Trusting in the Lord Series – Part 9-(Proverb 3:5-6)

As I was finishing this series the Holy Spirit highlighted one thing that was essential in the Journey of Him leading and guiding our paths. I realised I had touched on it, but not spoken in depth about it. It’s called ‘Freewill’ so here we go.

The fact that I am writing this part is directly linked to the subject of freewill. Holy Spirit pointed out this essential part of the message we have been writing on Proverbs 3:5-6. I had a choice, to either pick up the prompting and write on it or not pick it up and think or believe I had done enough.

Right there in essence is what freewill is. The freedom to choose!

The dictionary gives the meaning as:

the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion.

Although this meaning is the truth, it rises a few interesting questions.

Do your decisions affect your future (fate)? And do your decisions affect other people? SELAH (which is a funny little word in the bible that seems to pop up at the end of verse of great meaning. This word SELAH simply means let’s pause and reflect on this.

I offer this suggestion, although freewill is in being able to make decisions without the constraints of necessity or fate. It is the decision with our own will we make.

Let’s take a deeper look at some of the stories we have covered in this series. Starting with Peter.

Peter made up his mind that he would say to Jesus I will follow You even to death. Yet this decision made with pride and arrogance, lead to his greatest fall. The Word of God says:

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall”.

By this one decision Peter opened his heart to a haughty (which means pride) spirit which lead him to fall. It’s interesting that Jesus already knew Peter would fall. Remember:

Luke 22:31-34

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Wow, that’s straight up Jesus talking. Let’s break this verse down. Satan asks Jesus if he can sift Peter! What a strange verse, and does it seem familiar with another story in the bible? Are you remembering Job?

In the beginning of Job, we see God and Satan talking, and now in Luke’s gospel we see Jesus and Satan talking. Intrigued? Another question is presented to us: can Christians have demons as well as Christ in them?

(Hmm maybe we’ll cover that in another message). Let’s continue.

Next Satan comes to Jesus and says Jesus I want to sift one of Your disciples! I want to sift Peter. Here, wouldn’t you think Jesus will command Satan to get out? Especially because Jesus knew that Satan’s scheme and agenda, would actually lead Peter away from faith!

In this exact moment to us our thinking, would be saying and crying out Jesus get him (satan), get him, kick him out because he wasn’t invited to the party! Selah for a moment.

Remember the two verses I shared in part 2b let’s recap

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”.

In times like this we need to take heart in these two verses.

We realise it doesn’t matter whether we have followed Jesus for a long time or a short while, we learn that in us there will always be areas we have not fully surrendered to Him, or even tried to surrender to Him.

Did you know whether we are over the fence or on the fence in these areas of our lives it does not matter? Because here’s a secret satan owns the fence and get this, God gave him the rights to it and the land its built on! What?

This point of satan owning the fence and land it is on,that God had giving him the rights to it, is where the second verse comes in.

For the Lord Loves you too much to see you stay where you are in these areas of your life, so He is continually planning to help you on your journey to becoming an Overcomer in these areas.

But to be an Overcomer or to Overcome anything He knows there needs to be a testing, fighting and refining period. Selah here, if you or I want to be an Overcomer and Overcome areas of struggle in our life, we need to be tested, learn to fight the right way and be refined just like gold is.

Let’s leave it here and next time pick up how does gold get refined and how does it show us the process God takes and allows us to go on.

Father, thank You that You value and see us so worthy in Your eyes that You have given us Freewill, the ability to use our discretion to choose You daily in every moment we are in. Holy Spirit would You quicken us to Your promptings so that we may know You deeper. In Jesus name. Amen.