As Christians, we are often confronted with many challenges, namely regarding our convictions or ven before a decision. My brother, my sister, when such situations happen, you must first ask yourself if you are being challenged by the Lord to take action in your life. You see, God is a God of order and if you really put Him first in your life, expect to be challenged by Him through His Word all the time, for your will is not His will and your ways are not His ways. And this brings us to the first challenge: taking our convictions or thoughts to the Lord to get to know what He really expects us to do. Now, my friend, be honest with yourself… How often do you ask the Lord for His will (not to say opinion) before making a decision? Did He tell you what He thinks of your marriage before you got married? Did He tell you His will before you started that job? Did He tell you His will before you find yourself where are right now? You see, many people initiate things, thinking God approves of them, then find themselves stuck at some point of time… to realise that He has never agreed with our decisions, even though he permitted them… This brings us to the second challenge: if and when you asked the Lord before doing something, my friend… did He say something to you and you replied “yes, Lord, but…” The Bible says “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). My friends, we should always think through the application of what we hear preached or read. We should pay enough attention to what the Word of God may be saying to us to write it down and think it over. Asking the question: “what action does God want me to take concerning this truth in my life?” That’s why we should not be mere listeners of the Word, but does of the Word like today’s verses suggests: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Stay blessed in Jesus’ name. [facebook] [retweet]