Thank you for joining us to learn of the things of the Lord! Today’s post is an important one. Praying the the Holy Spirit will give you revelation of the truth of the Word of God in our study and strengthen you to be willing to choose His way over your own. Eric

What an amazing Creator and God we have! The Scripture reveals we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. He created our inmost being and knit us together in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139). We are made in His image and that includes giving us a mind that has intellect, can reason and think. We read, write, drive, cook, study, teach, talk, use utensils and tools, choose careers…etcetera. Also, God has given us free will or the ability and blessing to make choices.

God desires that His creation would come to Him willingly out of pure love. That is why He gave us free will and the ability to choose. It would be impossible for us to choose to love Him, if it were impossible for us to choose not love Him. His desire is that we choose to love Him.

The most important choice that you will ever make is to choose to live for God and receive the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. Deuteronomy 30:19 and 20a states very clearly the importance of that decision, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.” It is a matter of life or death! Hay, the Hebrew word translated ‘life’ means welfare and happiness, and earthly joy and contentedness combined with spiritual blessedness.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) reads, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

That truth leads us to our primary focus for today’s post: choosing God’s plans or ways verses choosing our own plans or ways.

Remembering that God created man with free will and the ability to choose, we don’t have to look far to see the tendency man has to do things his own way. We see this in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve first disobeyed God. (Genesis 3:3-6). Even though they knew God had instructed them to not eat or even touch that fruit, they chose to follow their own way, to eat it and thus disobey God.

Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) reveals, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” “This verse highlights the human tendence to rely upon personal judgment and understanding in biblical context, this reflects the broader theme of human fallibility and the limitations of human wisdom! It serves as a stark warning about the consequences of relying solely on human judgment.” (Bible Hub, Study Bible).

Let’s look at what other verses of scripture reveal. “A man’s heart plans his course but the Lord determines his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9.) “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of God will prevail.” (Proverbs 19:21). Our human tendency is to make plans and set goals based on personal desires and understanding. However, with God determining man’s steps we realize that God is sovereign and ultimately has control over human affairs. Proverbs 16:2 reveals, “All of man’s ways are pure in his own eyes, but his motives are weighed out by the Lord.” People think their actions and intentions are righteous even when they are not. Judges 21:25 reads, “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” God has the ability to discern the true intentions of man and looks at the heart, not the outward appearance. (I Samuel 16:7).

We have an excellent example in King David, a man after God’s heart, of how we should establish our plans. 2 Samuel 5:17- 20,22-25 (NLT), “When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he went into the stronghold. 18 The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 19 So David asked the LORD, "Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD replied to David, "Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you." 20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. "The LORD did it!" David exclaimed. "He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!" So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means "the Lord who bursts through")… 22 But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 23 And again David asked the LORD what to do. "Do not attack them straight on," the LORD replied. "Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. 24 When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the LORD is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army." 25 So David did what the LORD commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. ”

Important take aways: David did not depend on his own wisdom or knowledge in making his decision about facing the Philistines. Then, when the enemy came again - He asked the Lord again. Notice, David received a different response from God the second time he prayed. Sadly, most of us in our human nature and wisdom say, “We whipped them the first time they came - Let’s go!” Having success once when doing something cannot and should not be our criterion for determining whether we should so something again or do it in the same way. Many of us have short trips to our comfort zone - we stay there, because we do not like change and tend to do the same things repeatedly instead of seeking direction from God before every decision we make.

David did exactly what he needed to do! He prayed again, sought the wisdom, knowledge and direction of God, received different instructions and attacked the enemy God’s way, God entered the battle with him and David experienced a great victory!

Friends of ours, Pastor Keith and his wife Cathy, like to go to a particular restaurant for lunch following their Sunday church service. One Sunday, they planned to go there, however, before they went, they had a check in their spirit and a strong leading from the Lord to go to a different restaurant. They followed the leading (plan) of the Lord and while they were having lunch, a gentleman nearby suffered a heart attack. Cathy, a nurse, administered CPR and saved that gentleman’s life. When they chose to follow God’s plan rather than their own, He used them miraculously!

When we follow the counsel of God, delight and meditate on His Word, we will have stability and vitality in our lives and will be productive. (Psalm 1:1-3).

God has a purpose and plan for your life. Psalm 139:16 (NIV) is a dynamic verse! “16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” God saw your unformed body. In His omniscience, He was intimately involved in the creation of your life! ‘‘Ordained’ days are those which God set apart and established with purpose for you. Realizing our “days were written in His book” indicates those days are God’s sovereign plan for you!

He alone is God, there is no other like Him. He knows the end from the beginning and His purposes will stand. (Isaiah 46:9,10 NIV). When we reflect on God’s past acts and faithfulness, it gives a foundation for trust.

We can be confident that when we choose to follow His plans or do it His way, what we do will work out. You see, the Lord’s plans and purposes will be accomplished. Nothing can stop God’s plans, purposes or decrees. (Isaiah 14:24,27 NIV).

This is why it is important for us to seek Him and choose to do things His way.

We can trust God in all things. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. What He speaks today, and what He has spoken in His Word will be accomplished. (Isaiah 55:9,10 NIV). We are not able to even comprehend the depth of His wisdom, knowledge, judgments and ways. (Romans 11:33). And yet, He has given us His Word and His Spirit that we may learn of Him, be instructed by Him and led by Him! Amazing!

Our plan for success then, should be to always seek God and His plan for every decision we make. Proverbs 3:5 and 6, ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take“ To ‘trust’ means “to have complete reliance and includes a deep unwavering faith. It goes beyond intellectual assent. Then we are warned against self-reliance and the limitations of human wisdom.” (Bible Hub, Study Bible). Once we seek Him and He reveals the what we should do and how we should to do it, Do it!

When we look in depth at Psalm 119:105, we will receive tremendous insight into the gift we have in God’s Word! “Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” God’s Word or the Scriptures are life giving and reflect God’s will and character. In it, “we learn that the Word of God is infallible and inerrant. A ‘lamp’ indicates guidance and clarity in the midst of darkness. Our need of a lamp shows the necessity of divine guidance and protection. ‘Feet’ is symbolic of ‘my’ walk or conduct in life. ‘Light’ symbolizes truth, purity and the presence of God, which dispels darkness. Then, ‘for my path’ indicates ‘my’ journey of life including decisions, directions and life’s complexities that I must navigate through.”(Bible Hub Study Bible).

Are you willing to let go of your tendency to always do things ‘your own way’?

Are you willing to stop relying on your own personal judgment and understanding?

Will you put aside your personal desires and pride?

Are you willing to not depend on your own wisdom and intellect when making decisions?

Will you seek divine guidance and understanding of His will?

Are you willing to “Do It God’s Way?

In spite of your free will and the potential you have to deviate from God’s will and way, will you determine that Psalm 37:23a (ESV), “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way,“ speaks the truth concerning your journey of life? He sees the end and the beginning. He knows what the results of choosing your own way will be! He also knows what the results of you choosing His way will be!

His heart’s desire for you is seen in Isaiah 58:11a (RSV), “And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things.” Isaiah 30:21 reads, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it…”

Will you trust Him and allow Him to guide you?

Seek Him!

Be a David!

Ask the Lord…Then Do It His Way!

Unless otherwise noted all scriptures are taken from the New Living Translation.

NIV New International Version

NKJV New King James Version

RSV Revised Standard Version