Seek God’s Understanding

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.Proverbs 3:5-6

These verses from Proverbs can be a continual, lifelong, daily prayer for us to pray for all those we love, because our natural tendency is to lean on our own understanding and do things our way instead of depending on God’s wisdom and ways.

The longer I live, the more I realize that all of our responsibilities, all that God has called us to do, are beyond our own human ability.

There is nothing I can do apart from God.

In everything—whether it is parenting; relationships with my Wife, children, grandchildren, and friends; ministry work; writing; speaking; or teaching.

I need to depend on God, seek his higher understanding, his wisdom and his will, and then trust in his leading with all my heart.

As I do these things, I become the recipient of God’s wonderful promise in Proverbs 3:6—he will direct my path—a promise that is backed by all the honor of his name.

Even when it seems that there is no way out, when we’ve hit our own limitations or a dead end, God will guide us and make a way for us.

LORD, help me to trust in you with all my heart today. Guard me from depending on my own limited understanding. Instead, help me to rely totally on you.

I desire to seek your will in all I do today.

Thank you for the promise that you will direct my paths so that I can walk hand in hand with you, depend on your higher understanding, and seek your will in all I do.

BECAUSE OUR UNDERSTANDING IS EARTHBOUND . . . HUMAN TO THE CORE . . . LIMITED . . . FINITE . . . WE OPERATE IN A DIMENSION TOTALLY UNLIKE OUR LORD . . . WHO KNOWS NO SUCH LIMITATIONS. WE SEE NOW. HE SEES FOREVER.
Charles R. Swindoll (b. 1934)

God will guide

God will guide you in your purpose when you align with His will, word and way. Living independently of God’s guidance is a sure way to get off of God’s track. Adhering to God’s guidance is paramount as we strive to remain on God’s pathways of promise.

God guides us all, but we don’t need to get caught up thinking that God has one standard approach to his divine guidance. God can lead a believer one way using one method of guidance and then lead another believer a totally different way because of his sovereignty.

God specializes in individualized instruction; he knows what to do in order to get each of his children on track. No matter what guiding method God decides to use in your life, be ready, willing and receptive to get on board with his plan.

In scripture we read about four accounts when God guided Joseph, Mary’s husband, to follow through with God’s plan with the angel of the LORD appearing to him in a dream. Although some things probably didn’t make sense and human reasoning resulted, God’s plan prevailed because he sent divine guidance to Joseph during his trial experiences.

When Joseph planned to divorce Mary quietly after learning of her pregnancy, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and guided Joseph in truth.

An angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph in a dream a second time telling Joseph to Get up! Take Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt until instructed to leave. God guided Joseph in revelation regarding Herod’s plan.

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream a third time telling him to Get up! Take Jesus and his mother to Israel for those who sought the child’s life are dead. God guided Joseph in direction.

God additionally warned Joseph in a dream when he was afraid and Joseph settled in Nazareth. God guided Joseph in confirmation.

God has the power to guide in dreams! Let Joseph’s story encourage you today. Regardless of any circumstances and uncertainty you face, remember God is our guide and will guide you in truth, direction, revelation and confirmation. God loves, protects, blesses and guides every one of his children. Trust God, the Divine Guide.

God's Plans

God's greatest desire is for Him to be glorified through your relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Your purpose and destiny will unfold as you turn to God daily through prayer, study, worship, and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

One of the best ways to know God's specific purpose for your daily life is to read about Him and what He has to say.

Because God's Word holds countless layers of insight and meaning, it never grows stale.

He will speak to you by bringing certain words, phrases, or verses to your attention.

The more you grow in your relationship with Him, the more insights you will have into His character and how He operates.

Another part of understanding your daily destiny is to live in a righteous and biblical manner where God has placed you, and to do so consistently.

A third opportunity to understand your purpose is to realize that every Christian is called to an active ministry.

That doesn't mean we will all be full-time preachers or missionaries.

But with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you are to share the gospel through your words and conduct.

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God Sends Moses

Read Exodus 5:1–7:13

17Pharaoh shouted, . . . 18“Get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks.” 19The Israelite foremen could see that they were in serious trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce the number of bricks you make each day.” 20As they left Pharaoh’s court, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside for them. 21The foremen said to them, “May the Lord judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials. . . .” 22Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? 23Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!”Exodus 5:17-23

If you’ve ever had to learn something you didn’t want to learn, you know how much discipline it takes.

No matter what the subject, you have to do some digging and some hard work.

Learning isn’t a downhill ride; it’s more of a mountain climb. It takes work.

In this part of the story of the Exodus, God sends Moses to confront Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s response is to make the Hebrews work even harder.

Moses complains, God promises deliverance, and a showdown begins. Here we see the grand effects of feeble steps of faith

(a tough lesson for anyone to learn).

Here’s the lesson: Enduring rejection for our faith and trusting God when he seems to be ignoring our prayers are part of God’s curriculum for us. As you read this passage, learn, with Moses, God’s profound lessons.

Moses did not like God’s methods. Despite God’s message—indeed, because of it—Pharaoh increased the Hebrews’ workload. Moses protested that God was not rescuing his people (Exodus 5:22-23).

Moses expected faster results and fewer problems. When God is at work, suffering, setbacks, and hardship may still occur. We can be sure, however, that each hardship has a purpose—to teach, discipline, punish, or accomplish another work of God.

In James 1:2-4, we are encouraged to be joyful when difficulties come our way. Problems teach us to

(1) trust God to do what is best for us;

(2) look for ways to honor God in our present situation;

(3) remember that God will not abandon us; and

(4) watch for God’s plan for us.

What tough lesson is God teaching you today? Think of what you can do to honor him through your attitude, words, and actions.

Effective Apologies

People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. Proverbs 28:13

Effective apologies require a willingness to change our behavior.

Proverbs 28:13 makes it clear that when we don’t admit our wrongs—whether toward God or toward our spouse—we can’t expect a good result.

But when we do admit (“confess”) the hurtful things we do and make a plan to stop doing them (“turn from them”), forgiveness is possible.

Wholeness

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

This includes you who were once far away from God.

You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.

Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.

As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

Colossians 1:20-22

with God, we are meant to be people of integrity, the same on the inside as we are on the outside.

But sin has driven a wedge into our lives, creating an internal rift that alienates us from ourselves, from others, and from God.

It’s what makes us want to hide, to wear masks that make us look better and less broken than we are.

The wholeness and integrity that God has for us, on the other hand, eliminates the need for deceit because we have nothing to hide.

This is the internal peace, the shalom that Christ brings us as we continue to yield our lives to him, healing the divisions within us so that we can have peace with God, with others, and with ourselves.

As you pray for God’s peace today, ask for the grace to admit your brokenness. Ask, too, for the faith to believe that God will heal you and make you whole.

Lord, you breathed life into the first man and the first woman. They were your perfect creations. In the midst of my brokenness, breathe your life. Heal me and make me whole, I pray.