My Answer: God's Confirmation.

Below is a question someone receiving my devotions ask me. Below is my answerf.

QUESTION - Should we ask God for a “clear sign” or to give us a direction indication concerning a path or decision or person etc? When we have a sense of something, but we want clarity from God, is it as faithful to ask God for a clear answer, or is it truer faith to move forward without confirmation?

MY ANSWER - I strongly believe—out of experience—that we should always ask God for confirmation (clarity) of what we are sensing about a direction or purpose or circumstance etc. 

In our fallenness, no matter how mature. or how much faith we think we have, we do not have perfect perception of issues etc. Biblical faith is faith IN GOD. Faith is not about our faith in our own faith.

When we ask God, we trust him for guidance. So mature faith is not being overly cautious, and yet it is not acting too quickly. Biblical wisdom is to always ask God for confirmation, even if we feel pretty certain about something. 

God's confirmation can come in a variety of ways: 

(1) A stronger and increased internal conviction from the Holy Spirit. Your initial sense of something gets stronger and stronger. Your heart conviction increases and increasing each day. 

(2) Something someone says to you in conversation, without them knowing anything about your request to God.  Or someone tells you something they felt from God for you etc. 

(3) I always find it wise to ask a handful of close, trustworthy people (who will keep things confidential) concerning what you are sensing (without necessarily giving them all the details). To hear their feedback. Listen to hear God through them.

God's confirmation is often a combination of the points above. 

In the end, however, it does not mean that we will know 100 percent exactly what you are asking God about. But when the glass is ¾ full, we will likely have to act in faith with the glass still being 1/3 empty. I have had to do this many, many times. This is what faith and obedience are all about. 

Obeying God always has some unknown to it. A sense of risk or uncertainty is part of walking out our faith. But if we obey with humility before God and others, then we are on solid ground. 

I find there are two extremes:

(1) Those who act too quickly without any confirmation or clear conviction (answer) from God.

(2) Those who wait and wait and, in the end, do not act at all, even when the glass is ¾ full concerning God's clear (not absolute) direction.