Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 NASB
I had a BIG idea in the shower this morning. Last month I posed the question, “My Idea or His?” (See my blog on 10-31-23.) So, I thought it would be fun to include you in my decision-making process.
The portrait that I painted of the little girl posted here is the seed of the idea. As I shared my painting with friends and family, they started to ask if I would take commissions. I laughed it off. But maybe God has another plan. . .
Here is the idea: I could paint several other children’s portraits and create a display with a QR Code for donating to my favorite anti-trafficking ministry. The idea then morphed into: Maybe I could take those commissions. In exchange for painting their child or grandchild, they would donate $1000 to that anti-trafficking ministry.
They sound like great ideas. It would be a lot of time and effort on my part. But if it is for the Lord, I am delighted to do it. So how do I decide if it is my idea or His?
Just like the prophetic words talked about in 1 John above, ideas must be checked against the scripture and the character of God. And in this particular case, to guard my heart against pride, I need to ask who will be glorified?
So far, so good.
Then I look for confirmation before I proceed with an idea. And if it is a BIG idea, like this one, I may wait for two or three confirmations. I have limited time and energy; is this how God would want me to spend it? Am I reaping the maximum value for the Kingdom of God?
The confirmation may come as an internal witness of the Holy Spirit. It may come from the body of Christ or other wise counsel. God may highlight a scripture in my daily reading. Or an opportunity may just drop in my lap. Yes, God works through circumstances as well.
Since I just had the idea this morning, I have not received any confirmation yet. I’ll let you know if and when God does confirm. Then you can be among the first to put in your request for a painting 😊