I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.    Psalms 32:8-10 NKJV

The first verse in this passage reminds me of Proverbs 3:5-6, which tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding, but to acknowledge Him in all we do, and He will guide us on the right paths. But the next verses tell us what we should not do.

We should not be stubborn and try to do things our way. We are warned that many sorrows shall befall the wicked, but those who trust in the LORD shall be surrounded by mercy.

God created us. He could have made us like perfect little robots that never sinned. He could have programmed us in that way. But instead, He gave us free will. We have the choice to follow Him and accept His instruction and guidance, or we can be stubborn. We can choose to do it our way.

When we do it our way and leave God out of the picture, we are easily swayed by the devil. When we do this, we put ourselves right where the devil wants us to be. We are vulnerable to temptation. We can’t resist temptation on our own; we need the Lord’s help. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Without God, you are on your own when you are tempted.

Giving in to the devil’s temptation leads to sin and wickedness, and as our Scripture passage says, the wicked will experience many sorrows. I can tell you from personal experience that sin only brings trouble. When we allow God to instruct and guide us, we can trust in Him to walk with us through the hard times.

I’ve done it both ways. There was a time in my life when I chose sin and sorrow. I finally wised up and chose to follow God’s instructions and surrender to Him. I trust in Him to guide me along the right paths.

In order for God to guide us, we must stay in constant communication with Him through prayer and Bible study.

The choice is yours; you can allow God to guide and instruct you, or you can be like the horse or the mule.

You can choose sorrow or mercy; it’s up to you. I strongly recommend mercy, but the choice is yours.

Have a great day!