I came across a fallen beech tree that would provide great firewood for the cast iron stove in our cabin. My chain saw cut it neatly into logs about 18 inches long. But these 20 inch diameter pieces still needed to be split. So I began to swing my ax. Nothing happened - except that the blade got stuck in the wood. My ax was sharp, but it wasn't heavy enough to split that kind of wood.
    After an hour of frustration, I drove to the hardware store and purchased a larger, heavier tool called a splitting maul. It has an ax blade on one side of the head and a sledgehammer on the other. With the right tool, I soon had a nice stack of split firewood drying for next year.
    Sometimes I try to get God's work done by using the wrong tool. I'm great at giving my opinion in helping someone solve a problem, but often not much happens until I search out and apply God's truth to the situation.
    Jeremiah condemned the false prophets in Israel because the were using the wrong tools - their own words, dreams, visions - to influence and lead people rather than God's direct revelation (Jeremiah 23:16, 25-27, 31-32).
    Let's do the Lord's work with the right tool - the power and authority of the Word of the living God.

    The apostle Paul was discussing his plans to come to the church in Corinth. He was acknowledging the serious nature of the trip and informing the Corinthians that he did not flippantly come to the decision to visit them. It was a matter that had been given serious prayer, not one made in the spur of the moment.
    Planning from God's view is a process. It isn't merely an exercise in reason and analysis. It requires entering into the mind of Christ together with our minds to determine which course to take. In the Old testament, the priests wore breastplates with the urim and thummim in a pouch on their breasts. It was like a roll of the dice that the priests were required to perform to know which direction they were to take on the matter. It was the ultimate release of all decisions into God's hand. God did not want the priests to rely on their own intellects for final decisions.
    We have an uncanny ability to make decisions based on our own needs and wants. However, God desires that we seek Him to know His plans for us. David was a skilled warrior who never lost a battle. He consulted with God on every decision. He knew the results of the battle rested in God's hand. So, if he was to gain a victory, he had to know God's mind on the matter. Sometimes this requires more time given to the process in order to hear His voice. Sometimes it may even require fasting and prayer. Sometimes it may require input from other Godly friends.
    Are you a man or woman who makes decisions based on God's purposes for your life? Do you take every major decision and put it before the throne to determine God's mind on the matter. Is so, you will avoid making decisions in a worldly matter.