Dave’s Monday Blast – June 22, 2020
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). INTENTIONAL men of God know that we must learn to be obedient to this “simple” command every moment of every day, if we are to walk with God as He intended. This famous passage from Proverbs contains 7 daily steps to make sure that you are leaning on Him; not on others, or your own understanding.
The first 3 this week:
1. Don’t Depend on YOU! We live in a world where trust must be earned, yet seems to be in short supply. But Solomon knew that trust is exactly where we must start (3:5). Living the life that God has called us to means unlearning the lesson of trusting in others and ourselves. We are meant to rest in God’s understanding. He possesses all wisdom (Romans 11:33). This is not easy and each day we must consciously lay aside our own plans and expectations and surrender to His plans.
What if we don’t feel like we can trust Him like that? That’s where step two comes in…
2. Cry out to God! Surrendering to God begins with our lips and our thoughts. We need more than a commitment to depend on Him; we need to cry out to Him to show that dependence (3:6). When we pray, we admit that His ways are higher than ours. We show that we’re leaving our troubles and burdens and dreams in His capable hands. In fact, the Bible promises that when we reach out to Him in prayer, He hears us (Psalm 55:17).
We handed the keys of our lives to Him, and we know that He’s able to lead us. But in order for that to work, we have to…
3. Run from Evil! So much in this world can clutter up our relationship with God. John, the writer of the fourth gospel, describes them as the desires of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride in our lives (I John 2:16). In other words, our blessings can easily become our stumbling blocks when we think of them as what we deserve or what we need to be happy. Instead, life works best when we remember the true source of our blessings…God…and focus on the things that please Him (Proverbs 3:7).
Sometimes, the only way to live the life God wants us to live is by separating ourselves from the bad influences that keep dragging us down. That works the best when we start pursuing something else in their place (2 Timothy 2:22). Is that easy? Not at all. Fleeing from the evil desires that pull at us means spending a lot of time crying out to God and leaning on Him. But our Creator promises to honor our commitment to Him when we shun evil (Proverbs 3:8).
When we pursue Him, we find abundant life. Running from evil and pursuing God doesn’t come naturally to most of us. Instead, it means we have to make a series change. Tune in next week to see what that change really is!
