Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Are you in or headed into major changes in your life? Are you facing difficult challenges you’ve never encountered before? Are you unsure of the path forward and don’t know what the “right” decision is to make? Are you in feeling like you’ve wandered onto a battlefield and don’t know what to do?
These two verses the Holy Spirit has ‘highlighted’ to me through numerous times where my wife and I faced questions like I just posed in the above paragraph. It has kind of become my ‘mantra’ when I am attempting to walk through major challenges and difficulties. I quickly remind myself of the ‘steps’ they lay out. It has become a ‘peace’ giving exercise to my mind and heart as I attempt to be obedient to the Holy Spirit with His instructions given to me.
My spiritual and mental “job” is to trust Him with all that is within me. I am to trust Him with all of my mind, heart (emotions, fears, doubts, and thoughts), and body as I attempt to walk out His guidance He is giving me. Is it easy? Never. It ALWAYS takes ‘faith’ (that intangible thing He has placed within me by His divine providence). So, it is the ‘exercise’ of faith THROUGH obedience that is to be activated and worked out… all the while my soul most likely is in ‘fear and trembling’.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13
OH boy …have I so often tried to lean on my own understanding rather than ask Him for His advice and counsel. I have to learn to ‘pause’ and quell the nervous soul and ‘screaming’ mind – and refocus on Jesus. Then once I am focused and beginning to calm myself, I then have to ask the Holy Spirit what He wants me to do in that moment and going forward. Often times ‘my understanding’ is NOT what He suggests I do, and I have to be humble enough, and surrendered enough to Him, to actually go in the direction He wants me to go. Going with ‘my understanding’ hasn’t always helped my situation especially if I am in a ‘reactive’ state.
Do I acknowledge Him – in EVERYTHING I am doing? If we are doing something that takes us into arguing or trying to persuade / reason / convince the Holy Spirit – I would suggest NOT taking that action. SLOW DOWN. Listen to His advice to your heart. You KNOW what He is trying to get through to you – IF you are truly surrendered to Him. Are you able to acknowledge the Lord in front of strangers? In front of your family? In front of your spouse? Is He really the One who is guiding your life and giving you direction? Are you afraid to actually testify that to others throughout your day? Ask Him what He wants you to say. Can you hear Him?
Do you really believe that the Lord will make your ‘paths straight’? Do you really believe He will make EVERYTHING work to His advantage in your life?
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Lord Jesus – we give everything and everyone to You today…. Holy Spirit please direct my path, show me which way to go.