How do you know that what you are doing is glorifying the Lord, how can you tell when what you have set your mind to is what He wants you to do?
Take a moment sometime and count how many times you can find these two words together in Hebrews chapter eleven, in fact, you could search through the entire Word of God for them to be blessed.
“By faith.”
There are people out there, some of them standing behind pulpits, that say they can teach you how to hear the Lord speaking to you, how to hear the words of the Almighty in your heart and soul. I have no problem with this as long as what you are hearing has been written down for us in the Word of God, anything beyond that has the possibility, and a great probability, of being nothing more than either your imagination or your heart deceiving you.
Some will contend with this, but to them I ask this, can you back up what it is you say you are hearing with the Scriptures, can you say, “I am doing this because it is what the Lord says I am to do in His Word if indeed I am a child of His?”
Works-based religious organizations, cults, supposed good causes, all manner of evil has found its foundation in the imaginations of those who may at first had good intentions.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1st John 4:1)
Tried against what? Against the complete and inerrant Word of God.
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8)
How will you know it’s different, how are you to know if it is indeed truth? The Word of God.
“New revelations” are rampant these days, as one would expect when the days are evil. I have lost track of all the false prophets, those that claim to have received “a word from the Lord,” a dream or vision, a visitation from what they believe was an angel sent from the Most High, and it is nearly impossible to assist them to see truth, for they want to hear “something new,” something pertinent to these days, and their followers need the same.
“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” (1st Cor. 13:8)
The Word of God is not enough for them, and they refuse to believe the truth of Revelation 22:18, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:”
So, to answer the question for you, if you are doing something for the glory of God and you can prove it by the Word of God, you are doing what you should be doing. If not, then it is for vainglory, no matter how much you want to believe otherwise, for the only other answer would be is that you have either been deceived by our adversary, or self-deceived.
The same Word of God is a discerner of the heart, if you cannot verify what someone is saying, what you are saying, or what you are doing with the Scriptures then there is only one response you should have.
Stop.
Stop listening to them, stop following them, stop doing what it is you are doing, for it is not glorifying the Almighty.
Our idea of a good intention can sometimes be extremely misleading my friends, look at the world and its desire to enable all who will come to them.
By faith. Sometimes that means taking a step where you can see no firm place for your foot, but if it is in the Word of God, that step will find a strong foundation.