Guidance

JOYPEACE

======== Many of the requests to us seek guidance in some area of life. The following are generalized principles that are applicable for many areas in your life. If you need guidance in an area of life, perhaps you should READ and FOLLOW this now. Most often, God sends divine guidance and wisdom through anointed people and not supernatural signs. You need wise counsel. Wisdom is usually gained by successful experience. Everyone has experience but only a few have successful experience. Many live in a continual cycle of action then regret but wisdom either successfully breaks bad cycles or never gets in bad cycles. It is usually far less painful to benefit from the experience of others than having to go through it ourselves. When you successfully go through something, you usually have wisdom. Follow these guidelines: 1. Spend ONE HOUR in a quiet place undisturbed. If the decision involves just you, spend it alone. If it involves others, ask them to join you. Take one sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle then draw another line down each half. Your paper should have four columns. Most guidance involves a choice between two alternatives. To marry or not? To move or not? To take the new job or not? To leave or stay? To buy it or not? To try it or not? At the top of the first column on the left put a (-) minus sign. Put a (+) plus sign in the next column, then another minus and plus sign in the last two columns. At the top of the first two columns write alternative one. Example, "Marry." At the top of the third and fourth columns write alternative two. Example, "Not Marry." During the hour, write ALL of the plusses and the minuses of each alternative that you and whoever is with you can think of in the proper column. Write the good (+) and the bad (-). The last thing to write on each one is the extreme. Write the worst that can happen. Write the best that can happen. Make a copy of your results. Study your results. It's possible that after you look at your honest answers, the right decision is clear to you. If not, or if you are not totally sure, then go to step two. As a matter of fact, it's a good idea to go to step two anyway. 2. Find someone who has his or her life in the condition that you want your life. If you are having relationship problems, find someone who has been in a happy marriage for a long time with successful children. Don't ask someone going through major problems themselves. The advice they will give has a high probability or sooner or later getting you in the same shape they are in. Remember that important point. It's not that those in trouble and a mess themselves can't give you good advice. It's just that the advice they give you has a higher probability of getting you in the same shape they are in so choose wisely where you get your advice. If you are having financial problems, find someone with their finances in order. If you are having health problems, find someone whose body is in the shape that you want yours in. 3. Sincerely ask them for their advice. Most often, you will find that people will freely share with you as long as they sense that you are sincere. Most successful people will not want to waste their time with someone they feel isn't serious and has no intention of really changing. 3. Do what they say. Understand that if things aren't going right in your life and hasn't been for a long time, that usually means you have to make changes and what you have been doing isn't working. If it were something that you WANTED to do you would have already done it. Usually the changes we need go against our habits and thought patterns but that's why we need outside advice and help. God sends us guidance but in the vast majority of cases, it is through a wise person. Also, make sure that you are under solid spiritual leadership. Hope this helps. ~A MountainWings Original~