3 Questions to Help Discern God’s Voice at a Crossroad

Life’s paths are rarely straightforward. In our youth, we think righteousness means getting everything right. However, God uses sharp turns, dead-ends, detours, and U-turns to correct our steps and bring us closer to Him. As my life grows more challenging, I often face difficult decisions and pray to hear God’s voice above the many options, guiding my next step. If you are at a crossroads and desire to discern God’s voice, start with these three questions.

Where is God leading me?

In college, my roommates and I embarked on an adventure. We mapped our journey from LA to San Francisco to take in the sights and check off bucket list items. Before smartphones, we planned the scenic road trip as best we could, cameras at the ready. Hours into our drive up the iconic Pacific Coast Highway, we encountered orange signs denoting a detour. Our eyes glanced to the left, where miles of vast ocean extended, then up to the right, where a steep mountain range loomed overhead. Unfamiliar with the area, we felt like this must be a joke. No construction workers were present. No other cars were with us. No cell service was available. Our nervous laughter roared in disbelief, hoping that these signs would eventually lead us to our intended destination.

Sure enough, another sign directed us off our intended path. We had no choice but to follow it over miles of narrow winding paths stretching up into the clouds and back down onto a parallel road on the other side. Often, we find ourselves on a similar forced detour. Our planned paths forward on smooth, clear roadways are often interrupted by detours to a better adventure just on the other side of the unknown. God promises we will still get to where we are going if we follow Him, but we must learn to read His word and trust that it is a reliable guide.

So, ask yourself: where has God led you in the past, and where might He be guiding you today? Take inventory of what He has given or what he has withheld in this season. If you want to pursue that dream, has He opened the margin of time for you to pursue it, or is it better to wait a little longer? Is there a change that you can’t afford not to act upon today? Take heart: God promises not to lead you astray even when you can’t see the road up ahead.

Is this in step with God’s design for me?

Have you ever played a game where you try to match steps with someone else? You know, the one where your right step matches their right step and your left foot marches in sync with theirs? To sync up our rhythms, one person must be the pacesetter while the other must adjust. So, it is with our lives in Christ. We have a guide and a pacesetter, and He invites us to match up our lives with the design that He laid out from the very beginning; otherwise, we stumble.

In Galatians 5:25, Paul shares the same concept, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Earlier in verse 16, we read what keeping in step with the Spirit means: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

When you find yourself at a crossroads, pray and ask God to help you discern your desires. Are they for the purpose of building comfort and convenience, or will this decision better reflect God’s glory? How can you better keep in step with Him this month? Take a step forward, knowing the Spirit is your helper and your pacesetter.

What fruit might this produce in my life?

We desire to know the end destination, don’t we? Often, I feel like my younger children on a long road trip, asking God over and over, “Are we there yet?” Once I’m at the end, then I suppose I will finally feel like the hard work is completed, but this journey of faith continues.

One question that has helped our family discern God’s voice when facing a decision is evaluating what fruit will be produced in the process. As Galatians 5:22 states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

Knowing the fruit that grows from keeping in step with the Spirit helps me examine a decision ahead of me. I have discovered it’s beneficial to evaluate what fruit will be produced with a commitment before saying yes or no. Will that new job help cultivate the fruit that God intends for my life? Will it add more chaos or more peace? Will this new time commitment interfere with my engaging in a God-honoring community or isolate me? Does this financial investment still allow us to be an instrument to help serve others, or will it use up our margin? Clarity will come as you view your decisions through the fruit produced over the desires presented. Then, you are more equipped to say yes or no with confidence.

The good news is that the Bible serves as an invitation to follow the One who helps us navigate this map of life. So, rather than trying to wait for God to match our preferences and desires, try assessing where God is leading, if it’s in step with His design, and what fruit it will produce along the way. The best news is that just like my car full of friends, God has not left us on this adventure to figure it out on our own. His sovereign hand is guiding us all the while, and He will provide what we need. Above all, wherever you go, know God is with you through every twist and turn.