Sermon Central
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Placing Your Heart In His Hand
Contributed by Danny Thomas on May 16, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: Praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Placing Your Heart Into His Hands
Praying for the leading of the Holy Spirit
Introduction
The captain of the ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send a message" "Alter your course 10 degrees south." Promptly a return message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north." The captain was angered; his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am the captain! "Soon another message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am seaman third class Jones. "Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am a battleship. "Then the reply came "Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am a lighthouse."
Perhaps you have heard the Story of the Doctor who comes to a split in the road on a Vermont back country lane. The road sign at the fork points both directions for the same town. Seeing a farmer beside the road he asked him, "does it matter which road I take to get to town?" The Farmer replies, "Not to me it don’t."
I. Ask Him To Orchestrate Your Journey
21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
A. Protection from the enemy
19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
II. Ask Him To Illuminate Your Paths
Ps 25:4
4 Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.
A 3 years old and she and her father went to the amusement park. They went into the house of mirrors and the girl disregarded the advice of her father, that she hang on to his hand. She got lost and began to cry. She was lost, frighten and couldn’t find her way out of the mirror maze. Finally, she heard her daddy calling "Don’t cry, honey. Put your hands out and reach all around. You’ll find the door. Just follow my voice." As he spoke the little girl became calm and soon found her way out and ran to the waiting arms of her father."
A. Teach me to walk
1 Sam 17:39
39 David fastened his sword to his armor, and he tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these,
3 "I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms...
B. God’s Progression
31 But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
a. Mount up on wings
b. Learn to run
c. Learn to walk
d. Learn to stand
Eph 6:13-14
…and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore…
III. Ask Him To Bring The Right People Your Way
Luke 10:30 and 33
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead… "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.
IV. Ask Him To Touch Someone Through You
34 "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said "We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks, as the priest passed by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps -- reading the Bible. . . . . it is part of the discipline of humility that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service and we do not assume that our schedule is our own to manage, but allow it to be arranged by God."
V. Ask Him To Bring A Sense Of Purpose To Your Day
Eph 1:11
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
