Lexzie in Christ

A lot of times, deception is subtle.

God has helped to lift the veil from my eyes with regards to false teachings. As I recall – or am made aware and convicted of – false teachings and statements, I will list them out.

“When you don’t know what to do, do the last thing God told you to do.”

This is a common phrase at my former church, where my pastor repeated it countless times over the years. I loved it when I first heard it and I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve shared it with friends, family, and even once during a poetry workshop!

It helped me so much – especially in my 20s. I would find myself in a tough spot or uncomfortable position, and I would think back to the last thing God put on my heart. Many times there were things He told me to do, that I hadn’t yet.

Think about it: Sometimes God will put it on your heart to reach out to someone – or to forgive or make amends. Other times, He may gently nudge you to complete some task, or take the next step in a situation. He desires our obedience. And, our obedience to His instruction is what helps to strengthen our walk and maturity.

Because this phrase spoke to me in a very real way – and because I had been dragging my feet on a lot of what God had been telling me – I never viewed it as problematic. (Until now.)

Because my pastor used it in his sermons so often, I actually can’t remember how he applied it to scripture. (Maybe, Jonah?) I can say, however, that its mention was usually not directly related to the passage at hand. Rather, it was typically part of an aside, or used anecdotally.

Despite the fact that this phrase greatly helped me in a season, I now have three major issues with it.

1.

The first issue with this phrase is that it might be confusing for those who do not yet have a prayer life; especially those in a more evangelical or seeker-sensitive church.

Some people don’t yet have a personal relationship with God. Not everyone knows Jesus. Not everyone trusts that they can differentiate between God’s voice and their own. Not everyone knows what they’re listening for.

2.

The second issue comes with its repetition. After 10 years in the church, I don’t remember every sermon in which it was used, but… I remember the phrase. (For a long time, I could actually recall my pastor’s phrases quicker than I could remember verses in the Bible!)

Yes, it’s our responsibility to search the word for ourselves. But when you are being stewarded, certain ideas start to manifest in your brain when you hear them repeatedly. So, if you don’t know that they are problematic; they become truth.

•••

When you are under this teaching long enough and if you don’t have a strong prayer life, you can come away with the impression that God will be silent while you wallow in confusion.

Let me tell you: He will not. He has given us the Holy Spirit. We are never walking alone.

We can see Old Testament depictions of how God walked with His children. One example of this is found in the account of Jonah: Jonah failed to listen to God’s instruction the first time. Yet, when he cried out to Him, God repeated His direction clearly. (Jonah 1-3)

God desires our obedience and we may reap the consequence of our disobedience. But, if we are seeking Him for help and instruction; He will remind us of what we need to do. God will not leave you guessing. He will not turn away from you if you are earnestly seeking Him.

3.

The third major issue with this phrase is that it is not always true! God won’t give you the same templated approach in every situation.

You see: Sometimes we are not struggling with having ignored God’s previous instruction. Sometimes, we simply find ourselves in a familiar dilemma. And, in this case, you should not apply this phrase.

There have been times where I’ve remained in a bad cycle longer than I should have because I continued to do what God instructed in a previous season, rather than seeking His will in the current.

So, when we “don’t know what to do,” what should we do?

We should turn to prayer.

•••

As I wrote on another section of this site: The disciples were repeatedly reprimanded via the phrase, “Ye of little faith,” because they kept their eyes on their circumstance rather than on Jesus.

We should be constantly turning to Jesus; putting our faith in Him and laying our requests at His feet. We need to be continually in prayer so that we hear His voice. And, we must always study the word.

We also need to remember that God wants the glory. When we are depending on our memory of the last strategy He gave us, it can unfortunately become self-gratifying. But, when we are fixing our eyes on Him, we are reminded to give Him praise and credit.

Lean on the Lord at all times!