Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. Don’t consider yourself to be wise; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 3:5-7 HCSB
The Bible has a lot to say about fearing God and trusting in Him to lead and guide us. We are warned that it is foolish to consider ourselves wise on our own. James 3:17 tells us that God given wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. James 1:5 tells us that if we lack wisdom we can ask God for He gives generously to all without reproach. We are told in Proverbs 12:15 that the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. Proverbs 1:7 tells us that fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction.
In the world today, we must not be foolish. We must trust in God to guide our every step. We must trust in Him to keep us on the right path. We must have a reverential awe and fear of Him and, above all, we must avoid evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Where we get into trouble with evil is when our ego gets in the way. Our ego tells us we are smart enough and strong enough to handle this on our own. When this happens, you can be sure disaster will follow. Proverbs 19:20 tells us to listen to advice and accept instruction, so we may gain wisdom in the future. We must be careful, however, to be sure we are getting good biblical advice. If you are church shopping, pray about which church God would lead you to attend. Check the sermons and be sure that what the Bible teachers and pastors say line up with God’s word.
When our ego gets in the way and begins to tell us that we’ve got this, we are headed for disaster. I know, I’ve followed that path many times. But, when we do what today’s scripture passage tells us and rely on God and not our own understanding, He will guide us along the right way. Not only will God guide us when we trust in and obey and rely on Him, but He will uphold us with His righteous hand (Isaiah 41:10). He will give His angels orders to guard over us to protect us in all we do and they will support us with their hands so that our foot does not strike a stone (Psalm 91:11-12).
In 1 Kings chapter 3, young Solomon is crowned King as successor to his father David. He loves the Lord and has found favor with God, so God asks him what would he like for God to give him. Solomon replied by telling the Lord that he was young and inexperienced. He admitted that he didn’t know everything there was to know about running a kingdom. He admitted that he was young and inexperienced. He humbled himself and asked God for wisdom. The Holman Christian Standard version says that he asked God for an obedient heart to judge God’s people and to discern between good and evil. We are told in verse 10 that it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. God was so pleased that he greatly blessed Solomon and not only made him the wisest man on earth, but gave him great riches and honor and told him no man in any kingdom would be Solomon’s equal during his entire life. Wow! Solomon only asked for wisdom, but God was so happy about his request and blessed him with much, much more.
My friend if you are thinking you are wise, you are being a fool. If our wisdom doesn’t come from God, it’s no good. We will be deceived and misled by evil people. We are told in James 3:14 that considering ourselves wise brings about bitter envy and selfish ambition. This wisdom does not come from above and we are told in James 3:16 that it is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.
This is why we must lean on God and trust in Him. We must be obedient. If you are having a hard time with that, turn to God. He will be glad to help you. He will be pleased that you asked for His help in being obedient and wise. The problem with us considering ourselves to be wise is that it leads to pride. When we think we have done something good on our own, we can become prideful and we know God hates pride (Proverbs 16:18).
When we live our lives in God’s power and God’s strength and relying on Him for wisdom and discernment, He gives us peace and joy. He protects us and keeps us from stumbling. Don’t be foolish enough to think you are wise on your own. Turn to God, trust in Him, obey Him and ask Him for wisdom and discernment daily to live safely in these trying times.
Have a great day!