THIS NOT THAT….

 Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  NKJV

Life is full of ‘this’ not ‘that’ situations, conditions and choices and this passage powerfully emphasizes that truth.  It is the passage that the Holy Spirit inspired upon the hearts of some wonderful people in Palestine, Texas years ago that opened the door to salvation for me.  I had been doing exactly the opposite of this passage and although convicted of my condition I was equally convinced I had no hope.  That is a place no human should ever find themselves for if left in that condition only bad things can transpire.  Thankfully, God used my condition to open my heart to understanding and reveal the flaw in my thinking bringing me to salvation.  That is too wonderful for words!

Consider the instruction:

• TRUST.

But specifically whom we are to trust and to the extent we are to trust.  Our trust must be in the LORD and it must be TOTAL.  It cannot be a provisional trust that says, “I’ll give this a try and if things turn out okay I’ll continue.”  NO!  It must be a total resignation of self and a complete confidence in God.  It must be with ALL THE HEART.

•  UNDERSTANDING. 

The warning is what I was guilty of; trusting my own understanding or perception.  I knew I was guilty of sin that I had missed the mark and was lost.  I knew that I had committed sin and was a sinner.  I knew that I had taken a wrong road in life that was violating God’s laws and word and that in my condition, hell would be my eternal destiny.  That was my understanding and while I was right I was wrong.  I broke the laws of God and believed that I was forever disqualified from any consideration for forgiveness.  My understanding was limited as was my knowledge of God’s word therefore my dilemma.

•  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

If I could realize that my TRUST and/or CONFIDENCE must be totally or fully in the LORD and that I was not to rely on my UNDERSTANDING then for there to be a rectification of the situation I needed one more thing; ACKNOWLEDGMENT of Him, His love, mercy, grace, peace and pardon.  If I could turn my TRUST to God, reject my UNDERSTANDING or human reason then I could ACKNOWLEDGE Him in ALL my ways and find that He would DIRECT my path and lead me to salvation.  I did and He did.!

I won’t be like an evangelist that spoke for me once who stood and said to the congregation, “I have broken every commandment” and I thought, “That was probably not a revelation or confession that was beneficial.”  We did not need to know the scope and details of his transgressions only that he was a sinner and was not saved by grace.  We needed to know He had been pardoned not that he had been a blasphemer, murderer, adulterer, thief, liar, etc.  Full disclosure of details is not always a wise thing. 

Therefore if you are struggling with self-condemnation read or reread this passage and allow the Holy Spirit to move your, TRUST from you to God and allow you to rise from the ash heap of life to the Joys of our Lord!

            Blessings as you go through your day!