is to try to please those people whose opinion matters to me and sometimes that is ok, if it pleases God. However, pleasing God must be my priority, because that is my identity. God created me for his purposes not for my own or anybody else's.  People pleasing will lead you down a path of sin and you will face the consequences.  People are never satisfied and you can’t please everybody all the time. You will be the person who ends up disappointed. Focus on pleasing the only one whose opinion really matters. 

If you have ever been to a plated dinner reception you know that typically it is held in a very large room with multiple tables. Upon first glance all the tables typically look the same but after closer inspection you usually realize that some small number of tables are reserved.  The people seated at the reserved table are typically different in some way from the remainder the people in the room; usually they are family or distinguished guests. This is how God views you.

Daniel in the bible understood this concept of being reserved for God well. At this time in history, Daniel was under the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar. The king wanted the best and the brightest men trained for his army, so he selected Daniel and three other men that he thought fit to serve in his palace. He wanted them assimilated into his culture where they would learn the King’s language and eat the Kings food. Daniel requested vegetables, instead of the King’s choice of food because he did not want to defile himself. He wanted to eat of the food that was permissible to God. He requested 10 days to eat the vegetables and then to have them see if he wasn't better in appearance and stronger. After the 10 days of eating Daniel and the three men that the King chose were found to be 10 times better than everyone else (This passage in found in Daniel 1).

Daniel recognized literally what it meant to be seated at a different table. He knew that he could not partake of the same food that everyone in the Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was eating. He was called to be different from those around him, he allowed his life choices to reflect the God he served. So it is for you. Before the foundations of the earth God called you and appointed you for this time. He chose you. To be different, to eat differently and at a different table. God has called us to be different from the world.  

In whatever God has called you to do make the choice that honors him, the way Daniel did. Whether it is giving up a TV show, a certain set of friends that you know don't honor God or saying no to things that go against his word. You are set apart, sitting at a reserved table for distinguished guests. You are eating on another level and in a different place.  You have to let go of the things that hold you back from where god has called you to because there are people that will be led by your example. God chose you to be seated where you are, but you must choose to remain. Do what honors him and like Daniel God will give you favor and make you better for it.

There are many ways that God speaks to us.  A few weeks ago I wrote on being led by the Holy Spirit but it occurred to me that it might be helpful if I how I hear God personally in my own life. The most obvious way to hear God is by reading his word, and then using his word as a map to navigate the journey of your life. However, I have found that it is much more difficult to hear God on those issues that are not “yes” or “no” questions. For example, it is fairly simple to hear God on questions like “Is it wrong for me to tell a small little lie?” The obvious answer is yes. “Should I have sex outside of marriage? Again, the obvious answer is “no.”  But what about the answer to open ended questions such as “What should I be doing now that I quit my job?” or “should I be dating this particular person?” Those are the questions that make it absolutely necessary to know how to hear from God.

The amazing thing about God is that he is so intimately involved with all the details of our life that he knows how to perfectly counsel us in every situation. He knows how to communicate with us personally because he knows what we need specifically to be reassured that we are making the right decision.  As I grow closer to God I experience him in different ways, these are just some of the ways he speaks to me.

The Absence of Peace- Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts…” These are words to live by. When I don't feel good about something I try not to do it. If it causes me anxiety or if I'm unsure- that is a NO for me. Often times we have feelings about things but feel that we don't have a good/valid reason to say no. The fact that you don't feel good about it is a valid reason. The Holy Spirit lives in you to counsel you always. Don't ignore him or the feeling that he gives you. If it is God, you will be at peace with the decision even if you don’t have it all figured out.

Feeling Moved- Sometimes when God is telling me to do something I’ll know it because it weighs on me heavily. I can't think about anything else but that thing. It stays with me and usually I go back in forth in my mind about doing it. When I finally submit to what I feel I am being compelled or moved to do, then the weight on me is lifted.

Indifference- One thing I know about God is when he wants me to do something he will make it abundantly clear to me. If I am debating on whether or not to take a particular opportunity such as a new job, I know that if I have no real feelings about it in one direction or another it is not for me. Whenever God intends for his people to do something, he will always make it clear if you ask him.

Learning how God speaks to you will take time and as you begin to hear him you will know when he is speaking. Ask God to make you aware of what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life. If you pay close attention you will see God in the details.