Leading and guidance

[Chrysostom]

Your honest prayer before the Lord is precious, and God hears the cry of a heart that wants to do what is right even while feeling confused, frozen and low. It is not a failure to feel sorrow after a difficult decision, and bringing that sorrow to Him is the right place to begin.

There is a difference between a regret that simply replays what we wish we had done and a godly sorrow that leads us toward repentance and wisdom. The apostle Paul spoke of regretting a sharp rebuke he had given, and then not regretting it when he saw the good fruit it produced. In the same way, your regret over the price you named and whether the cost of removing the tenant should have been included can become instruction for the future rather than a weight that keeps you in self condemnation. Ask the Lord to show you if any part of this was greed or fear or haste, confess it plainly, and then receive His forgiveness. What remains after confession is not to live in endless second guessing, but to learn, to act more carefully next time, and to trust that God can still work even through imperfect decisions.

Your struggle over these lots also shows how deeply the words mine and thine can trouble the heart. God has made many good things common to all, like sun and water and air, and where things are held in common there is peace. But when we contend over possession, anxiety and strife quickly enter, as if nature itself is troubled by our division. This does not mean you should abandon what is justly yours or fail to seek a lawful and peaceful resolution about the tenant who remains illegally. It does mean that your peace cannot finally rest on whether you secure the highest price or win the dispute quickly. Worldly wealth in itself is not a true possession. It is more like a loan for our use while we are here. When we leave this life we take none of it with us, and even now it passes from one hand to another. What is truly ours is what we send ahead through faith, obedience, mercy and charity. That is why you are right to ask God to keep you from being dazzled by glamour and material gain.

For that reason, give thanks to God even in loss and uncertainty. To give thanks in all things is not to pretend the loss does not hurt, but to declare that God Himself remains your portion and that He can restore in other ways what is taken unjustly. The Lord said it is better to suffer wrong and to bear it with thankfulness than to gain by grasping. A thankful heart is kept from both greed and despair.

In practical terms, seek wise and godly counsel before you sign any new document for an authority to sell. Do not be pressured to act quickly because the neighbor is pressing you. Bring all papers, titles and agreements to a trusted Christian attorney or a wise advisor in your church who can help you understand your rights under the law, what a fair price truly is, and how the removal of an illegal occupant should be handled lawfully and peaceably. Write down what was agreed, keep records, and do not agree verbally to a margin or price that you have not had time to pray over and confirm. Good stewardship of money also grows this way, slowly, with counsel, with a simple budget, with honesty about income and expenses, and with contentment in what God has provided today.

To live according to His will and to hear the Holy Spirit, keep to the ordinary means God has given. Hear His voice first in Scripture, read steadily and obey what you already understand. Pray daily not only to ask for guidance but to listen, to confess sin, and to ask for wisdom. Walk in fellowship with mature believers who can speak truth to you, and obey promptly when the Spirit convicts you of sin or shows you a step to take. Guidance often comes as you take the next faithful step, not as a sudden answer to every detail at once.

Let us pray for you. Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, we thank You that You are near to the brokenhearted and that You forgive all who confess their sins through Him. Forgive this Your child for every sin, cleanse the conscience, and lift the burden of regret. Grant wisdom regarding these lots, the neighbor and the tenant. Lead to a just and peaceful resolution according to lawful means, and guard from being taken advantage of again. Teach what a fair stewardship looks like, provide for every need, and keep the heart from love of money and from fear. Make Your will clear step by step, and help to walk in it with contentment, thankfulness and trust in You. Let Your Holy Spirit guide through Your Word, and form a life that is more like Christ. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer shows a humble and honest heart before the Lord, and He hears that kind of prayer. Feeling frozen in a difficult meeting, feeling regret afterward, feeling low about finances and wisdom, these are heavy burdens, but the fact that you are bringing them to God instead of trying to hide them or run to another source of help is the right direction.

Scripture speaks of people who run to other helpers when they are afraid, like running to Egypt or Assyria for protection, and God says He will spread a net over that path. But there is another kind of fleeing that is blessed, fleeing to God Himself to hide in Him. You prayed, deliver me from my enemies, I am fleeing to You. That is where safety is. He becomes your refuge and defense when you surrender your situation to Him.

You asked to be taught how to listen to the Holy Spirit and to know God's will. One of the most helpful prayers for that is, teach me to do Your will, for You are my God, Your Spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness. That prayer rests on two truths. First, God is sovereign and He is good. You can surrender to Him even when you do not know what His plan is, because you know His character. His plan for you is good because He loves you. Second, His Spirit is good. He does not mislead you. He leads you into what is upright and straight, not crooked. Guidance often begins not with getting all the answers at once, but with surrender. Lord, here is my life, here are these lots, here is this neighbor, here is my regret, I give it to You. When you place it in His hands, He can begin to lead you step by step.

Part of that leading is learning to walk in the Spirit rather than struggling in your own strength. In the wilderness we try to bring our flesh into conformity by promises and vows, I will do better next time, I will not fail again, and we find that the good we want to do we do not do. God never intended for His people to live that way, always striving and always falling short. He wants to bring you out of that wilderness into the life of the Spirit, where He does the work in you. He will lift you to the highest level you will allow Him to lift you, and He will do the best for you on that level. If you have been wrestling with Him over these decisions, as Jacob wrestled all night not wanting to surrender, know that God wrestles not to hurt you but to bring you to surrender so He can then do what He wants to do through you. Sometimes He must weaken our self reliance before He can crown us with His strength. You can stop wrestling and simply say, Lord, I surrender this property, this price, this tenant problem, my finances, my future, to You.

Practically, this surrender also means walking wisely. You are to inquire diligently to see if a claim is true, and a matter is established by two or three witnesses. Do not be pressured to sign a document giving authority to sell until you have clear, honest counsel about what is legally true. The neighbor may claim rights, but documents and faithful witnesses will show what is real. In Scripture the family inheritance was of great importance and was to be protected, and there were times when financial pressure tempted people to sell it too quickly or too cheaply. Seek wise, godly and legal counsel before you commit. It is not greed to want a fair price that includes the cost and burden of removing those who are occupying illegally. It is stewardship. At the same time, hold material wealth loosely. You prayed not to be dazzled by glamour and wealth, and that is a good prayer. God does not want you to be ruled by what you will eat, what you will wear, or how much you gain from a sale. If you yield to that, it will govern you. If you yield to the Spirit, He will govern you.

You also confessed sin and asked for forgiveness. That is the foundation for peace with God. We do not earn acceptance by our works. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin, and Jesus has made the basis for peace with God by His blood. When you confess, He forgives and cleanses. You do not need to carry both regret and condemnation. Regret can teach you to act more carefully next time, but condemnation is not from Him. Bring the regret to Him, ask Him to show you if there was greed or fear in the decision, repent where needed, and then let Him carry the outcome. If the price was too low, God is able to redeem even a misstep. If the neighbor is trying to take advantage, God sees and He will judge according to truth, but He also judges with mercy toward those who call on Him. Like David you can pray, have mercy on me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.

You do not need to live as a failure. God does not measure you by one frozen moment in a negotiation. He sees a child who wants to be more like Jesus and to live according to His will, and He will teach you. Stay in His Word, keep bringing everything to Him in prayer, and listen for His Spirit to lead you quietly as you surrender each decision. He has promised that if you are His servant, He will watch over you and protect you, and no weapon formed against you will finally prosper.

May the Lord give you clear counsel about the lots, wisdom about what document to sign or not sign, grace to release regret, provision for your finances, and a complete and just resolution regarding those occupying the land illegally. May He teach you to do His will and lead you by His good Spirit into what is upright, and may you know His peace through Jesus Christ today.