Our thinking or God's thinking?

When you think you know something, there is a good chance you don't. Slow down, think it through, until you know for sure!

Romans 12:2-Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Sometimes in our walk with the Lord, we come to a place where we have much knowledge. It is at that point, we either use it for the good, or we abuse it to our detriment! Knowledge used correctly can take you  to a lot of places, especially with the people God puts in your life. Abuse that knowledge and watch them all run for the hills.

No one likes to be around someone who is a know it all. They love to be around someone who, with the knowledge they have gained, uses it to serve those around them. In the world knowledge is a tool that is self serving. To God knowledge is a tool to better serve Him and to know what His will is for your life, and the life of the church.

If the knowledge you have gained does not benefit the whole body, than it is self serving and selfish. In most cases that is what happens in the life of a student of the word, if not correctly guided, and encourage to seek all of God's counsel daily! We should never come to the point in our walk with the Lord, that we have arrived, we know all there is to know. When we do that it is a type of stagnation and a joyless Christian life.

To know God's will, we have to continually be in His word and prayer. Always remember that, and you will never stop growing. Forget that along the way and a battle will ensue in your life, you will begin to question everyone, your joy will slowly begin to leave. And you will slowly begin to feel you don't fit in, and you are not getting anything or learning anything.

How do I know that? Because I allowed myself to get caught in that trap some years ago. I memorized, I studied, I learned and gained a ton of knowledge, just to use it to my advantage. Sad to say the result of ill gotten knowledge would lead to a prideful downfall for a time! But God remained faithful in my life, brought me back to my senses.

I began to truly hear Him again, what a relief and a deliverance! To be a pastor and not hear God for a time is frightening and fearful to say the least!  To be humbled by God is uncomfortable yet refreshing, to regain true knowledge a blessing! I never want to know it all, and we as Pastor's should never either! We should hunger like we were just saved!

We need always to be renewing our minds as believers, that we can discern God's will and know what to do. How to move with the confidence that can only come through the knowledge that is true. Because we have humbled ourselves to know, that learning is continuous and true joy comes through true knowledge, and discerning God,s will, what is good and acceptable and perfect.