Sometimes life comes at you so quickly that you don’t have time to think. You find yourself in a position to answer “yes” or “no” all throughout the day. How many times have you had to make a choice already today? New opportunities. Requests for input. Decisions about work. Invitations. Social media posts. Emails. Conversations.
I’m learning to stop and check in with God more and more. After all my years of living, I know how quickly I can take a wrong path, make an unwise decision, or live without making the best use of time.
What if, instead, we were thoughtful, slow, wise, and responsive to the Holy Spirit at all times? What if we checked in with God before we answered, before we went somewhere, bought something, made a choice, or moved in any direction of our dreams?
How do you check in with God? You consciously think about God’s perspective through what you’ve read in the Bible, and you listen for the “Shepherd’s voice” (John 10) through prayer. You ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and direction (John 14). You ask questions like, “Does this honor God? Does this help me grow in my faith? Does this harm anyone else? Does this align with what I know of God’s calling on my life?”
I follow the paths of peace. I follow the voice of the Shepherd. But I have to listen and look carefully into God’s word to become better and better at discerning what is best (Phil 1:10).