As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we are promised guidance. "He is our shepherd" and the rest of Psalm 23 outlines many of these. Understanding the ways in which we are guided into the paths of righteousness for His name sake will serve to break the tensions from our walk when our heart cry is, "Am I on the right path, going the right way, for the right reasons?" Though some may be in a drifting mode, many of us are seriously concerned with knowing our lives are in agreement with God's chosen path.

There are two principle guidance systems that the Lord uses to keep us moving on the right path. One is the internal working mechanisms of our faith and relationship with the Lord. The other is the external indicators of our situations and circumstances that we live in, including input from others who speak into our lives. They must be in balance in order to get the full picture. If we are to rely just on our circumstances as indicators for what we should or shouldn't be doing, we will be in danger of making decisions and choosing paths that are based in our own wisdom, fears or reactions. On the other hand, if we ignore our circumstances to solely rely on the internal system of our faith and the spiritual perspectives of our relationship with the Lord, we will be in danger of being idealistic and out of touch with the external realities that have to be dealt with. James 2:26 shows us this in the comparison of the spirit and the body - faith and works. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Smart bombs, used by the military for taking out strategic targets are a good example of these two systems in balance. The circumstances are: there is a battle to win and there is a strategic target to destroy. The internal mechanisms are: the smart bomb is supplied with the coordinates for this very real target and released. At this point, internal mechanisms take over to "guide" the bomb to the target for pin-point accuracy. A smart bomb without a target is useless. The target is easily acquired with a smart bomb. There needs to be both a target and a embedded system for reaching the target in order for guidance to work.

This is the same balance that we must seek the Lord for when we are looking for His guidance. Here are some suggestions for balancing out your guidance system.

Develop Internal mechanisms

1. Grow in your relationship with the Lord through prayer, praise, and worship.
2. Grow in your knowledge of the word of God - the instructions for life.
3. Be filled with the Holy Spirit - He leads and guides us into all truth.
4. When you are doing these things, then seek the Lord for revelation and understanding.
5. Finally, put into motion what you know to do, being faithful to the revelation.

Develop an Awareness of Your External Realities

1. Ask God to show you the way things really are- not the way you are feel they are.
2. Ask those you trust to tell you what they see - get perspective outside of your own view.
3. Face the music, be real - confess the reality of the circumstance to the Lord.
4. Look for sign posts: the markers that the Lord places along your journey that indicate the way you are to go.
5. Don't panic - nothing is too hard for the Lord.

A balanced personal guidance system will insure that you will be able to move in God's best for your life. Know your circumstances, but don't let them dictate to you what you can do or can't do. Know your God. Know what he can do, then viewing your circumstance through the eyes of faith, move on. When the cross hairs in the sights of your faith match the center of the target of your circumstances and outward indicators, pull the trigger! Take the step, follow through, be assured you are on the right path.

May the Lord Jesus Christ help you come into a clear understanding of how He guides you so that you will always be secure in knowing His path for your life.