So many times we all wish we had a gift to peer into the future. All men desire that gift so they can live their life accordingly. They want to be able to avoid the pitfalls, and get right to the great things that will happen. They desire the gift so they will make the right choice.
Well, we have that gift, it comes from God. A gift all born again Christians get when they accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. It's the gift of discernment, and all we need to take advantage of that gift is to put our faith in Christ to do for us that which He promises. Now if He gave us a gift to see the future outright, then He would not expect us to live by faith. We need to have faith that God will direct our path. Today's chosen Scripture from Proverb 3 verses 5 & 6,
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,"HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATH." The one who knows the end since the beginning is God, and He knows every situation you are going to face, and He knows every pitfall in your future. This should give you all the confidence you need to boldly move forward, because if you follow His direction that it is the right path. Oh it may not be the easiest path, but it will lead to the desired goals.
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. Proverb 3:5-6
In today's world especially we all need proper direction and that direction can only come from God. Being in the world without God as your guide is like being out on the ocean without a compass or on land in a white out snow storm. In your life I know you have seen many who have had to go back to square one, because of the bad choices in their life. I know, because as a young man I was there. I kept doing things my way, and I was stubborn as a billy goat kicking at the goads. I would trudge along until I finally hit a wall, just to ultimately awake to fact it has lead to no where.
Like myself, there are way too many men and women just sailing along on a course they know not where it will end. They may seem happy and content, but eventually the path they are on is one that goes in circles and they end up right where they began. The problem is they are in control, and they are proud of it. Truth is, unless His hand is on the wheel, one's end will be sadness and despair. Even if they get through this life, their end will be a separation from God forever.
The desire to take things into our own hands becomes strong at times. I see Him steering me into a storm and my mind tells me to grab the rudder to steer around it. That is when I listen to that voice in my heart that tells me to give it to the Lord. Ever notice that when you allow God to control things that by the time you get to where the storm was, it's calm. Then you notice that the storm moved right to the very place your brain was telling you to go. Your like, “Wow! Thanks Lord. You saved me from my stupid self.”
See? God knows the future. All we can do is guess, and without Him in control our guesses are usually wrong. The flesh is a controlling deceiving creature. I have learned from trials and errors, that the Scriptures are always correct, that to trust and believe with my heart is greater than to trust or believe with my head. “My Son give me thine heart, (Proverb 23:26) for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverb 4:23)”
The Proverb says, "lean not on your own understanding." Ever get into a pickle, or something terrible happens and your mind starts thinking, “I can't understand why God allowed this to happen to me?" People are always trying to second guess the Lord by trying to understand all His ways. We should all be happy that He only called us to trust and have faith. If He called us to understand we would have been lost long ago.
Many times the Israelite's questioned Moses and His God for leading them into the desert. They were especially distraught when the God of Moses led them to a dead at the shore of the Red Sea. Imagine the angst of believing Pharaoh's was going to slaughter them, instead of God rescuing them. How could they know that God was going to part the waters for them to walk across a bridge He had been preparing for them over a thousand years.
Our understanding is so limited, and based only on what we know, which is more times than not very faulty. Our understanding is similar to that of those on the Titanic. All they saw was a small iceberg floating in the water. They had no clue that small iceberg was but 5% of what they hit. Even today, men see the temperatures rise and they claim the world is at an end. No matter how smart men get, the more they ignore God, and trust their own knowledge, the more God makes a fool out of them.
"In all your ways acknowledge Him." Not some, but “ALL.” Acknowledge Him, by asking Him what you should do in any situation. Acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Turn everything over to Him during the day as situations arise. Learn to look to Him for guidance, and "He shall direct your path." Have faith in the One who created you, and that he will properly guide you through the world He expects you to live in. Remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 So lean not on your own understanding, but lean on Him and He shall direct your path.
I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen and may the good Lord bless you and yours
Proverb 3 (NKJV)
Guidance for the Young
01 My son, do not forget my law,
00 But let your heart keep my commands;
02 For length of days and long life
00 And peace they will add to you.
03 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
00 Bind them around your neck,
00 Write them on the tablet of your heart,
04 And so find favor and high esteem
00 In the sight of God and man.
05 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
00 And lean not on your own understanding;
06 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
00 And He shall direct your paths.
07 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
00 Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
08 It will be health to your flesh,
00 And strength to your bones.
09 Honor the LORD with your possessions,
00 And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
00 And your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
00 Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects,
00 Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
00 And the man who gains understanding;
14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
00 And her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
00 And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand,
00 In her left hand riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
00 And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
00 And happy are all who retain her.
19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
00 By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
00 And clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes--
00 Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul
00 And grace to your neck.
23 Then you will walk safely in your way,
00 And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
00 Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
00 Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the LORD will be your confidence,
00 And will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
00 When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
00 "Go, and come back,
00 And tomorrow I will give it,"
00 When you have it with you.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
00 For he dwells by you for safety's sake.
30 Do not strive with a man without cause,
00 If he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy the oppressor,
00 And choose none of his ways;
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD,
00 But His secret counsel is with the upright.
33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
00 But He blesses the home of the just.
34 Surely He scorns the scornful,
00 But gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise shall inherit glory,
00 But shame shall be the legacy of fools.
The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs was to reveal the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations. It appears that no topic escaped King Solomon's attention. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and Godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.
Without wisdom, knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, influenced by emotional feelings. Many highly educated people are in positions of power in the United States, but very few of those educated leaders have the wisdom needed to rule properly. .
One can say that they have been educated well beyond their intelligence. A cursory look at the court system will prove my point that knowledge without wisdom will only lead to an immoral society that eventually crumbles from within. Judges are supposed to be above the fray, and immovable to emotions. Instead, the vast majority of judges today are Godless individuals who are vacant of wisdom. So their rulings are totally based upon emotional feelings. .
We the people are to blame, because we ignored God's guidance in appointing our leaders. Instead of putting leaders full wisdom in power, we instead chose those who would scratch our itchy ears to lead us. .
Of the 31 Proverbs, only the first 24 were written by Solomon. King Hezekiah wrote 5, Proverbs 25 to 29, Agur wrote Proverb 30, and Lemuel wrote Proverb 31. Now many believe Lemuel was in fact King Solomon and Lemuel was just a nick name his Mother, Bathsheba gave him. We are told that Solomon write over 3000 Proverbs and composed 1000 songs, but the only Proverbs God decided to preserve for us are Proverbs 1-24. Like the New Testament epistle by James, it is impossible to get a chronological outline for a study since they all bounce from subject to subject..
Along with my daily routine of reading the Bible, I try to read through the book of Proverbs once a Month. It's an easy task when you consider there are 31 Proverbs. So all you need to know is what day of the Month it is. In the Months that have 30 days, or in the case of February, I just double up by reading more than one two proverb so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.
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