{"id":2128,"date":"2019-02-08T10:05:04","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T15:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/?p=2128"},"modified":"2019-03-17T15:49:36","modified_gmt":"2019-03-17T19:49:36","slug":"inquire-from-the-lord-part-2-january-10th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/?p=2128","title":{"rendered":"INQUIRE FROM THE LORD (PART 2), February 10th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"untitled\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

CENTRAL THOUGHT<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

The believer who inquire from the Lord enjoys the benefit of being guided by God.<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

TEXT: 1 Samuel 23:1-12, 30:7-8; Numbers 27:1-7; Joshua 9:3-15<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

God has made provision for His children to be properly guided in making choices, decisions and taking necessary actions.\u00a0\u00a0However,\u00a0it is the believer who seeks such guidance that will enjoy the benefits of being guided by the Lord.\u00a0 It is\u00a0therefore\u00a0needful for the children of God to always inquire from Him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LESSON OBJECTIVES<\/strong><\/p>\n

The objectives of this study are:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Examining what hinders believers from inquiring from the Lord. <\/em><\/li>\n
  2. Considering some examples of people who inquired from the Lord. <\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Learning from the consequences of not inquiring from the Lord.<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. Appropriating the benefits of inquiring from the Lord.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    BIBLE TRUTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Q1. What are some of the things that hinder us from inquiring from the Lord?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Some of the things that hinder the believer from seeking GOD\u2019s counsel (or inquiring from HIM) on specific<\/strong> matters include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Love of the world, John 2:15-17. <\/strong>When a believer has hidden love in his heart for the things of the world, the tendency will be for such a believer to do things to please and satisfy himself.\u00a0 Such a mindset will hinder the believer from inquiring from GOD for fear that GOD may give him directions contrary to his personal ways, ideas or methods of achieving results.<\/li>\n
    2. Greed and covetousness<\/strong>. Greed and covetousness are also a hindrance to our ability to inquire from the LORD or seek His counsel on the issues of life.\u00a0 In some situations, even when such counsel is sought, the desire for gain may rob us of actualizing the benefits of such counsel.\u00a0 This was the situation with Balaam, Numbers 22; Revelation 2:14.<\/li>\n
    3. Selfishness, selfish interests & pride of life. In some situations, the desire to promote oneself hinders believers from inquiring from GOD as regards what to do when faced with life situations. The desire to be recognized above others makes people employ means that are not scriptural to achieve their set objectives.\u00a0 Some believers while pursuing political offices which they perceive will bring them to the \u201climelight\u201d ignore biblical principles provided they achieve their aim.\u00a0 They do not bother to inquire from GOD or allow HIM\u00a0work\u00a0out HIS will in the matter.\u00a0 They claim that they do not want to leave things to chance.\u00a0 No wonder many in such situations have made shipwrecks of their faith and Christian commitment.\u00a0\u00a0Clearly,\u00a0they were propelled by the \u201cpride of life\u201d, 1 John 2:16.<\/li>\n
    4. Sin. <\/strong>A believer who is inclined to ungodly habits or makes a practice of sin will certainly be hindered from inquiring from the LORD or seeking GOD\u2019s counsel on life matters.<\/li>\n
    5. Other<\/strong>. The class is free to mention and discuss some other factors that hinder believers from inquiring from the LORD.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      In concluding this section, it is needful to state that the only way to overcome these hindrances is for the believer to live a life of total surrender to the LORD JESUS CHRIST; recognizing that while enjoying the benefits of being a son to the FATHER through the LORD JESUS, he must also accept the responsibilities of being a slave to the MASTER.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Q2. Consider some examples of people in scripture who inquired from the Lord?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      The scripture is full of examples of people who inquired form the LORD before making decisions. Some of them include:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Moses, Numbers 27:1-7. <\/strong>Moses as leader of Israel was faced with a situation where he needed to decide in regards to the inheritance for the daughters of Zelophehad.\u00a0 He took the matter to GOD and GOD told him what to do.\u00a0 Christian leaders should follow this example.<\/li>\n
      2. David, 1 Samuel 23:1-12<\/strong>. David was under threat of an enemy.\u00a0 He went to inquire from THE LORD in regards to what to do and GOD gave him directions which he followed and achieved victory and success, 1 Samuel 30:6-8.<\/li>\n
      3. The LORD JESUS CHRIST. <\/strong>The LORD JESUS inquired from the FATHER before choosing the twelve disciples, Luke 6:12-16.\u00a0 Also, before His passion and crucifixion, He inquired from the FATHER in the garden of Gethsemane, Matthew 26:36-46.\u00a0 He is our perfect example and we ought to follow in HIS steps, 1 Peter 2:21.<\/li>\n
      4. The early church. <\/strong>Our forefathers in faith inquired from the LORD before choosing leaders.\u00a0 This was clearly demonstrated when Judas Iscariot was to be replaced and when the deacons and business elders were to be selected from among the brethren, Acts 1:15-26, 6:1-6.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Q3. What are the consequences of not inquiring from the Lord? Joshua 9:3-15<\/strong><\/p>\n

        When we do not inquire from the Lord, or seek His\u00a0counsel or\u00a0allow Him\u00a0work\u00a0out His will in our decision making, the consequences can be grave.\u00a0 In the Scripture above we see how Joshua and Israel fell for the deception of the Gibeonites because they \u201casked\u00a0not\u00a0counsel at the mouth of the Lord\u201d, Joshua 9:14.<\/p>\n

        In many ways today, many believers have fallen for the deception of the people of the world because they did not seek counsel from the mouth of the Lord.\u00a0 Some have gone into marriages which suffered collapse.\u00a0 Some were deceived into business partnerships which did not make\u00a0head way.\u00a0 Some were enticed into jobs which looked promising at the beginning but ended up in disappointments.<\/p>\n

        The believer should realize that it is profitable before decisions are made.\u00a0 It is needful to state here too that where wrong decisions have been made, it is still possible to go back to God in repentance and ask Him for directions, counsel\u00a0and\u00a0guidance in resolving the existing situations.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Q4. What are the benefits of inquiring from the Lord?<\/strong><\/p>\n

        There are many benefits that follow when we sincerely inquire from the Lord, seek His counsel and allow Him\u00a0work\u00a0out His will in our lives.\u00a0 Some of these benefits which the class should discuss include:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Peace, Isaiah 26:3.<\/li>\n
        2. Joy<\/li>\n
        3. Personal satisfaction from doing God\u2019s will.<\/li>\n
        4. Success and victory as experienced by David in 1 Samuel 23:1-12, 30:6-7 and the king of Israel when Elisha wasprophetin Israel, 2 Kings 5 & 6.<\/li>\n
        5. Guidance on life issues.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Daily Living Application:<\/strong><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

          The believer ought to cultivate the habit of inquiring from the Lord in all issues of life.\u00a0 The consequences of not seeking God\u2019s counsel on issues can be grave.\u00a0 Let us acknowledge that we are limited in knowledge and our own we do not know enough to give us the best in life.\u00a0 Therefore, we must learn to look up to God for direction and guidance in all situations and allow Him\u00a0work\u00a0out His will in our lives.\u00a0 Great benefits await us if we do this.<\/p>\n

          \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Memory Verse:<\/strong><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Proverbs 3:5-6 – \u201cTrust in the LORD with all thine heart; and\u00a0lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          CENTRAL THOUGHT The believer who inquire from the Lord enjoys the benefit of being guided by God.   TEXT: 1 Samuel 23:1-12, 30:7-8; Numbers 27:1-7; Joshua 9:3-15   INTRODUCTION God has made provision for His children to be properly guided in making choices, decisions and taking necessary actions.\u00a0\u00a0However,\u00a0it is the believer who seeks such guidance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sundayschool"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/untitled.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2128"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2137,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128\/revisions\/2137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}