Do You REALLY Want to Know?!

I've been meeting and talking with young singles lately about knowing the will of God in their lives. In most cases, these conversations pertained to the will of God in their dating relationships. WARNING...if you want to know the will of God, you gotta be ready for His answer, not the one YOU want. I just did a study on Prepping Your Mind to Hear from God (adapted from the Purpose Driven Connection which you can check out here) and wanted to post 4 responses we often have when God is trying to answer our prayers or speak to us. Are you God's greatest obstacle in His will for your life? So often the answer is yes. Check out the responses and see if any of your responses lately have been the same.

1. Resistance - "Sometimes we don't give God a chance to talk. Our minds are made up, our hearts are hardened, and we're unwilling to listen." - We often respond this way in our stubbornness or belief that we know better than anyone else (including God) what is best for us. How wrong we are..and often find out the hard way.

2. Shallow or Superficial - "A person with this mind kind of listens to God’s Word, and maybe gets emotionally moved, but she/he never really does anything about it." Maybe what God is asking/telling you seems 'too hard' or would take too much time so although it sounds 'nice' we just sit on it, do nothing, and soon we may even forget what it was we heard. One day you wake and wonder where it all went wrong...again. Maybe then you'll remember what He tried telling you the first time!

3. Distracted - "If you want to hear God whisper to you, you have to be quiet." Facebook, Twitter, reality TV, our social lives, worries, friendships, jobs, the wrong guys...all distractions that drown out the voice of God. We spend hours on other things rather than take some time to shut out all the noise, and quietly reflect on those things God is placing in our hearts. God doesn't yell...often it's a quiet whisper...listen for it!

4. A Willing Mind - "God speaks to people who decide in advance to do what he tells them to do, not those who say, 'God, tell me what to do and then I’ll decide if I want to do it.' When you have an attitude of cooperation, you are going to hear from God."

My hope for you is that you open your mind, heart and eyes and ears to the will of God in your life. That as you search for answers regarding your love life that you are willing to say, "Whatever you got for me God...I'll do it." For to walk in the will of God is to walk in peace, in certainty, and with the confidence in knowing that the One who created you loves you so much that He has the best in store for you. He knows your heart...let Him lead it...I guarantee you it won't ever be broken again!

If You Want to Play Games...

I have some suggestions. In the 'game of love' there are far too many 'players' and not enough of them are taking the game seriously. So if you're in it for the highs and lows of the drama (so called 'excitement' of dating) then don't subject your friends to hours and hours of instant replays of your self-imposed drama because in the end it's not their advice you're seeking but rather a group of spectators watching the back and forth volley of your latest bit. Now, at some point, some players get tired of the game; they realize hearts and feelings are involved and many crave something more. They retire from the game and choose to do the whole dating thing differently. If you're a retired player, I hope you find yourself another retired player. If you're still a player in the game and get your 'high' from the drama, my suggestion to you is to let go of the poor soul you've roped into your game and do any of the following:

1. Join a competitive sports team
2. Pick up an addiction to video games rather than to dating ones
3. Take up a new hobby
4. See a counselor to deal with your issues

The list of suggestions can go on but you get the idea. If you want to play games (especially 'catch')...may I suggest a dog?!