Proverbs 3:1-12

I have seldom read from the Book of Proverbs, but that is going to change, as the readings this week from that book are eye-opening.  The lines are like "to do" lists or "don't do" lists for a life well lived. They are instructions for doing the next best thing, when we have stumbled, and we can find some fantastic one-liners to live by.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

I question how many times in life, when faced with a decision, did I make the wrong choice because I was going by my 'gut' and not turning to God?  How often did I rush to a conclusion and base that conclusion on my instincts without ever once turning to the One who Knows best?

There have always been difficult decisions to make in life, there will always be seasons when we need all the help we can get just to survive another day.  How do we do this, how to we get the help we need, when we need it?  For me, I have to write down the dilemma facing me, (you knew I would say that, didn't you?) then I ask God to give me His Word on the subject.  For me personally, I turn to one of the devotionals I read daily and start there.

Often God speaks to me with a Scripture that jumps off the page.  More often than not the verse will confirm what I was sensing in my heart, or it will make clear to me that my idea was way off base.  Many times I will still wait for more confirmation.  God will use other people to do this and it can come so subtly I have to be watching for His answer, listening with a still Spirit. (Psalm 46:10)

Trusting God takes practice.  Leaning on Him for answers to life's problems takes courage and faith.  Acknowledging God as our Source of success and the Way to happiness will take all the pressure off of us and put it squarely on the shoulders that can handle it.

Read Proverbs 3:1-12 here

Listen to Proverbs 3:1-12 here