"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6
Truly, it's foolish NOT to do this. God sees from a totally different perspective than we do. He knows all the circumstances of our lives. He knows the enemy planning to attack us, and he knows the temptations that will try to lure us off the right path. He, and he alone, knows our future. So what folly it is for a person to lean on his own limited understanding and perspective, and ignore the God of heaven who knows all.
Therefore the Word of God advises us to resist leaning on our own understanding, to resist trying to figure every situation out, to resist making decisions on our own. We don't have enough knowledge of the hidden things in order to make right decisions. If you proceed according to the dictates of the understanding you feel you have ...then you're on your own.
vs 7-8:
"Do not be wise in your own eyes.
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
and strength to your bones."
If you walk in total trust in the Lord, you WILL depart from evil. Who would drink a glass of poison deliberately? That's exactly what walking in evil is. Man doesn't believe that sin will bring any judgment upon him, because The Liar has spoken to him telling him that nothing bad will happen. Here, drink this, it only has a LITTLE poison in it but it's so pleasant. That is a lie from hell.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked,
for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."
Galatians 6:7
God is the one who has created nature's laws and who has put into life the principles of his Word. In nature, if you throw a ball up it will come down. Gravity is a law so sure that no one would even think to deny it - yet they would deny the spiritual laws that the same God has established. One of those laws is that whatever a person sows, he is going to reap. This law is unavoidable. Yes, there is forgiveness of sin, but the spiritual law of sowing and reaping remains in effect. If a woman commits adultery, she can be forgiven. But if a baby is conceived, God’s forgiveness won’t change that fact. This is an obvious example of sowing and reaping, but it is presented here only because it's so obvious. The fact is that all sin produces a reaping from what one has sown. If you gossip against someone, you can be sure someone will gossip against you. That's the way it works. We reap what we sow.
vs 8:
"For he who sows to his flesh WILL of the flesh reap corruption,
but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."
The opposite is also true. If a person sows righteousness, he will receive the blessings of the principles of God. If he chooses to humble himself before God, God will honor him, so if one wants honor, the way to achieve that is to humble oneself before God. The way up is down.
"And whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Matthew 23:12
Therefore, turn all that makes up your life over to the only One who knows all about you. Surrender all to him, and he WILL direct your paths. Acknowledge him in everything, big and small, major and minor, and you will find him faithful. Trust in him therefore, with ALL of your heart and let HIM lead you.
"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation,
on you I wait all the day."
Psalm 25:4-5
"O you simple ones, understand prudence,
and you fools, be of an understanding heart.
Listen, for I will speak of excellent things..."
Proverbs 8:5-6
Excellent things…
When a young person sets his eyes on what he wants out of life, he formulates a plan on how to get there - education, wise investing, whatever is needed for him to reach his goal. But God says that wisdom is more valuable and more important than all of that. The wise will seek after wisdom, trusting that the Word of God is the most valuable thing he can find. And if he finds it, he will then discover that wisdom is the highest and most powerful way to achieve the very desires of one's heart.
It is the Lord who created us, and the goals of our lives HE puts into our hearts. One will want to sail the ocean, another may want to be a musician, a doctor, a teacher, we're all different and those differences have been placed in our hearts by God himself. The WAY to find their fulfillment is by following the One who put them into our hearts in the first place. We have a choice: seek the wisdom and counsel of God, or pursue what we want on our own. One leads to fulfillment, the other can lead to all kinds of troubles and great disappointments. If one understands this, it will be with joy that he seeks the wisdom of God for his life.
"The Lord will give grace and glory;
no good thing will he withhold
from those who walk uprightly."
Psalm 84:11
The heart of God is always seeking the best for his believers. People resist coming to the Lord because they fear he will ask too much of them. They fear he may want them to be missionaries in Africa or some such fearsome thing in their eyes. These are ...lies. And they are clever lies, because they prevent many from surrendering their lives to the Lord.
No, God plans the best for his believers. If he wants you to go to Africa, he will put Africa into your heart burning so deeply that you will single-mindedly focus on being a missionary in Africa, and it will come naturally to you. That's how wisdom works. It is God who puts within us the desires of our hearts, and it is only God who can make the way for us to get there successfully. Don't fear that he will want to make you into something that you're not. He made you. And he wants to fulfill the very desires you have in your heart. He put them there, he can be trusted to fulfill them if you seek his plan for your life.
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11
Seek the Lord, therefore, and not the wealth of the world. In him you will find all you need to fulfill the desires of your heart.
"Receive my instruction, and not silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold;
for wisdom is better than rubies,
and all the things one may desire
cannot be compared with her."
Proverbs 8:19-11
When one has found wisdom, his eyes will be opened to truth. And what he discovers in wisdom and truth he will come to treasure above all the treasures of the world. This has to be experienced to be believed, and when it is, the things of the world will fade in comparison to the riches he has found in following the Lord. It will bring him "joy unspeakable and full of glory." This is a true saying. He will find in wisdom the treasures of sound counsel, he will find understanding which he did not have before, and it will delight him above all else.
Seek after the Lord, and not the world. In the Lord is joy and satisfaction because he will lead you to the fulfillment of all that is in your heart. But for him who seeks the things of the world, he will never achieve what he is yearning for, that yearning in his heart will never be satisfied.
vs 17:
"I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently will find me."
Seek him diligently, therefore, and find the life your heart yearns for.
"Evil pursues sinners, but to the righteous, good shall be repaid." Proverbs 13:21 Evil pursues sinners, but evil also pursues the righteous. When a person is born again it's as though he has had a bull's-eye placed on his back. He/she has become a threat to the kingdom of Satan. Satan will assign his demonic forces to try to silence this emissary of the Lord and destroy the good he might do. He sends all manner of evil against him and many times the believer is perplexed as to why this evil has come upon him, not realizing what a threat he is to the kingdom of Satan. There is a second reason that the believer is hated by Satan, and that is that the believer is going to inherit what once belonged to Satan. Satan was created the most beautiful and powerful of all the angels, and was given great honor as a choice one of God. But his beauty and power made him intoxicated with pride which led him to think he could become equal to God, or even to surpass God: "You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you... Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;" Ezekiel 28:15, 17 "For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'” Isaiah 14:13, 14 Count the multiple “I wills...” Deceived by his own pride, thinking he could overthrow God, Satan managed to amass one third of the angels to follow him in his revolt. For that sin, he lost his position in heaven and was cast out, along with the angels that followed him. vs 12: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" Jesus referred to this also: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." Luke 10:18 And now, it is the followers of Jesus who will inherit the Kingdom of God, so you can see why believers are hated. When Satan lost the battle in his revolt, he lost everything, and now his hatred consumes him, hatred for all that God loves and hatred for those who belong to him. That's why you're walking around with a bull's eye on your back. But the Word of God says that God will turn it all around for the good, for those who love him: "And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 Satan cannot win. Though he strike out in vengeance toward those belonging to the Lord, the Lord will turn it all around for the good of the believer. Not only that, but the good is going to far outweigh the evil that was hurled at them. "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:18 Believer, do not be shaken by what the devil throws at you. Stand firm knowing that there is a reason for it, that it's meant to discourage you, to silence you, to prevent you from leading anyone else out of the Satanic kingdom. But God is faithful and he has promised to turn everything thrown at you to the good. "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good..." Genesis 50:20
