Not Leaning on Our Own Understanding

 Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

    and he will make your paths straight.”

As followers of Jesus Christ we are to be led of the Spirit of God. Now, in order to be led of the Spirit of God we have to be able to hear God, by his Spirit, speaking his truth and his ways to our hearts. Now I don’t know any people who have heard God audibly. I am not saying that no one does, but I am not knowledgeable in that area. I think most people hear God speak to them in their spirits and in their minds and hearts.

Now I am finding that, in the church, there are two extremes to this. One is to deny that the Spirit speaks to us and thus to shut him out, and the other is to claim that all sorts of things are of the Spirit of God which may not be of the Spirit of God at all. And I think that those who abuse and who misuse this understanding of what it means to be led of the Spirit lead others to be fearful of trusting that they can hear from the Spirit of God.

Now it is true that we have the written word of God to guide us into all truth and to direct our paths and to show us the way that we should go, that we may walk in truth and righteousness. But when Jesus walked the earth he could speak to individual people personally and give them specific instructions as to what he personally wanted them to do, that he may not want everyone to do. And so he sent his Holy Spirit to be Jesus to us.

Like, how will I know what God’s calling is on my life if I can’t hear the Spirit speaking to my heart directing me in the way I am to go? How am I to know what to write and what to teach and what to speak if I can’t hear the Spirit of God speaking to me, leading me in what to say and in what to write, and in where specifically to go and to do, which is just for me? How will I know my spiritual gifts and my part in the body of Christ if I am not led of the Spirit? We need to be able to hear the Spirit speaking to us.

So, we need to not be people who deny the working of the Spirit in our lives and who are unwilling to be led by the Spirit. And in the same respect we need to be those who test whatever we are hearing in our minds and hearts to make certain it is of the Spirit and not of our flesh and not of our own emotions or of another spirit that is not of God. For God is not going to lead us to do anything contrary to his word or to his divine character and will.

So, when we are trusting the Lord with our whole heart, and we are leaning not on our own understanding, and we are submitting our lives to the Lord, and when we are desirous to do his will, he is going to lead us in the direction he has for us to go, which will be not just general instructions which are in his written word for all Christians to follow, but which will be specific instructions to us individually as to where he wants us.

And the beauty of that is that the Lord may put it on our hearts to pray for someone, even in the middle of the night, or to call someone or to write to a specific person, or to speak to a stranger out in public, or to make a video like he had me make again today (link below). And if we obey him, he will bless what he called us to do. 

The important thing is to be listening for the Spirit’s voice and us not to be trusting in our own way of thinking and reasoning, and us not to be operating in our own flesh, but that we let the Spirit lead us in all things. But then we need to test the spirits and the voices in our heads against what the Scriptures teach to make certain it is the Spirit we are hearing from and not other influences. But don’t shut the Spirit out. Let him lead you.

Not Leaning on Our Own Understanding

Video Talk

October 18,2022

https://youtu.be/E2grhja3h0E

Caution: This link may contain ads 

The Spirit Calling

An Original Work / November 12, 2019

Hear the Spirit calling.

He’ll keep you from falling.

Tenderly He’s calling,

“Come and follow Him.”

Walk with Jesus daily.

Don’t give in to lazy.

Folks may call you crazy.

Fellowship with Him.

Follow where He leads you.

Eat what Jesus feeds you.

His love will renew you

If you follow Him.

Do what Jesus tells you.

Don’t let your faith fail you.

His love will avail you

If you walk with Him.

Jesus, Lord and Savior,

Reigneth now forever.

He gave us His favor

So we’d live with Him.

Turning now from our sin,

Holy Spirit live-in.

Holiness we walk in,

Purified by Him.

https://vimeo.com/373006449