You may be at a split in the road that requires a bold and courageous decision. A decision you are uncertain of. You may be at a deciding point in your life that changes the trajectory of your future, but you don’t know which way to go.

How do you make these big decisions? How do you choose which way to go and what to do next?

Well, of course, there’s the obvious answer … PRAY ABOUT IT.

It’s so obvious we almost don’t even acknowledge it. Like really, we don’t even acknowledge the undeniable power we have direct access to when we pray. You’re saying, “what do I do now” … I say “pray about it” … and you say yeah, “but really, WHAT do I do?” Like for real, PRAY ABOUT IT!

Have you prayed about the very thing you’re worrying about? Have you brought your cross-roads to the cross? Have you petitioned the all-knowing for a little knowledge? Have you consulted with God on your current circumstances? Have you ASKED?

Jesus told us in Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given to you.”

Now we’re back to the question of HOW DO YOU KNOW? When you’re asking God for which way to go, how do you know his answer? If he’s not speaking in an audible voice, if he’s not throwing down flashing arrows and prominent signs, how do you know where God is directing you? How do you know where to go next when God’s not directing your GPS step-by-step instructions?

Well, here’s your answer … you have something greater than your limited knowledge directing you. Something bigger than your awareness. Something more powerful than a studied book of answers. You have the Spirit of God living within you, and that Spirit knows exactly what to do. That Spirit is fully aware of your potential and God’s purpose. That Spirit is high above your current problems with a perspective to see how it will all work together for your future. And that Spirit guides you.

When you do that simple, seemingly unimpressive and ineffective act of praying about it, you are actually consulting the powerful Spirit of God living within you and opening the connection for direct guidance from within. It may appear that nothing happens instantly. It may seem you’re still left to make these decisions on your own, but now because you prayed about it, your senses are fully in tune with details the Spirit wants to show you.

This is how you see signs. The Spirit of God dwelling within you simply directs your eyes to what has always been there for you.

This is how you come up with creative ideas for a solution. The Spirit of God dwelling within you connects two thoughts in your mind and sparks a new idea.

This is how you find the answers you seek. The Spirit of God dwelling within you whispers truths and possibilities to your Spirit, and leaves your head out of it. Then you just know. You can’t explain how you know, but you know.

So, yes, pray about it. Your prayers give the Spirit a mission. A mission to show you that which you are seeking. A mission to guide you through that which you’re stuck in. A mission to strengthen every area where you feel weak.

It is a ploy of the enemy to try and distract us from this power we have inside as believers. Of course he doesn’t want you to know what you already have. Of course he wants to keep you per-occupied with a never ending quest to buy, or concoct, or build, or search for what you as a follower of Christ have right now at this very moment. YOU HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD, and the crazy thing is all you have to do to access this power is simply pray.

Your prayer sets God’s power in motion. He shows you what you have been missing. He nudges you in the right direction. He reminds you of what you have forgotten. He puts you in the right place at the right time for the opportunity. He makes the connection. He aligns the details.

When you pray, do you actually EXPECT a response? Do you expect the start of a chain-reaction that makes an impact? Or do you pray out of obligation? Do you pray because that’s all you feel you CAN do?

Hey, what if God closed all those other doors so you would learn prayer is actually the most POWERFUL thing you can do. It doesn’t have to be your last ditch effort. In fact, it will save you a whole lot of painful learning experiences if you learn that lesson now. Prayer isn’t an obligatory step in the believer’s journey, it is the privileged access to power dwelling within us!

Philippians 4: 6-7 “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.”

Wait … what? Your prayers will then release a power that controls how you think and feel? YES! That’s exactly what we’re talking about. Your prayers may not radically change your circumstances, but if it can change the way you think, it will change the way you see things. If you change the way you see things, you’ll see things you didn’t see before. If you start seeing the things you were once missing, you can confidently make choices you were once so confused about. You can boldly take the next step. You can make your decisions with confidence and quit second-guessing your every step.

How? Stop worrying about it and pray about it. Then God’s spirit changes the way you think and feel!

If you went to a concert, you would need a special VIP pass to get backstage. That pass would allow you direct access to the superstars everyone else only gets to see on stage. Well girl, Jesus is our superstar and we don’t have to stand in the crowd and watch him from a stage. You have the VIP pass, now come behind the curtains! Talk directly to him!

Go behind the curtains constantly … Jesus never gets tired of your visits. He never wants to sushhhh you away. He’s been sitting there waiting on you to come talk to him all this time.

Maybe you’re hesitant because you feel like you’ve tried this whole “praying” thing before and it didn’t work. How do you know it didn’t work? You have no idea what God did in response to your request. You cannot see his power go forth and change the trajectory of the path you were on. You cannot see how future opportunities were aligned specifically for you years from now. You cannot see how the doors of hallways you weren’t even in yet were unlocked for you.

Coincidences. Timing. Mysteries. Unfoldings.

You simply have no clue what God has been doing in response to your previous prayers. 22 years ago today I became a mom. It was the result of a prayer I prayed years before that, then sat in the unknown waiting for it to unfold.

Not a single prayer you ever pray goes unheard. Not a single request you’ve ever made has been dismissed. God is delighted to unleash his power in your direction. You may not see it today, and sadly most of us never stop to realize it at all, but his mighty Spirit is continually at work within you. Guiding and directing, pointing and nudging, calming and delaying, strengthening and encouraging.

So today, right where you are, maybe at this split in the road that requires a courageous decision, a decision you’re uncertain of … PRAY. Pray, not because you have to in order to check some sort of “good Christian” box, but because you GET TO have direct access to Jesus. Because you want him to show you what you’ve been missing. Because you want him change the way you think and feel.

And he will. Every single time.