I never make a major decision without a sequence of three green lights. The concept is not difficult to grasp - a red light means stop, a green light means go.

First of all there is the green light of:

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 15:27).

Peace for peace’s sake is not what I am talking about. Jonah slept in the ship which was taking him from the perfect will of God. This did not constitute his rightness with God! Jonah was exhausted from running away from the plan and purposes of God.

There is a peace that comes through prayer which is the peace that only God can give. So as you pray for the will of God and you begin to understand what may be the will of God look for His peace which follows. The great prayer warrior from the 19th century, George Mueller, explained that if peace comes after three specific petitions then he is prepared to formulate a conclusion that what he is praying about is of God.

The second green light is:

The Psalmist revealed: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

If you live with an open Bible, God talks to you. If you live with a closed Bible, you will not hear from God. There are so many principles in the Word of God! If you believe God is leading you in a certain direction and that direction violates scripture on precept or principle, then upon the authority of the Word of God, I can tell you that it is not of God!

When praying for the will of God, look for either a statement of Scripture that vindicates the subject you are asking of God or a principle illustrating the subject. For instance, when we moved to Houston twenty-five years ago, God used this verse to confirm His plan: “Blessed be the Lord: for He hath shewed me His marvelous kindness in a strong city” (Psalm 31:21). On the other hand, when God revealed to me that Barbara was to be my wife, the principle of receiving my heart’s desire kept coming to me again and again. This principle is given in Psalm 37:4. In other words, I did not see my wife’s name telling me she was God’s will, but the heart’s desire was just as real as if God said, “Here she is!”

The third green light is:

Jesus said, “….behold, I have set before thee an open door…”(Revelation 3:8). In the same way that there was an open door from the wardrobe closet in the Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis which led to a magical land, there is an open door in the circumstances of life that God places in front of you.

The key to going through the right open door is obedience. We must obey God in the little things. Our prayer life, Bible reading or study, and service for Him may appear to be little daily activities, but they become very big when we are praying for direction.

Circumstances are designs in the doors of life that bring you through to God’s success. Be determined to do the will of God! I never move until all three lights are green.

- Pastor Pope -

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