I honestly don’t know how I got anywhere before I had a GPS. Now that I have one, I am fearless when it comes to taking trips to unknown locations or taking new routes to familiar places. It’s amazing that so many of us trust wholeheartedly in these little devices that are far from perfect. These man-made devices are error-prone and have been responsible for me finding myself at quite a few dead ends and wrong turns in my life, yet I continue to trust them on journey after journey.
Why is it so easy for us to trust in flawed technology, but so difficult for us to trust in a flawless creator? When I was creating ideas for my Christian T-shirt line, I created a shirt that used the acronym, GPS (GOD. PERSONAL. SAVIOR). The acronym worked perfectly, but there is so much more that I can say about God as our GPS that couldn’t fit on a T-Shirt.
This concept sounds good in theory, but you may be wondering what your life would look like if you wholeheartedly allowed God to be the GPS, guiding you in every aspect. Here are a few of the rewards that you will reap after making the choice.
You will understand the difference between religion and relationship. I’ve heard so many people say that they are not religious and mean it as an indication of their lack of religiosity and not as an indication of a lack of dependence in God. But often, those who say this… believe in God but may not have a personal relationship with Jesus. They fail to realize that trust and dependence on God are based solely on a relationship with the Savior and not on religiousness. Going to church and learning doctrines, practices and church etiquette will do nothing to help you allow God to be the GPS of your life without a relationship with Him. When you make the commitment to allow God to be your GPS, it must include one-on-one time to communicate with and get to know Him for yourself. This can be done through prayer and the reading God’s Word and other teachings to help you better understand His Word. Once you have a relationship with God you will want to accept His guidance more and more each day.
You will begin to recognize God’s voice in your life. Being able to discern when God is speaking to you is one of the best parts about allowing Him to guide your life. God doesn’t often speak in an audible voice but that still small voice that speaks from His spirit to ours and that can be heard as if it were a thought comes often… and is often ignored. How many times has there been something that said slow down a moment before you were pulled over and given a speeding ticket? How many times did you have a thought that that person was not right for you but you continued dating them until devastation and heartbreak stopped you in your tracks? We often call these thoughts intuition or “a feeling,” but when you commit to making God the GPS of your life, you’ll recognize them as so much more.
You will be hungry for righteousness. At some point in life, most of us have heard of or read the Ten Commandments, yet they are not necessarily easy to keep. When God is the GPS of your life, you’ll understand that being obedient is just another way to show love and honor to Him, in the same way, that any parent would want to be loved and honored by obedient children. Many times, attempting to obey rules such as the Commandments or any of the guidelines found in the Bible is done out of a sense of fear. Many of us were taught or learned through our own understanding that if we didn’t obey the rules, there would be punishment, but were never taught that the guidelines were set as a way to keep us from harm and not as a means to control. God’s rules for living do not prevent us from using our free will, but when God is truly your GPS, your will is connected to His. When this happens doing what’s right becomes a way of life. Although mistakes will still be made, you will have a heart of repentance when they are, so it will be easier to recover from them and get back on the right track.
As I mentioned before, God is a gentleman so He never forces us to do anything. You have free will to choose your GPS. Whether we know it or not, we are all guided by something. Imagine your life with the things mentioned above as well as the other numerous benefits not mentioned here that come from having God as your GPS and then decide what is right for you.
- Coach Dee, The Impact Coach