Welcome back to our series of Proverb 3:5-6 and Part 3
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
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.
Let’s recap last time we looked at what it means to Trust the Lord with all your Heart. We read the life story of Peter who throughout the Bible, thought that he trusted and believed Jesus with all his heart and even declared he would die for Jesus.
However he learnt that his words were not actually at application level!
Thankfully Peter did become the man he wanted to be, it was through the testing, failing and the overwhelming kindness of Jesus. Hallelujah! Because of Peter’s experience we to can have Hope and Grace that Jesus will help us as we live in and out of a Love Relationship with Him.
Today it’s “And lean not on your own understanding’
This is one interesting statement so let’s break it down into bite size pieces.
The word lean means: to have posture towards or bend to. The phrase ‘And your own understanding’ means what we believe the outcome will be or what is happening in our reality.
Simply this is – To not trust our own understanding.
Hmm why?
These two verses come to mind:
Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts”.
These verses both hold great insight, the first was spoken by Jesus around the topic of earth or money, yet He isn’t really talking about these in the way we think about them. Could this be the same in the area of trust and leaning on our own understanding, around people, situations and circumstances? Hmm.
The second verse is simply explaining why our thoughts, opinions or judgments about people, situations and circumstances could very well be incorrect and off the mark.
God clearly says “so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts”. If we look at things from our perspective, leaning, or rely on our own understanding, or judgments, then most of the time will be wrong, and probably look like a fool, as we have only a narrow view or a piece of the puzzle, in comparison to God and His complete and whole view.
Here’s a recent story. I was asked to conclude a meeting, involving to thank the speaker and end with an invitation for those who wanted to give their lives to Jesus. I was tired this night, so my thoughts were all over the place, and definitely I was not in space to do the task. Yet I felt to say yes, and the Lord gave me a scripture, which seemed not relevant to the task before me.
But because I know that He sees and knows more than me, I did what He asked me to do.
Like God does, He broke out touching a lot of people, and before I knew it the alter was filled with people ready to give their lives to Jesus and He didn’t stop there, it was flooded with people receiving healing, freedom etc.
So my thought of this being irrelevant must have looked pretty stupid to God in this moment as He moved mightily.
Let’s leave that here and continue Part b next time of how we lean not on our own understanding.
Challenge time with REFLECTION:
1. Remove all distractions from the space and simply come and be the Lord, waiting on Him to speak by asking “Jesus what do You want to say to me?” write it down
2. Take each thing He spoke to you about and ask Him ‘do I lean on Your understanding or mine here?’ record what He says.
3. Be encouraged if He said ‘your own understanding’ then here’s invitation to ask Him ‘how you can lean on His understanding” and write it down.
4. Put on soaking music and let Holy Spirit minister peace to your spirit.
Father thank You for Your teaching on the importance of not leaning on our own thoughts, understanding of people, of situations and circumstances. Would You help us to instead seek Your understanding so we can be overcomers in these areas. In Jesus name. Amen
Craig Patten
Itinerate Pastor/Prophet
Encounter Ministries
