The Attitude for Direction

Psalms 143:10
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground. (NIV)

What is the attitude of direction? Well, let’s face it, life is exhausting. It seems there is an ever-flowing river of trouble, hardship, and difficulty. I suppose we can confidently affirm Jesus’ words that in this life we will have trials and tribulations. The question for us to answer is how these determine the direction of our life.

The Lord intends to teach us through these rough spots how to navigate through them to a better place. Life more abundant is what He desires for us. We may want the place of abundant life to be without trouble or pain, but this is not the case. Jesus came that we might have abundant life in the here and now, the same place He has assured us would be full of struggle and suffering. Our goal is not to escape these. That would be an impossibility. Our goal is to hear the Lord’s voice in the struggle so that we move from these in the direction of greater abundance.

The Spirit guides us

It is the Spirit who guides us. He gives us eyes to see the struggle and the wisdom to circumvent the enemy’s purpose in it. He calls us to a better place. We might ask how the Spirit calls to us step by step? Though possible, we rarely hear the audible voice of the Spirit telling us to step to the right or the left. Instead, the Spirit speaks to us in our inmost place the principles that guide our attitude in the hard places. When our attitude sanctifies God as our Provider and the Lover of our Souls, our feet will know where to step.

The Bible teaches us to have the same attitude as Christ did. We see His attitude as He journeyed through His sufferings, torture, and crucifixion. He knew in each moment what to say, not to say, where to go or not. The wisdom giving Him direction to follow God’s plan was not in the audible voice of God though He did hear the voice of the Father. He found direction by maintaining the correct attitude of love and submission to the Father.

If we will seek the self-discipline of the Spirit to change our attitude in this life, our suffering may not be decreased, but our influence will definitely be increase. We will play a role in the salvation, restoration, and healing of many souls. To God be the glory.

Prayer

Lord, let me seek Your Spirit always and especially in times of trouble, not for deliverance, but for self-control to maintain Your attitude in my suffering. Amen.