I Samuel 24:1-7 1 After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

I Samuel 24:1-7 3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.

I Samuel 24:1-7 4 The men said, “This is the day the L ORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

I Samuel 24:1-7 5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The L ORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the L ORD ’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the L ORD.”

7 With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way. I Samuel 24:1-7

#4 “UNFOLDING THE MAP” IT’S A MATTER OF “PRINCIPLE” DECISION MAKING 101

God has a willGod has a will for your life!for your life! He wants you to know it!

GUARD RAILS 1.God’s providential will 2.God’s moral will Somewhere between those we find the personal will of God for our lives!

Another tool God uses is the counsel of other believers.

The primary way that we know God’s will is through His word. Problem… Bible has been so misused that there is a tendency to overlook it as a primary tool.

HOW DO WE USE GOD’S WORD TO FIND GOD’S WILL? Not by looking for parallel situations or by using logic or intuition. Key principle to remember: God says right up front, “we don’t think alike or act alike.”

ISAIAH 55:8-9 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the L ORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Whenever you are making a decision there are three things that come to bear on that decision. 1.Context - we are limited to what we know and what we have experienced impacted2.Perspective - we are always impacted by our desires and fears 3.Outcome - always ends up being our “best guess”

What if you and I had the opportunity to have a context as big as all human experience, a perspective that ranges from eternity past, right through our lives and into eternity future and the ability to peer into a mind that knows the outcome of every one of our options?

BIG THREE: ips Relationships Finances fe Physical Life

In those three areas especially, we tend to go with what is intuitive, to go with what is logical and intuitive to us. No wonder we get ourselves into such a mess!

We have to begin to ask a new question. “GOD, WHAT IS YOUR WILL FOR MY LIFE?”

HOW? Many of us read the Bible Many of us read the Bible Some look for parallel situations Some look for parallel situations Some look for promises Some look for promises Some have an eye out for commands Some have an eye out for commands

I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU TO READ YOUR BIBLE AND START LOOKING FOR PRINCIPLE. A principle is just an unchangeable truth!

There Is A Difference In A Command And In A Principle. God has given us in His word an understanding of the way. He has established the world to work.

Two things to note about principles: Sometimes they illustrate a cause and effect relationship Sometimes they illustrate a cause and effect relationship Other times they predict the outcomes of behaviors and attitudes Other times they predict the outcomes of behaviors and attitudes Principles Are Just The Way Things Work!Principles Are Just The Way Things Work!

You Find Principles Three Different Ways: 1.Stated: “reap what you sow” 2.Proverb, example: “he who walks with the wise will grow wise, the companion of fools suffers harm.”

3.Implied: The principle of unconditional love: unconditional love is the most powerful force on the human soul and nothing… NOTHING leverages change at the level of unconditional love. the purity principle, that purity now leads to intimacy later. the freedom principle, maximum freedom is found under God’s authority.

Every single decision you make is in some capacity going to cross with the principles of God’s will.

1 Samuel 24 1.David’s Situation: His emotions said to kill Saul Saul His counselors said to kill Saul His circumstances screamed “kill him!”

Nobody could doubt that this is God’s will except for one thing… This is not God’s way.This is not God’s way. I Samuel 24:6I Samuel 24:6 So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of the L ORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the L ORD’ s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the L ORD’ s anointed.”

Remember, what God has invited us to do is to look into His Word and look into His ways and to become so familiar with His thoughts and His ways that over time our thoughts become His thoughts and our ways become His ways.