{"id":533,"date":"2010-05-19T17:54:18","date_gmt":"2010-05-19T17:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template15\/?p=533"},"modified":"2013-02-19T12:37:59","modified_gmt":"2013-02-19T20:37:59","slug":"do-not-lean-on-your-own-understanding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/do-not-lean-on-your-own-understanding\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Not Lean on Your Own Understanding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Read part 1 first, Trust In The Lord<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Proverbs 3:5-6<\/strong><\/em>
\nTrust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
\nIn all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Lean on Your Understanding<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The verse involves a positive\u2013something you must do. But it also involves a negative\u2013something you must not do. Don\u2019t lean on your own understanding. Basically, the verse is telling us that we ought not to be self-reliant. We cannot pursue a course of action, a financial decision, a business move, a relationship, or an educational choice, simply based on our own understanding. It must be founded in our trust in God.<\/p>\n

Self-reliance is such a deceptive trap. We begin to pride ourselves in something\u2013our savvy, our looks, our intellect, our spirituality, our family, whatever. And when we do, it takes away our trust in the Lord. It has become trust in self. The result is a dangerous compromise that will lead to destruction.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instead, Acknowledge God. In Everything.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The antidote to this self-reliance is found in the first command of the verse. \u201cTrust in the Lord with all your heart.\u201d Which is developed in the next verse: \u201cIn all your ways acknowledge him.\u201d The word \u201cacknowledge\u201d isn\u2019t merely a polite tip of the hat to the Man Upstairs, or a few words of grace over your meal, or even perfunctory attendance at church to let Him know we\u2019re still cool with what He\u2019s doing. It\u2019s way more. It\u2019s allowing Him access, control, command, and involvement in all your ways.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the result of this? Will God ruin your life? Will he be a Sovereign Killjoy? Will He rob you of fun? The verse ends on a promise. What is it?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He will make your paths straight.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The promise is put in the form of a metaphor. What does it mean to have straight paths? Several things. First, paths lead toward an end\u2013a destination, a goal. Thus, trusting God wholeheartedly in every area of life gives your life a sense of purpose and priority. Second, it indicates that there will be a clear understanding of where you are going and what you are doing. It makes daily decision-making an easier and less painful task. You realize you are trusting Him. He, in turn, is making your paths straight. Thus, the way ahead is more apparent. Third, \u201cstraight paths\u201d suggests moral purity. It suggests a life that has less of sinful compromise and more of wholesome attitudes, actions, and behavior.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the kind of life that God promises. It\u2019s the kind of life that you can have. It begins with trust. It involves acknowledging God in every way.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read part 1 first, Trust In The Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 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.   Don\u2019t Lean on Your Understanding The verse involves a positive\u2013something you must do. But it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":664,"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533\/revisions\/664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.sharefaithwebsites.com\/template28\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}