Proverbs 16:3,9 (NKJV) Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established…. A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
As Christians, we should commit our plans and strategies to God and ask Him whether they align with His will for our lives. We can take time to pray the same prayer—the prayer of consecration—repeatedly when making a major decision.
However, many Christians pursue their own agendas and then ask God to bless them. Yet God is not obliged to bless a “man’s good idea” when He was never consulted. There is a vast difference between a good idea and a God idea. If it is God’s idea, He will fund it and bless it; if it is just your idea, you will have to fund it yourself. Simon Peter was a professional fisherman, yet he toiled all night and caught nothing until he acted on the specific Word of Jesus to “launch out into the deep” (Luke 5:4). Similarly, we will not have a firm footing unless we act on the Lord’s specific instructions.
Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
In the Bible, the flesh refers to the sum of appetites, desires and needs whose purpose is the satisfaction of self; everything in our lives that seeks to live independently of God and does not bow to God.
If we choose to live independent of God’s will, we need to be prepared to reap the consequences of our decisions. For example, we might want to invest, expand the business, take out a loan, and be more concerned with what people think of us than with God’s plan for us. We often charge ahead with our plans without God’s blessing, and when a crisis comes, we find that we have no peace, joy, or faith to stand on, which we would have if we were walking in God’s will. When that happens, it often makes us feel as though God is not blessing our plans, but the truth is that we have not fully consecrated our lives to Him to lead and guide us.
Nowadays, there is also a danger that Christians will choose to consult AI about their plans rather than spend time talking to God and seeking His will, because they want fast answers. While AI may satisfy this need for speed, it cannot replace God in our lives. If Christians are not careful, they will soon have more conversations with AI than with God.
Reflection: When you make decisions, do you have the habit of seeking God’s will, even if it takes time? What is the truth that “we reap what we sow” prompting you to change?
Sermon Series： Surrendering Your Will to God
我们收取我们所栽种的
箴言 16:3，9 你所做的，要交托耶和华，你所谋的，就必成立……人心筹算自己的道路；惟耶和华指引他的脚步。
箴言 3:5-6 你要专心仰赖耶和华，不可倚靠自己的聪明；在你一切所行的事上都要认定祂，祂必指引你的路。
作为基督徒，我们应当将自己的计划和策略交托给神，并求问祂是否符合祂在我们生命中的旨意。在面对重大的决定时，我们可以花时间反复进行同一个祷告——分别为圣的祷告。
然而，许多基督徒先追求自己的计划，然后才求神祝福他们。但当神从未被邀请参与其中时，祂并没有义务祝福“人的好主意”。“好主意”和“来自神的意念”之间有很大的区别。如果这是神的计划，祂会供应并赐福；如果只是人的计划，就必须靠自己承担供应。西门彼得是一位专业的渔夫，然而他整夜劳苦，却一无所获，直到他按照耶稣具体的话语，“把船开到水深之处”（路加福音 5:4）。同样，除非我们按照主明确的指引行动，否则我们的脚步不会稳固。
加拉太书 6:7-8 “不要自欺，神是轻慢不得的；人种的是什么，收的也是什么。顺着情欲撒种的，必从情欲收败坏；顺着圣灵撒种的，必从圣灵收永生。”
在圣经中，“肉体”指的是一切以满足自我为目的的欲望、渴求和需要；也包括我们生命中所有想要独立于神而生活、不愿向神降服的部分。
如果我们选择独立于神的旨意而生活，就必须预备承担自己决定所带来的后果。例如，我们可能想要投资、扩展事业、贷款，或更在意别人如何看待我们，而不是关注神对我们的计划。我们常常在没有神祝福的情况下急于执行自己的计划。当危机来到时，我们发现自己没有从行在神旨意中所得着的平安、喜乐和信心可以站立。当这样的情况发生时，我们常常会觉得好像神没有祝福我们的计划，但事实是，我们并没有完全将生命奉献给祂，让祂来带领和引导我们。
如今，基督徒也面临一个新的危险，就是他们可能选择向人工智能寻求计划上的建议，而不是花时间与神交谈并寻求祂的旨意，因为他们渴望快速得到答案。虽然人工智能可以满足人对速度的需求，但它无法取代神在我们生命中的位置。如果基督徒不谨慎，很快就可能会与人工智能有更多的对话，而不是与神有更多的交流。
默想：当你做决定时，你是否已经养成寻求神旨意的习惯，即使这个过程需要时间？“我们收取我们所栽种的”这一真理，正在提醒你需要作出哪些改变？
讲章系列：交托主权，全然顺服