I WILL SEEK YOU IN THE MORNING

—03/11/24. How to Seek GOD’s Counsel, how to discern if a counsel is from GOD and what to do when GOD is silent.

Before you begin to read this, a necessary fact to know. This piece is a follow-up to the article ‘PRAYER IS NOT THE MASTER KEY.’ A link to that article is HERE. You will have a better understanding and a more wholesome cognitive experience if both articles are read in the order in which they were written. 

I begin with an excerpt from that previous article. ‘For the sheep (us), their existence is strongly linked to the Shepherd’s Voice that carries His Instructions. He tells them when to go and come, and when to eat and when to sleep. There is a strict dependency on Him. If I were a wolf trying to get the sheep away from the Shepherd, the smartest way to do this would be to make them deaf. If they cannot hear Him, they cannot receive His Instructions required for their sustenance—they cannot LIVE.’

Our aim in reaching for GOD is synchronicity without sin; better put, synchronicity resulting from the absence of sin. Like in Genesis 2:19 when GOD brought the animals to Adam to name. It was whatever Adam called them that they became. GOD’s design is such a synchronicity between His Spirit and ours that whatever we do is in alignment with His. This is only possible when there is no misalignment of will because of sin.

Our aim in reaching for GOD is synchronicity without sin; better put, synchronicity resulting from the absence of sin.

– Maranatha

This is why seeking out the Will and Counsel of GOD in everything we do is important. Have we not seen the results of acting on our faulty knowledge and understanding? GOD’s Counsel is designed to save us from trouble and the consequences of wrong counsel. A primary location for this adventure of Counsel-seeking is in the place of prayer. We will start with the perfect human example of this–JESUS. 

The example of JESUS

In the places where we hear JESUS pray: at Gethsemane (Matthew 26), in the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14), and on the Cross (Matthew 27), we come across something very astounding. JESUS prayed relatively simple prayers. Like a child would relate to a father who he knows cannot say no to him. Or would say no for his good only. A Son that completely trusts His Father. Even in teaching His disciples to pray in Matthew 6, we come across this same simplicity and earnestness. And of course, He is meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:28-30). A stark opposer of braggadocious prayers and petitions (Matthew 6). 

What this teaches us is a vital first step in seeking the Counsel of GOD or seeking to hear GOD’s Voice. There must be a pre-existence of obedience and strict (desire for) conformity to HIS Will. There must be confession, repentance and a desire to do whatever it is that GOD communicates. If you come to GOD seeking approval of your desires, look in the mirror. You might be the long-lost twin of King Ahab, who declared that all the prophecies of Prophet Micaiah were bad because they only spoke badly of him (1 Kings 22). Spoiler alert: King Ahab was the drama. You are not ready for GOD’s Counsel if you are not ready to accept or do whatever He tells you. If this is you, this is a good place to stop reading this article. 

Have you ever had a friend who only asked for your advice but never did it? How did that make you feel? Why come to GOD seeking His Counsel if you know deep within that you will not act on it if it does not align with your pre-conceived desires? 

Vitally united

John 15:7-8, AMP, uses a unique phrase to describe our relationship with GOD. 

‘If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.’

What is vital? I cannot do without my vital organs, I would die. I cannot lift even a finger if my heart stops pumping. In the same vein, being vitally united with GOD means you cannot do without Him. Literally, you cannot do without GOD because He is the reason for the breath in your lungs. In a deeper, more intentional sense, it means deciding to restrict your free will to the dictates of GOD. 

We know from the Word that JESUS only did what HE saw GOD do (John 5:19-20). This provides some fundamental elements to our Christian walk. You do not need to come asking GOD if you should forgive someone, be kind or give to the poor. We do these things because we see GOD do them. Also, in His revealed Will through the Scriptures, we see that GOD requires us to do these things.

However, in more unique situations, how do you seek answers from GOD on what to do? How do you know GOD’s Counsel for your life per time or season?

Here are nine steps to seeking GOD’s Counsel

1. BECOME A SEEKER: If there is no seeking, knowledge will stay hidden. What is truly valuable and uncommon is hard to come by. The kind of Counsel that will change your life will not happen by chance but by intention. And even if an episode happens by chance, constant seeking is still required for growth and sustenance.
   
   The one who seeks GOD’s Counsel must have a seeker’s disposition–not just for when you need a particular thing but for every moment so you do not miss GOD’s movement like when He told Abraham to get up and go (Genesis 12). Proverbs 25:2 says: ‘It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.’ Knowledge must be valued enough to be sought after, bought but not sold (Proverbs 23:23). The knowledge here in this context does not refer to just information but Truth. What is the truth about yourself? About GOD? About this world?
   
   One of the most popular ‘arguments’ I have heard against the existence of GOD is that: ‘If there is a GOD, why is there so much evil in the world?’ While I do not downplay the idea or importance of this question, I have come to realise that it is an inherited question asked without much thought or seeking. I do not believe anybody who wants the objective answer to that question would seek it and not find it. Many people today do not bother to seek and are quick to accept what they have been told. This is much easier and more comfortable because the truth is often an upsetting pill to swallow and searching for the truth is also time-consuming. 
   
   To seek GOD’s Counsel, we must be lovers of truth. Not your truth or mine, but objective and unchanging truth. The more you seek His truth, the more you grow in the knowledge of GOD and unlock ease in accessing His Counsel. The Bible is the best place to start–read, study and meditate on the Word of GOD.
   
   
2. WHAT OCCUPIES YOU? Seeking GOD out requires time. I do not believe that a person can truly not have time for GOD. It is simply a matter of value and priority. Whatever is valuable is worth sacrificing for.
   
   To make space for GOD, you must be intentional:
   • Make a list, right now, of the things that take up most of your time.
   • Find spaces to commune with GOD in those periods. For example, if it is work, you can spend 10 minutes of your lunch break just praying. You can stream sermons on your way to work. You can pray while working on less creative or mind-engaging tasks. It has never been so easy as it is now to saturate your environment with GOD because of technology! In ancient times, the people had to gather together in a place to hear the priests read from scrolls to hear the Word of GOD (Nehemiah 8).
   • Embrace discipline by doing the right things at the right time. If you spend time scrolling on your phone at night rather than getting some sleep, of course, you might wake up tired or late or both; of course, you would have less time to pray and study the Word. If this becomes a habit, you will have a real problem on your hands in no time. 
     
     I could not possibly recommend that you spend 3 or 5 hours with GOD in personal devotion every day. While that is beautiful and would deeply grow your relationship with GOD, not everyone is in a season where they can do that. However, whatever your unique situation looks like, there is a way that GOD has provided for you to still seek Him out and fellowship with Him. You must take advantage of that to the fullest. Remember, GOD is worthy to be found. He is worthy of every sacrifice you make to spend time with it and He also rewards it. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says: ‘For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.’
     
     
3. LISTEN MORE THAN YOU TALK: In seeking GOD, do your best not to DO NOT treat GOD like a diary—you do all the talking and you do not expect your diary to speak back to you. GOD is not just your diary, He has so much to tell you too. When you are done pouring out your petitions and woes in His presence, please ensure you also sit to meditate and listen to Him. If you have an hour to pray, at least dedicate 20 minutes out of that time to meditate. It is very important. This is how to seek the Will of GOD.
   
   Communication is a two-way street. You listen to GOD through meditation on His Word, pondering on what He has done for you and attuning your heart to Him in gratitude. It is in this medication and quietness that those desires of GOD begin to form within you and you receive instructions in your spirit on what to do.
   
   
4. EMBRACE PATIENCE: Sometimes, we have desires that align with GOD’s desires for us. The problem is that in our excitement, we do not sit with GOD to know how He would have us carry out His Will. So, we know the what but we don’t know the how. If you have read PRAYER IS NOT THE MASTER KEY, you would know that GOD’s Way is just as important as His Will. Stay for the how. Patience is often a tester of your motives. If indeed GOD has sent you to do something, and you have no extra-curricular activities planned, then you would be willing to wait for Him to bring it to pass in His own time. Hebrews 10:36 lets us know: ‘For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’
   
   You need patience in all your dealings with GOD. In 1 Corinthians 13:4, we see that the first characteristic attributed to love is patience. We do not often see that we need to be patient with GOD…but we do. We need to be patient with GOD. We need to be kind to GOD because we are often harsh towards Him. In Malachi 3:13, we see GOD accuse His people of being harsh towards Him.
   
   We need to treat GOD like Someone we are in a relationship with. Because we are in a relationship with Him. You can trust that GOD will bring to pass all that He has said. Wait patiently for Him! 
   
   
5. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD’S WILL: This is specifically for those living in unrepentant sin. How can you seek GOD out and expect to hear Him when your life is in stark contrast to His holiness? Please, do not mock GOD. See, if you know that you are doing something that goes against GOD’s holiness then you must repent and come into vital union with the Word of GOD. You cannot open your arms to GOD’s blessings and reject His requirements for holy living. You cannot pick and choose what parts of the Bible to live by then abandon the rest. JESUS is saying to you today:
   
   ‘As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.’ (Revelations 3:19-20).
   
   Please. I plead with you from my heart, repent. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:9). If you need help with this, reach out to me @ maranathammxxi@gmail.com with the subject ‘I will seek You in the morning’. The LORD is waiting for you.
   
   
6. BUILD YOUR OBEDIENCE: Start by obeying GOD in the things you know now. Many of His Counsel is already revealed in the Bible concerning your daily life, giving, body, relationships, the body of CHRIST, etc. Start doing what you already know you should do.
   
   Decide in your heart not to make a decision that is not approved by GOD. OBEY no matter the cost. Do what GOD likes. Chase Him. Prioritise GOD’s Will and pleasure. Do not despise His leadings or grieve His Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) by disobeying Him. Be attentive to Him.
   
   
7. PRAY WITH YOUR UNDERSTANDING: I would always recommend praying in your understanding even if you have the gift of praying in tongues–this is subject to the leading of the Holy Spirit, please.
   
   To pray in tongues is to pray WITH the (your) spirit. We know this because in 1 Corinthians 14, a core Scripture in the exegesis of the gift of tongues, Paul contrasts praying with the spirit with praying in his understanding. Verse 26 says: ‘What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.’ Please note that this is different from praying IN the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:18 or Jude 20) which describes prayer by the power of the Holy Ghost which is what all prayers ideally are.
   
   We see from the Bible that the gift of tongues primarily functions as a sign to unbelievers (Acts 2:4, 1 Corinthians 14:22). When we look through the New Testament, a bulk of the prayers were done intelligently and in understanding. In fact, we do not see a record of people gathered and actively choosing to pray in tongues apart from as an outward sign of the manifestation of the infilling of the Spirit–and that was not a choice they made but a move of the Holy Ghost. Also, that physical sign did not always happen to everyone who believed and was filled with the Holy Ghost; once a person believes in Christ they are filled with the Holy Ghost, for no one can declare ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 12:3)–if that physical manifestation through tongues was compulsory, then no person with the physical disability of mutism is filled with the Holy Ghost. In Acts 4, the early Christians gathered together and prayed in their understanding and were filled with the Holy Ghost! It is essential for your mind to be involved in your prayers and that you understand what you are saying—this is where your growth, edification and sanctification lie. Being able to come and speak to GOD as you are, whether in pidgin or your local dialect or even in tears, is an unburdening that must happen when you come to GOD. He is your Father, not a faraway man in the skies or a genie of the lamp.
   
   Sometimes, simply talking it out in the presence of GOD brings clarity to your situation. If you do not have the gift of tongues, it does NOT reduce the efficacy of your prayers because not everyone has the gift. Just like healing and other spiritual gifts, the gift of tongues is subject to the Holy Ghost and we must bow to His leading; it is not a show-off gift that makes the one who has it better than the one who does not. Even for the gift of tongues, Paul asks that we pray for the interpretation too (1 Corinthians 14:13-15) otherwise we should speak to GOD alone. While this looks like an advocacy for a ‘private prayer language’ it is not. We know this because:
   1. The whole essence of a spiritual gift is not for ourselves but for others, which is why our motives must also be aligned with God’s Will when we desire them. We should only desire the best gifts for the edification and building up of others (1 Corinthians 14:12).
   2. Paul was not encouraging the Corinthians to simply pray in tongues in private but only to do so if they did not have an interpretation which ideally they should have. A tongue is really just prophecy but in another language. It should be interpreted.
   
   However, please note that praying in tongues does not mean the Holy Spirit is helping you pray as this is often confused. Prayer is not outsourced. When Romans 8:26 says: ‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans’, please note that this intercession of the Holy Ghost is for ALL believers and is not restricted to our praying in tongues or not. If it was, it would mean that the Holy Spirit does not intercede for those believers without the gift–which is not true. Also, the Holy Spirit is the One interceding, not us, and He does it through wordless groans–the very idea of tongues connotes speech.
   
   Pray with your understanding. I consider it a danger if you can pray in tongues for hours but cannot pray intelligibly for an hour. It is not a flex, especially without interpretation–that is unbiblical even. Remember, we are in a relationship with GOD. If you can spend hours gisting with a loved one without pausing to think of what to say then you can pray with your understanding for hours too, as necessary. Consider the Psalms, especially the longest Psalm (Psalm 119), was that not a Psalm of praise and prayer? Was it in tongues? If you only had to read it out, it would take some time, let alone praying it out in spoken or written words. The problem is that we might not even understand what prayer is. Prayer is a two-way street, we minister to GOD and He ministers to us. It is not a place of performance but a messy unburdening before your ABBA Father. It is not cute. Neither is it a place where you come to command GOD by faith to carry out your desires–you pray to align with GOD’s Will.
   
   1 Corinthians 14:2-4: ‘For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally…‘ Again, this might look like an advocating for a ‘personal prayer language’ but it is not. Think about it, what spiritual activity does not personally strengthen us whether it edifies us personally or it edifies the body of Christ? Even when we give a word of prophecy to another, does it not strengthen us too as a by-product? Does that mean we should now exhort others because we want to be personally strengthened? Of course not. Remember, the essence of a spiritual gift is other-centred so how could a gift be primarily focused on edifying the owner? ‘Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the COMMON GOOD.’ (1 Corinthians 12:7).
   
   If you have a prejudice against the gift of tongues, remember that even Paul who chastised the Corinthians only did so because they were misusing the gift; Paul himself admitted that he spoke in tongues very well (1 Corinthians 14:18) and he did not forbid it. Do not let anyone inspire a bias toward this gift of GOD; just understand its purpose first and if you see that you desire it then ask for it.
   
   
8. FASTING: Fasting is a spiritual discipline that helps you to humble yourself before GOD (Psalm 35:13) as you seek Him. When the kind of strength you need is not what food can give you (which is the common situation we often find in life), then you should think of fasting.
   
   Fasting should not be a one-off but a routine practice for every Christian to discipline the flesh. If you need a good resource to understand Biblical fasting, I have linked this Fasting series by Derek Prince on YouTube which greatly helped me; https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_L1za0tEXFVQDS4FPohrdLKrJF5_d27s.
   
   
9. DO AWAY WITH EVERY URGENCY NOT OF GOD: If you are reading this because you have a decision you need to make quickly and you are confused about it please know that sometimes that urgency can be an indicator that you need to take a step back. Check within yourself: What is your motive? Are you in a hurry because an opportunity feels like a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing? Is it GOD you feel is urging you to take that step?
   
   When an urgency is of GOD, you would find that He usually provides the resources for you to go ahead. Philippians 2:13 lets us know that He works in us both to will and to do—He provides not just the desire but the ability to carry out that desire. But more importantly, there is always PEACE. 

This brings us to: how do you know a counsel or leading is from GOD?

GOD’s Counsel is supposed to be your daily bread as an offshoot of constant, unbroken fellowship with Him, not one-offs here and there. When you come to a decision-making point, you will always have an idea of GOD’s Will if you have been training your senses. Hebrews 5:14: ‘But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.’ The more you seek GOD’s Counsel to obey it, the more you know His Counsel. 

1. GOD’s Counsel brings peace. It might not always be without pain but there is always peace in GOD’s Instructions. Always. Take Hannah, for example, after the prophet told her to go on her way because GOD had answered her (1 Samuel 1:18); she ate and stopped being sad about her barrenness. Or David after the child of his adultery with Bathsheba died (2 Samuel 12); he got up, anointed himself and ate.
   
   Romans 14:17 lets us know that ‘the kingdom of GOD is…righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost!‘ This is the kingdom that we belong to as Christians! This is where we live! JESUS Himself is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and His involvement in any matter is marked by undiluted and often unexplainable peace (Philippians 4:6-7). Peace is our default setting as Christians. Whenever we come to decisions that have us restless, unsettled or losing sleep, it can be a sign that GOD might not be involved in it. It has happened to me so many times that I decide to do something and become restless. Once I decide not to do it anymore, I regain my peace. Losing peace is a powerful sign for the believer that something is off somewhere; it is like waking up and you cannot walk anymore.
   
   Peace is a highly spiritual thing…just like the other fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. 1 Corinthians 2:11 says: ‘For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.’ GOD communicates through our thoughts, perceptions, the things we notice, our joy and peace, our conscience and intuition, symbols and signs, the witnessing of the Holy Ghost to your inner man (your spirit) where you somehow KNOW something to be true, etc. These can seem quite ordinary but are spiritual and must be primarily considered when seeking GOD’s Counsel–because we live primarily by the Spirit. If you have ever wondered, ‘Is it just my mind?‘ well here is your answer–GOD speaks through your mind too! For the Christian’s conscience is also subject to the influence of the Holy Ghost. The check for whether it is GOD or the enemy is if that idea in your mind conforms with GOD’s Word and if you have the peace of GOD to run with it.
   
   In this regard, do not only expect words, voices or appearances because those are physical rather than spiritual things. GOD can speak to you through material channels but remember that He is a Spirit and you also have a spirit. GOD often speaks in the most ordinary or seemingly natural ways and to our inner being.
   
   These are GOD’s promises to us:
   You shall go out with peace and be led out with joy (Isaiah 55:12).
   The effect of righteousness shall be peace, quiet confidence forever (Isaiah 32:17).
   

2. Confirmations upon confirmations: Another way to know that a Counsel is from GOD is that He always confirms His Word. When Peter desired to walk on water, he said to JESUS: ‘Ask me to come on the water…’ (Matthew 14:28-29). JESUS confirmed and then he walked on water.
   
   This is important because sometimes we may be blind to our motives. We may incorrectly think something is of GOD and it is not. As long as we are in this world, the influence of the world can seep into our souls. This is why it is essential to seek confirmation from GOD to know that something is really from Him. Only be careful not to have expectations of how this confirmation should come. For example, LORD, if this is You, let me see a fair guy wearing a yellow and pink shirt today.
   
   
3. GOD’s Counsel aligns with GOD’s Word: GOD’s Counsel would never go against what is written in the Bible. If it does, it is not His Counsel. Ditch it.
   
   
4. GOD’s Counsel glorifies GOD: Everything from GOD is designed to glorify GOD (Revelations 4:11). This is because it often goes beyond human possibilities. He is the GOD of the 11th hour Who shows up when all hope is lost! If something you want to do does not glorify GOD then it is not of GOD. Ditch it.
   
   
5. GOD’s Counsel births fruits: As it is said in Luke 7:35: wisdom is vindicated by her children. The test that something is of GOD will always show in the results that spring forth. Please note that these fruits are not to be measured by standards like wealth, power, influence, etc. Yes, it could be these things but not always. The real fruits include being commended by GOD, obedience, living peacefully with all men, joy, love, GOD’s glorification, His increase and our decrease, the salvation of souls, etc.

WHEN GOD IS SILENT BUT YOU NEED ANSWERS.

If you are seeking GOD’s Will and are not getting any Counsel from Him but you need to quickly make a decision, please consider these things:

1. Where is the urgency that you feel coming from? Has GOD put something in your heart to do but is not forthcoming with the how? Remember that patience is often a tester of your motives. When the time is right then GOD will make it happen (Isaiah 60:22). Do not carry GOD’s burden for Him. Is it a case of external pressure to do something that you are not sure GOD would have you do? A key thing to consider is that GOD is a GOD of order and not of confusion. Examine this urgency to pinpoint its source and your motives. Is this urgency stemming from a lack of trust in GOD and His promises? Is it an urgency in search of a failsafe or option b in case GOD does not show up?
   
   A case of parental pressure, for example, demands wisdom since the Bible is clear on honouring your parents and other instated authorities. However, if any demands which go against GOD’s Will are made of you, it is not an option for you as a child of GOD.
   
   
2. GOD’s silence is an answer. In 1 Samuel 14, we see that Saul seeks GOD out and GOD does not answer him. This prompts him to go back among his men to find out what sin has been committed. While this is not set in stone, I believe that GOD’s silence when you seek His Counsel can be an opportunity to ponder and do some soul-searching or introspection to consider your motives and if you might have done something wrong by way of offence.
   
   
3. Continue in obedience: If your mother is quiet and refuses to answer you but you keep doing your duties, cleaning the house, arranging everything, etc. there is a probability that you will get her attention. And even if it does not seem like she is responsive, you are still honouring her by your actions. Some people think they can hold GOD to a ransom by refusing to do what is right because GOD does answer them. This is not only dangerous but also a losing game. Think about it, if GOD decides in His sovereignty not to answer you, who will you report Him to? Who is better and kinder than Him? Who loves you enough to die for you? Here is your answer: no one! You better stick around.
   
   I admonish you to be like the fire boys (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) who said in Daniel 3:18: ‘If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.’
   
   
4. TRUST GOD: The truth is that if we never asked GOD for anything, GOD would still take care of us because He is our Father and knows our needs. Did Adam know to ask GOD for a wife? No! GOD simply saw his need, provided it and presented it to Adam to accept it (Genesis 2).
   
   GOD knows what we need; our problem is that sometimes we are working on the world’s timeline and not GOD’s. We get impatient because there is an ongoing comparison game. Rather than staying in our lane, we are looking at others. The fruit of the knowledge of good and evil is our desire to rule ourselves in our foolishness rather than wait for GOD. We have acquired new tastes, strange tastes. Shun that. JESUS has given you the most priceless gift already, His blood, and His promises for you are not lies. Believe Him! 
   

Take these things with you. Let it keep your heart in peace that GOD knows what He is doing with you. Rest, for you may make errors but GOD is the remover of mistakes—trust His ability to guide your steps. GOD is adept at leading you to places where you need to be. It is a way of His mercy and chastisement. Even in reading this, you are not here by chance. This is an opportunity for you to draw closer to God. As He leads you, respond to it. He will always draw you to Him to keep your feet from stumbling. In JESUS’ Name, amen.

Shalom.

∞ END ∞

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