You’ve given the Lord your life, but have you given Him your day?

Seeking God’s direction and provision for each day should be a priority in our thoughts, prayers, and decisions. While we can’t know what the future holds, He has complete understanding and wisdom to direct our paths—not only in the crucial decisions, but in our daily concerns.

Dr. Stanley addresses the importance of looking to God for everyday guidance. No part of our lives is to be lived independently of our wise and loving Creator. When we learn to seek Him for every need and concern, we give Him rightful place as Lord of our lives.

start your day off. Right with the free in touch devotional subscribe today In touch with Dr. Charles Stanley celebrating 45 years of God’s faithfulness and sharing the gospel worldwide. Next on in touch the will of God in your life. Where does the will of God fit in your life? That is? Do you ask for his direction, his guidance, his provision or you just wake up in the morning and decide how you’re gonna live for the day or you don’t give it a lot of thought. You just sort of one of those persons who sort of walks in the same tracks every day and as long as you have what you want, what you think you need, you don’t really give God a whole lot of thought when I think about that and I think about how people operate without God in their life. I’m brought back to, when I first came to first baptist, I came as an associate pastor. And um, there were 60 deacons and there were seven men who ran everything. And so since I had no authority, I was no danger to anybody. And they would let me sit in on their meetings. And so I was sitting in on this meeting, I’ll never forget. And um, they got a little bit of an argument and discussion. They couldn’t make up their mind, they couldn’t make a decision about something. This just went on probably for 45 minutes longer. And I thought we’re not getting anywhere. And so when I said, why don’t we ask what’s the will of God about this? I’ll never forget the reaction. The man who said to my right was an attorney and he spoke of, he said, leave God out of this. This is business. Well, when he said that, my response was, how can you leave God out of God’s business? Because it’s the will of God that we live a certain way is the will of God that affects every single thing that we do. And say, the will of God is our guide. The will of God is the principle by which all of us should live every single day. Doesn’t make any difference who you are. But if you never ask God for direction in your life, what you are saying by your conduct? Your attitude is I can do without him. I don’t need his direction. I don’t need his help. I can make it without it. When you live day after day without consulting with God asking Lord what you will. What what what what pleases you? What honors you? If I live day after day without asking that what I’m saying is I don’t need him? Oh, you say I wouldn’t, I would never say I don’t need God. Well, what about your conduct? What about your habits? Do you act like you don’t need him? Or do you act like you need him? If you believe that God has a sovereign will for your life, which he does. If you believe what the bible says about God in our relationship to him then how do you go day after day without asking, Lord, what would you have me to do about this? What would you have me do about this purchase? About this relationship, About my attitude, about my expense, about how I handle money, how I handle people. In other words, if you go day after day and you don’t ask for God’s guidance and direction, what you’re saying is I can handle it. How foolish, how foolish to think that you can handle life without God in the society in which you live or any society. And one of the interesting things I want to read in the scripture here is jesus On his way to the cross in the 22nd chapter of Luke. If you’d like to turn there for a moment, his minister is coming to a close physically And he knows the father’s will, he’s been praying about that. He’s been doing it a long time, 30 years as a carpenter somewhere thereabouts and now he’s been an evangelist teaching the word of God. And verse 39 of the 22nd chapter says and he came out and proceeded as was his custom to the mount of olives and the disciples followed him. That’s where he used to go, that was his place of prayer. Now, what is he doing? Because the cross is right next door, it’s it’s coming the next day when he arrived at the place, he said to them pray that you may not enter into temptation And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw and he nailed down and began to pray. Listen to what the son of God is praying father, If you are willing remove this cup from me that is is there any other way for us to purchase redemption for all mankind and escaped across yet? Not my will, but yours be done, jesus, Who is the son of God was asking the father, is there any other way but the way of the cross? And of course there was not. Now, what do we mean by the will of God? If somebody said to you, are you living in the will of God? How would you answer that? You couldn’t answer unless you know what it is. So listen to this the will of God. Is that which God approves and determines the ring about? It concerns God’s choices of what to do and what not to do. Think about that, that’s what yard approves of determines to bring about. It concerns God’s choices of what to do and what not to do? When was the last time you said God? What do you want me to do about this? God? What about my relationship to her or to him? Yeah. What about my job? Lord? What where do you want my kids to go to college? Lord? What about my relationship to this man? Not to this woman? Lord, what about where you want me to live? Lord. What about changing jobs. When is the last time you opened yourself up to Holy God, who knows everything and has your best interests at heart? When is the last time you opened your heart to him and said, Lord, show me your will. What what would you have me to do? There are many people who don’t think they need the will of God. They’re living their lives according the way they want to live it. But they’re miserable and many people are miserable and will not turn to God because they think they’re smart enough to figure it out. Why don’t we have so much alcoholism and so much dope drugs, sex and all the rest. People are looking for something to satisfy that inner feeling that they have, looking for something to make them happy. Looking for something of somebody who bring them completeness. When only God can do it. God didn’t make us equip us to live happily and peacefully and eternally without him. You’re not made that away. We are made to depend upon Almighty God. And here’s the Lord, jesus christ himself. Is there any other way acknowledging his dependence upon the father and in your own personal life? How often do you ask him about decisions that you have to make? They’re always going to be decisions? We either ask him, We don’t ask him looking at Second Peter three for just a moment. Second Peter Chapter three, This is a very interesting versus scripture. Second peter 3 17 listen to what he says. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the era of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness. That is any of us can stumble and fall. God wants us looking to him depending upon him trusting him so that every day when you and I wake up, we should be asking the Lord to give us direction for our life that day, you don’t know who you’re gonna meet. You don’t know whether you’re going to get to your job or not. You don’t know whether your husband or wife will be home when you get there or not or what kind of mess your kids are in college. In other words, are you living your life in relationship to God? Are you seeking his will, his purpose, his plan for your life? Or you’re just living it out and you call upon him when you feel like you really need him. When something has reached beyond your capacity to handle God has the best will for every single one of us, He has the best plan for us. He doesn’t keep it a secret. You don’t have to do this that in order to find out what God wants you to do. You need to ask him and be willing to do what he says. And yet most people never stop to consider, should I buy that? Should I marry him or her and make decisions on their own without God? When jesus, the son of God in those critical moments in his life, take a moment longer to say, I want to be sure is there any other way? And of course the father said the way of the cross, is it? So would you say you live by the will of God in your life or have you decided that you can handle it on your own? Now? Remember this because he’s omniscient. God has a plan and a will for your life. He has the best plan and he has a will that fits you perfectly. Your talents, your abilities, your skills, everything about you fits what God wants to do in your life. You say well, but I’m not as skilled as other people. Well I understand that for example if somebody put me on their ball team, they’d probably lose or if I was in a mechanic shop, I probably wouldn’t know what to do a lot of things. I’m not fit for a lot of things I’m not equipped for and but but you are equipped for something that is God did not leave you out. You may feel like sometimes what does my life count? Your life counts? Because remember this when jesus died, he had you in mind, he had every single one of us in mind. Had the world in mind. You say, well that happened 2000 years ago. What does he say? We’re to pray to him and talk to him now. Talk to him daily. Listen to him asking for guidance because God in heaven is listening. He wants to hear from us. There’s not a single aspect of your life which you should just erase from your relationship to God. We need him about everything. You need him in your marriage with your Children, with your job with all that mechanical things that happened in your life. All of us need him and to go day after day and not read his word day after day and not ask him for direction and guidance in your life is to say I don’t need him? Oh yes, I need him. Or when did you get on your knees and talk to him? When did you plead for God to give you wisdom and direction? When did you have to make a big time the decision? And you said, well Lord, I’m not going to make this decision until you show me what to do Or did you just go ahead and do it without him? Holy God wants the best for you. There’s nowhere in the scripture that you can find that God doesn’t want the best for you. But are you asking him, are you seeking his direction? That is his will? Or are you asking for something else that God doesn’t judge us by comparing us to other people? He has a plan for your life. But whoever we are wherever we are in life seeking the will of God, the mind of God, the purpose of God, the plan of God. What does he want in the next step in your life? You have Children, You have grandchildren. When’s the last time you ever brought up the subject? Listen to me carefully. Very early in that child’s life, you should be introducing them to this truth that God has a will and a plan for your life. And I can remember as soon as my two Children were born I’d get out by the bed every night that I was home and I pray this prayer show and show Becky your will for their life and I’d say that to them over and over and over again you ask God to show you his will for your life. Ask God to show you his will for your life. They grew up believing that and you just look look what’s happening in the colleges and look what’s happening, all the drunkenness and sex and all the mess, you know what they’re looking for, looking for something to satisfy them. Gramps, grandmother and granddad mom and dad, you have a responsibility to introduce your Children to jesus christ and not only that you need to be a part of their life interfering in their life. Interjecting your opinion in their life, reminding them that they cannot be a success and what God’s called them to do apart from jesus christ, They may make a lot of money. They may do a lot of things that the world may think. They’re absolutely fantastic. I think about all these people who can’t even count their money, but you can count on this. They’re unhappy without God. You can’t make enough money. You can’t listen. When you’re living in sin, you can’t do anything until you deal with the sin problem. And this is why there’s so much of all the other stuff that we’re talking about. God loves you. Here’s a will and a plan for your life. You say, well I’m 50 years old and I just got saved. What’s God’s will? He takes you where you are and listen. He knows how to overcome your past, erase all the mistakes. No, but what he’ll do is enable you to overcome the mistakes, enable you to get a different view on life, to enable you to have a relationship with jesus christ that will amaze you. Everybody makes mistakes, Everybody sends, everybody has fallen at times about some things God wants the best for us. Listen through the last day of her life, isn’t it interesting what God has to do sometimes to get us to think and to think wisely and to think soberly and to ask the right questions God what you will for my life life is serious business and God wants to be in the center of your life. He wants to be at the hub of your life. He’s willing to give you guidance. He’s willing to show you the truth, but you’ve got to surrender your life to him. I’m just simply saying that life is serious. It’s serious about your Children, serious. About your grandchildren, serious about their future, who they marry? How they live their lives. Life is serious business, and jesus intends for you and I to live our lives in submission to his will, because that’s what’s best. Do you think that God would have a plan for your life? It would just be horrible. No, he wouldn’t. Doesn’t mean your plan. His plan is always easy. No, there are many people who go through very difficult things in life. It doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care. It doesn’t mean they’re out of God’s will, but it means that God has trusted them in the situation, in the circumstance that they have to depend upon him in ways that maybe some of us don’t. And so when I think about what’s the will of God, that’s the question every single one of us should ask. So, I may ask you this question. When’s the last time you said to him, Lord? What’s your will for my life? At this point, you say, well, I’ve made mistakes. So there’s no hope for me. Yes, there’s hope for you. It begins with confession repentance and the surrender of your life to God listen to me carefully. If you’re listening to say Amen, you can’t get in a mess. God can’t get you out of it may be painful, but it gets you through it. God loves you. He knows why we make mistakes. And I’m saying to you friend, you’re gonna make a mess of your life. If you don’t trust God to give you guidance and direction of your life, no one can guide you like God can he knows everything about you. He knows he knows the handicaps in your life. He knows the thing, things that you’ve missed. He knows the desires of your heart. He knows that you don’t have what some other people have, but he knows why he created you and he wants you to have a sense of fulfillment in life. He does not want you miserable. He wants you to have a sense of fulfillment in life. You reflect him If you trusted him as your savior, God wants the best for you and he’s willing to make the best for you. If you will surrender your life to him, yield to him and ask the question, God, what would you have me to do in this situation? He’ll answer that question. God is not going to turn a deaf air to you and that doesn’t make any difference what you’ve done, where you’ve been, who you’ve done it with and the mess you’ve made of it. Will he listen? If you will cry out to him, he will. If you wonder what he’ll do for you? Watch this carefully. First of all, look at the cross, that’s how much he loves you. That’s what he’s done for you. First of all, he died in order that you may have life and have it more abundantly. He died in order to be able to forgive you for the message you’ve made in your life. He died in order to make it possible to take you out of that, to give you a new beginning and a new hope. I’ll never forget a lady who sits on the second row on sunday. I put one of my photographs up on the screen, it was of a sail ship and had wrecked. And so the guy was working on it and I walked around this line twice and I came back. I said, I better photograph that for some reason, take a picture of it. Well, she was sitting on the second row two weeks later she said, I want to tell you something. I can hardly tell you this, she said, I made such a mess in my life. I was ready to give up. She said, when you said about that boat, that old boat will sail again, she said, God said to me, and you will too. You will say it again too. And I can say to you this morning, you just heard the truth. That’s all. It may have been comforting or very discomforting. But I plead with you in jesus name do not ignore what you’ve heard because you have an opportunity for God to change your life starting today. Tell You one More Story. I purchased the car in another state and so they had to bring it to me. It’s not because I couldn’t have bought it here. It just happened to see what I wanted there. And uh so they brought it to me on this truck and it was all covered up and this fellow uncovered it. And um I can hardly tell you this when he got my car in the garage. He said dr Stanley want to tell you something. I was in prison. I’ve really messed up my life and we can listen. two tapes and sometimes radio. He says the reason I’m so happy to bring you this car is I was listening and God changed my life and I can’t it an honor just to bring you this card to say thank you for preaching the truth that got to me. He got me saved. And God will save you if you let him, he’ll change your life if you let him. And that’s my prayer, father, we love you and praise and thank you that your goal is not to judges, but to love us, forgive us for our sins. Give us that awesome second chance. You didn’t say we had to deserve it. You just said surrender. And I pray that every person who hears this message will not be able to escape. Not be able to escape the truth and be wise enough to surrender their life to you afraid Anyone seated here unsaved, we confess their sins to you. Lord, surrender their life. Give them a new beginning and anyone watching a listening, wherever they are in the world will realize that you are there too. You’ll do for them what we said. No matter what, No matter where they’ve been, no matter the mess they’ve made of life. You’re the God of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th chance. I pray that you’ll bless every person who turns to you, Lord in jesus name.