JOY'S FAVORITE VERSES

PROVERBS 3:5-6 NKJ 

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 
And lean not on your own understanding; 
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, 
And He shall direct your paths.  

OBSERVATION:

These two verses may not be Joy's all-time, very best favorite verses, but they are close.   

These verses are the ones she has had our staff memorize and meditate during staff prayer for a number of years.  

And these are two of my favorite verses in regard to how to receive guidance and direction from the Lord.   

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. This would directly imply that trusting God is of the heart, not the head. There are times when your head can be spinning, but you are solid in your heart. Joy often has the church staff speak, "I trust in You Lord with all my heart." 

And lean not on your own understanding. This is the challenge we all face. For many of us, we have leaned on and looked to our own perceptions and deductions. We have done our best to figure things out and make educated decisions. And there is nothing wrong with a thorough thought process. But to add another perspective, what if we asked the Lord regarding situations we are contemplating? And what if we looked to Him first? This change in process will involve mind renewal. It is a very different way of operating.   

Verse six goes hand in hand with verse five. In looking to the Lord, we are acknowledging Him. And if we will acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths. 

Once again, this is a different process. For many people, they go about their ways and do not acknowledge the Lord unless they hit a wall. Then when stuck, they ask the Lord for His plan. The Lord is merciful and often bails them out, I am including myself here, but there is a better way.   

Begin to acknowledge the Lord and His wisdom in all your ways. Train yourself to check in with Him early and often. When we acknowledge, He directs. If we never acknowledge, then we are missing out on His great promise to help.   

APPLICATION: 

One of the areas I learned to acknowledge the Lord was in hiring staff. When I would ask the Lord for His help, He provided great direction. When I rushed the process and did not ask Him for His wisdom and guidance, some mistakes were made.  

So, in my own life, I am having to retrain myself to acknowledge the Lord in all my ways. It's just plain smart. Plus, it keeps Joy from lovingly telling me, "I told you so." 

PRAYER: 

Lord, I trust You with all my heart. Please help me learn to acknowledge You in all my ways.