Having God lead you down your pathway of life can be the most positive experience imaginable. Learning about “The Inward Witness” can be life changing.  By Gary Shotton #000471

Inward Witness

By Gary Shotton

This text is in Extreme Rough draft and will be edited in the near future.

Hello my name is Gary Shotton, and I’m here as a part of inspiring better business, and today we’re going to talk about the subject Inward Witness.   Well I’ve been around the church world for most of my adult life and there’s a lot of slang or words that are used and in this particular case, we talk a lot about God’s leading me and how God leads me and God to give you direction, and there’s not much explanation on that and I’d like to try to tackle that and give you at least some insight on how I believe God leads me, and it’s focused on the word inward witness that God gives me a piece of supernatural piece, but how does that lead up how do I get that piece what is it like, at least for me. Now I would be naive to think that everyone is going to be exactly like me so please understand, I’m just sharing my story, and maybe it will help you. Well first of all there’s lots of references to God leading that there’s angels, appearing in the middle of the night with Peter and Paul. And there’s times where there’s, there’s, dreams and visions and. And there’s times we read in the Bible that there’s someone spoke or the Spirit of God spoke or Jesus appeared. Well, I just got to admit, none of that has ever happened to me. Not once. Now, I don’t feel left out, I mean there’s probably a really good reason and if I had time, I would explain why I think that is but I’m not worried because I know that God’s leading me and the primary way he leaves me is what is commonly called the N word witness or what I’m calling the inward witness, what do I need by that. Well, there’s a three steps that I believe God consistently takes me through. When I’m seeking His will, or when I’m at a crossroads and making a decision, or I’m I’m trying to make a redirection in my life, and these things repeatedly have happened to me in this sequence, and maybe it’s helpful to you. Number one, I’ve always, I’ve learned that when I’m trying to make a decision I’m trying to hear God’s voice I want him to like God like guide me and lead me. He doesn’t just say what he’s going to do, he just doesn’t nudge me into that direction until I’ve done my research until I’ve done my investigation. You see, there’s several reasons but I can think of two these. Number one, I need to show some action. You know I’m not just here thinking oh I want to own a business well have you taken any steps to owning that business, have you done some research, as you narrow the possibilities. Are you really interested in this, are you just casually one morning thinking wow, it’d be nice to own a business. Well, there’s an action necessary on my part, I can give you examples I’ll give you examples at the end of this on three or four situations that surface that I made major decisions only after I had done some investigation. Another good reason you need to have some facts you need to see what a normal cost would be our what a normal outcome of this decision you’re making, because God wants to be known as the supernatural. So if you don’t know what it would take to buy this or or invest in this or, or do this or move to a new location. If you haven’t done any investigation you don’t know that when God has supernaturally blessed you, you would know that because you know what the baseline is, you know what it would have taken with the in the natural so there’s a natural blesses supernatural, put together is a powerful force, so don’t send around just waiting for the inward witness to tell you to get out of bed and go get a job and and advance in your career, you’re going to have to take some action number two.

I found that there’s a period of waiting. After I’ve done my investigation after I’d done my study after I have I have done my research I’m continually doing the research, but I pause, it’s like I put my life on pause my thought pattern on pause, and when I do that, I don’t know all that’s happening behind the scenes I don’t know if it’s a time period for God to kind of line up other people that, that that are usually involved in this happening maybe a buyer coming that way or something happening, but it for sure gives me some rest. I don’t jump, I don’t have to do a thing. I’m going to walk in peace and I’m going to have that period of resting, so I develop my patients. And sometimes, this, this is a week or two. When I bought my machine shop that I currently own. I had about a six month patient time is a big decision yet I felt that God was leading me with an inward witness and I did what he led me after I’d done my research, after I had walked in peace I after I let things kind of simmer if you’re going to have a nice meal. A got nice POTUS Do you want to put it on the on the on the oven on the stove and let it simmer and get all the flavor in it. Well, I’ll let this simmer for a little while, whatever is appropriate.

Number three, when I have done that. And the opportunity presents itself, I take action, I don’t wait around. I don’t have around, I think this is without a doubt, and I supernatural leading of God, and I better do it not quick, in the sense that it’s going to get away from me, but I’m not going to continue my research I’m going to make a decision. I have an attitude that I know that I know, this is what I should do. I have an attitude that I have like a holy piece, I have a piece about this. I’m confident and my wife’s confident with me, if it’s a major decision that affects her and affects our family, of course, why would I want to make those decisions without her participation. Maybe she doesn’t do all the research maybe she doesn’t dig deeper into the dig, but she will have a piece about what we’re doing as well, I’m not dragging her down along the path that I want to go, we’re walking down that path together, and yes I’m normally taking the lead on a lot of this, but it’s not necessarily that order, but that’s what happens in my life. So I’m going to give you a quick example of maybe how you might think about this, maybe you can imagine the time when you first learned how to drive a car, and you got in the car, and in my case I was born and raised on a farm and ranch so I bypass that study and the driver’s ed. I just had a dad and said hey, let’s, let’s go driving and I’ve helped a number of young teenagers, especially about 15 year old kids that they are, become a friend of the family and because hey let’s go out driving a Wyatt. Well, I love to sit over there in that passenger seat and let them drive in an open parking lot where they can hit anything and then they get on the road, just for a little bit and they’re nervous while I’m watching that. So let’s suppose that you’re in that driver’s seat, and let’s suppose that the Holy Spirit is over there training leading and guiding you. Well, he’s not once he’s let you have the wheel unless he has dual controls, he has to have trusted that you can at least handle the difficulties that are set before you, as, as the copilot as the instructor, he may give you some directions like when you get to the next corner, turn on your blinker and turn left. Well, he’s giving you instructions, you’re on the pathway, he’s leading and guiding you, he may guide us with with some instructions like hey you’re getting too close to the edge. Watch that yellow line. Watch that white line. He’s giving you guidance and instruction, so that you go down this pathway. Well I believe we’re on a pathway in life. I think God the Holy Spirit is setting beside us in some way like that instructor when I was learning how to drive, and after a while, I’ve actually learned how to drive, not without him. Not without the Spirit of God, but without a lot of day to day, instant repeated guidance just down the simple highway, but boy, if there is going to be a wreck in the out front, or there’s a disaster there bridges out, the Spirit of God is there to guide you and lead you and help you. That’s what he’s going to do for you. There’s the more miraculous things that could happen. Well quickly. I had an opportunity to buy some trailers for my first business I had needed some trailers so bad, I had a trucking company, and I was supernaturally presented the opportunity to buy 10 trailers for the price of one brand new trailer 10 used trailers man without the details, I had done my research I was about to go go buy something, the best I could find. I was patient and all, was I anxious because I need these trailers, and then there was just this nudge this inward witness go check it that time was it was fax machines and I went Check the paper the fax machine. Whoa, right there, my home office had told about another agent that had 10 Or, more than 1015 traders, and I made a deal I left. Within hours I called him right away. I drove all night to get there, so that I could buy a car ended up 11 trailers for the price of one brand new and they were already painted, let’s talk about when I bought my current business buy machine shop. Wow, this is going to be a major decision. I’m already age 55 I don’t have to do this I believe God’s leading me. I did my research I did my research, I studied it I had spreadsheets I had I had Excel.  What if the worst case scenario, what is the best case scenario, I was six months with some 26 Different modified versions of what could go wrong or what could go right. And then I waited, and I almost made a mistake but somebody wanted to be partners and I said no, that’s not gonna be good. I waited, I had a piece, and then the opportunity came, I took it. I took it. I didn’t wait, just recently on a much smaller thing I needed some extra equipment, it doesn’t matter what it is, I really need it now, it was some hoist and the jib crane that held the hoist and I had waited too long, but I did my research I searched search a bay I searched every place I could look, I’ll search to see what the price ought to be, and it was only, you know, the Combine price of these two things would normally cost at least seven $8,000 And I’d have a huge lead time I needed them now, and this opportunity came someone I was talking with, did you see this, oh no I didn’t see that. I called somebody had five of these would be exactly what I need, I was able to buy two of them and send somebody to pick them up the next day I acted on it.

The God, the Spirit of God will guide you and lead you. I believe for my case, the inward witness. Thanks for being a part of Inspiring Better Business.