Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”
Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “God provides the guidance we need.”
As we walk sequentially through the Proverbs, extracting nuggets of Godly wisdom along the way, we come to a passage that is one of my personal life verses. Proverbs 3:5-6 has been extremely helpful and reassuring to me over the years because it serves to get me moving, and to keep me moving, rather then getting mired in indecision and doubts. That’s true even when (especially when) I don’t have a clear word from God on an issue, but have come to the point where action has to be taken and something has to be done.
In such cases I am to trust in the Lord with all my heart. That means that I am to commit the situation to Him and trust Him for the outcome. But also I am not to rely just on my own understanding of what constitutes a good decision. In other words, whatever action I decide to take I need to check it against the Word of God to make sure that whatever it is I intend to do is consistent with Biblical principles. Then I must think about Him in all my ways. That means that my attitude must be, “Not my will but Yours be done.” My desire must truly be that God’s will is honored in whatever I say or do next.
Then, once I’m sure my heart is right, and I have checked myself Biblically to be sure my intended course of action is well within Biblical guidelines, I just begin walking it out, trusting that God will guide me in the path He wants me to walk to achieve the outcome He wants me to achieve. He will open the doors that need to be opened and He will close the doors that need to be closed in order for His will to be done in this matter.
Remember, God wants to be obeyed by His people. It’s in God’s own interest that we ultimately do the things that He wants us to do and accomplish the outcomes that He wants accomplished. That being the case, He is not going to just sit back and watch us go off in directions He never intended for us to go in if we are sincerely trying to get it right and if we are genuinely trying to do what we believe He wants us to do. He will gently, even subtly, nudge and poke and prod and keep us moving in the right direction. He will open and close doors as needed to get us where He wants us to be.
So by all means take the time to figure things out before you make decisions and take actions. Be patient as you pray and study and get spiritual counseling; then wait on the Lord’s clear direction about what you should do. But if the time comes when a decision must be made and action must be taken, but you still don’t have a clear word from the Lord, that’s the time to check your heart, make sure you want only His will to be done in this situation, and then just start walking it forward, trusting the Lord to guide your steps.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 