This excerpt provides a sneak peek of 7 Secrets to Power Praying: How to Access God’s Wisdom and Miracles Every Day by Jane Glenchur 

Google or God - where do we go first for answers? In this age of technology, the Internet has become the default source of wisdom for making decisions.

Have we replaced God with a computer, when we really need to learn how to access the Author of all knowledge? Youth especially have grown up clutching a mouse instead of a parent’s hand in prayer. Technology seems to have taken priority over a better source of wisdom. So whom do you search first, Google or God?

I typed fear of flying help into the search window today. Google produced 18,400,000 results. Eight years ago I prayed one prayer, and God healed me of my fear of flying in fewer than fifteen minutes. Here is what happened.

After terrorists hijacked American jetliners and struck the World Trade Center, I refused to board a plane for the next four years. While I was praying with a friend one day, the Lord told me that He wanted to heal my fear. My response? “I don’t want to be healed. If He heals me, I will have to fly, and I don’t want to fly.”

My logic was no match for His divine wisdom. With my friend’s encouragement, I agreed to cooperate with God. He began by showing me that the design of a jet plane originated with Him. He began to impress on my mind the intricacy of a jet plane until I trusted the fact that if He could invent something so complicated, He could ensure my safety while flying in it. I gave Him my fear and asked Him to remove it. He did.

Any time we choose to seek the most logical approach to a problem, we need to be mindful that not every logical idea originates in the heart of God. I have learned that as I read Scripture and ask God to direct my thoughts, He transforms my mind. When I need to make a decision, I submit the issue to the Lord and ask for His guidance. The next step is crucial: listening for His directions. This is where many believers miss God’s will and His best for their lives. We assume that after we ask for wisdom, we do not need to listen.

When Christians meet to solve a problem, for instance, we often begin with a prayer for wisdom - but then the rest of the session consists of batting ideas around the table. Brainstorming is not a sin, but a consensus of believers does not guarantee that our solution is God’s answer to the problem.

Better yet, why not “Google” God first and simply ask, “Lord, what would You have me do in this situation?” When we quiet our minds and listen for His heart, God often provides novel solutions up front that are extraordinarily better than what we can dream up. If He is silent, we can proceed with brainstorming, but still leave the final choice to Him.

Jesus modeled the way God wants us to live our lives. He spent long hours in the night seeking His Father’s will through prayer and listening. He did only what God directed Him to do (see John 5:30). He did not sit with the disciples and brainstorm; He sought God.

Romans 8:6 states that the mind of the flesh is “sense and reason without the Holy Spirit” (Amplified). Jesus had to leave earth in order for the Holy Spirit to come dwell in us (see John 16:7). Why is the Holy Spirit so vital to believers? In addition to being the Comforter, God’s Spirit guides us into all truth and tells us things that will happen in the future (see John 16:13). Through Him we have direct access to the unlimited wisdom of our Creator—the one true God who sees all, knows all and is never too busy to direct us in every situation.

What more do we need to make wise decisions, to be in the center of God’s will for ourselves and our families? Google might provide millions of “answers,” but God will provide the one right answer.

God’s solutions to your problems will often defy human logic. Follow Jesus’ example and let the Holy Spirit guide you to the truth. Simply invite Him into your decision-making. Why settle for the limitations of the human mind when you can access God’s perfect answers to your problems?