Taking God's Directions

TEXT: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths” Proverbs 3:5-6.

THESIS: We will discuss our need to trust in God and lean on him.

INTRODUCTION:

Children learning to play baseball are often afraid of the ball when it is their turn at bat. Their instinct is to duck or step out of the path of the oncoming ball. Their perception of the situation is that the ball is going to hit them. They have to trust when the coach tells them the ball is not going to hit them. They have to let go of their own assessment of the situation and trust, having the wisdom to stand where the coach tells them so they can swing the bat properly and hit the ball. The same way the child has to trust the coach and avoid a natural reaction to what is going on, we have to trust God with every situation in our lives and ask him the proper way to respond.

THESIS:

From the text for this lesson, we will evaluate four points–Trusting God with all our hearts, lean not unto thine own understanding, in all ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct our paths.

Trust in the Lord with All Thy Heart

Trust Requires Faith

We walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Sadie Hawkins was a game at camp.

The whole camp would wait for nightfall.

The guys would go hide from the girls.

If you were caught by a girl-you had to serve them for a day.

Sardis is in the middle of nowhere, it’s not the end of the earth but you can see it from there.

So when it’s dark, it is DARK.

You just had to run, without being able to see, hoping you did not fall in a hole.

With God, if we put our faith in him, we will not fall in a hole.

Commit to Following God

Commit thy way unto the Lord, Trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5).

Commit means in the Hebrew- to roll or roll away.

Trust in him and he will do what you cannot do.

“He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him” Psalm 22:8.

Do Not Be Ashamed to Trust in God

O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, Let not mine enemies triumph over me.--Psalm 25:2

Trust in God, and stand up for God.

When your friends make an inappropriate joke, or want to watch that R rated movie, stand up for God.

Do not be ashamed.

Man can let you down, but God will not, so put your trust in him and not in man.

“In God I will praise his word, In God I have put my trust; I will not fear What flesh can do unto me” (Psalm 56:4).

Trust is the Center of Wisdom.

You will be enriched.

“He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: But he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered” (Proverbs 28:25-26).

Made fat here does not mean you will be made to look like me.

Fat is sometimes used in the Bible to denote the best of any production (Genesis 45:18)

The ESV translates this as enriched

In order to be wise we must trust in the Lord

Lean Not Unto Thy Own Understanding

Illustration

Katie is an amazing wife and mother to our son.

She is not however great with directions.

She often gets lost.

Her first statement is usually “well i just thought”

These words are similar to the words of Naaman in 2 Kings 5

Naaman thought he knew best (2 Kings 5:8-12).

Naaman was the captain of the army of Syria but also was a leper.

Elisha told him to go and dip in the river Jordan 7 times.

Naaman it seems already had his mind made up that he would do something great.

When he did what he was told he was cleansed (2 Kings 5:13-14).

We do not know best.

The Bible tells us why we should not lean on our own understanding.

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

What seems right to us may not be right to God (Proverbs 21:2).

It is foolish to trust our own heart (Proverbs 28:26).

We tend to think we know everything, but the truth is we flat out do not.

In All Thy Ways Acknowledge Him

Know That He is God

Acknowledge means to know or become known, or to realize.

So we need to know or realize God is all powerful and in control.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture(Psalm 100:3).

God made us, created the world, we did not do that.

By acknowledging him, it means we must do his will.

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17).

“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37).

Acknowledge you need him and he knows all.

Acknowledge that his commandments are requirements, they are not optional.

If we acknowledge him as we should he will direct our paths.

And He Shall Direct Thy Paths

Jesus allowed God to direct his path.

His soul was troubled by what would take place

“Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12:27-28).

O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Matthew 26:39).

That was the cause that he came to earth.

Man cannot direct his own path.

“O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

“And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed” (Hebrews 12:13).

God’s way is a better way to go.

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (John 2:16-17).

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9).

How Does God guide our path?

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).

The Word is a light in a dark world, it will show us the way, if we will allow it.

CONCLUSION:

We sing the song Trust and Obey.

The song starts when we walk with the Lord, in the light of his word” – the Lord shows us the path with his word, if we will only trust and Obey.

Where we fail is when we walk away from the Lord on our own path.

Trust God, follow him, acknowledge him, and he will make our paths straight.