"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
Part of walking in the Spirit is learning how to recognize and follow after the peace of God. This is something the Lord has taught me through a number of situations over the past semester. There have been several times where an opportunity has arisen and I have taken it and later regretted the decision. We definitely need to be on the lookout for whatever opportunities the Lord might send our way. The Bible says to "prepare your minds for action" (1 Peter 1:13). However, I often find myself getting caught up in the novelty of new circumstances and forgetting to ask God what he thinks about it. I automatically assume that since a door has been opened, that means God is ok with it. Key word = assume. An open door doesn't necessarily constitute a right decision. I have since learned that an opportunity needs to be guided by the peace of God before it is taken hold of (or even sought after).
An example of similar circumstances can be found in 1 Kings 22. Peace has reigned for 3 years between Israel and Aram. King Ahab of Israel decides he should take the opportunity and go to battle with the King of Aram over Ramoth-gilead. He asks King Jehoshaphat of Judah to go with him and sends for 400 prophets to predict the outcome of the battle. These false prophets envision a victory. Jehoshaphat, however, wisely asks for counsel from a prophet of the Lord. When a true prophet of God is finally found, he foretells doom for Ahab. Ahab should have stopped there and heeded the counsel of the Lord but instead he imprisons the prophet and goes to battle anyway against the King of Aram where he is killed in battle by a stray arrow. Obviously, Ahab's disobedience was wrong but the point is that Jehoshaphat knew it was right to inquire the Lord's opinion before going into battle. Ahab could have lived had he heeded the prophet's counsel and spared Jehoshaphat the trouble of going to battle (Jehoshaphat had promised men and horses in verse 4).
As the Lord has been growing me up in my faith, he has been teaching me a lot about making choices, especially ones where it seems there is no right or wrong decision. I have learned that if I'm nearly resolved on an issue and I have the slightest anxiety about it, something is wrong: either my apprehensions are an attack from the enemy ("For God has not given us a spirit of timidity…" 2 Tim. 1:7) or, the decision I'm about to make is a bad one. This is when I find myself going before the Lord and examining my heart. Did I previously feel peace where there is now fear? What are my motives for seeking after this opportunity? Who am I ultimately going to glorify in the given situation? Whatever decisions we face though, we can take comfort in knowing that our Lord is not one to deceive. "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'" Isaiah 30:21
