SUBMIT TO GOD
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.
7 DO not be WISE in your own EYES; FEAR the LORD and depart from EVIL.
Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV)
• In all your ways submit to God. He wants a total submission from whoever claimed to be His.
- If you rely on your senses, you may not easily submit to God. The text of this teaching says the acknowledgment or submission should be: "IN ALL YOUR WAYS" (Proverbs 3:6).
- God wants you to submit to Him in all you do, and NOT in some. If you think you can defend yourself, protect yourself, you will eventually scheme God out of your life.
- The truth is, you cannot live, as a believer, by the wisdom of this world, and please God.
I. Lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). If you trusted in your own ability, the know-how, God might not bother to interfere in your affairs. God helps the helpless, He does not help those who can help themselves, As said by people of the world.
- God expects those who professed to be His, to trust Him for whatever they wanted to do.
II. Do not be wise in your own eyes (Proverbs 3:7).
- Many have ruled God out of their lives through smartness, cleverness, or scheming; what they call diplomacy.
a. Some are two smart for God to HELP. b. Some are too wise for God to DIRECT. - But, man's wisdom is foolishness before God:
19 FOR IT IS WRITTEN: “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND BRING TO NOTHING THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRUDENT.” 20 WHERE IS THE WISE? WHERE IS THE SCRIBE? WHERE IS THE DISPUTER OF THIS AGE? HAS NOT GOD MADE FOOLISH THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD?" (I Corinthians 1:19,20 NKJV). - What many called wisdom, smartness, cleverness, or diplomacy, is simply being deceitful. Some, even the so-called professed believers, believe they needed to be deceptive and crafty to protect themselves.
- Some believe you need to be clever, in other to outsmart others. Being clever does not mean being crafty or deceitful.
- The truth is, If you lean on God, you do not depend on your own understanding, you are not wise in your own eyes; you would allow God, and not man or your human efforts, to defend and fight your cause: "THEIR REDEEMER IS STRONG; THE LORD OF HOSTS IS HIS NAME. HE WILL THOROUGHLY PLEAD THEIR CASE, THAT HE MAY GIVE REST TO THE LAND, AND DISQUIET THE INHABITANTS OF BABYLON" (Jeremiah 50:34 NKJV).
- As a Believer in Christ Jesus, your Redeemer is strong, THE LORD OF HOSTS IS HIS NAME. Let Him plead your case. Let Him fight for you (Romans 12:17-19).
- And If you truly trusted God, you will NOT go ahead of Him in the affairs of your life. Many Believers had gone ahead of God in the matters of their lives which they should have allowed God to work out in His own way.
- They wanted to prove to be Wise in their own eyes. But what they did, has muddled the water of their lives. They have disorganized the plans and programmes of God for their life.
- Note: Patience in walking with God is Important. But, some see patience as slackness or stupidity (2 Peter 3:9).
- God wants us to depend on Him for everything: "BECAUSE THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD IS WISER THAN MEN, AND THE WEAKNESS OF GOD IS STRONGER THAN MEN" (1 Corinthians 1:25 NKJV).
- God wants the Believers to see things in His perspective's. And for this to happen, we must have the knowledge of Him.
III. Trust in God's faithfulness and Integrity.
- If you needed to scheme or be deceptive to get things done in your life, then, God may not be needed to help in the affairs of your life.
- Trust and total submission to God give a way or chance to God's Will and plan in your life.
- Take note of these:
a. Be truthful in all your dealings with other people.
b. Be a man or woman of Integrity; which is the quality of being honest and upright in Character. Although, If you are honest and upright in your character, some might think you are stupid or foolish. All the same, that is the way of God and the standard of living for a believer in Christ Jesus. - God loves those who trust in Him and live by the principles of His Word. Jesus said:
39 BUT I TELL YOU NOT TO RESIST AN EVIL PERSON. BUT WHOEVER SLAPS YOU ON YOUR RIGHT CHEEK, TURN THE OTHER TO HIM ALSO. 40 IF ANYONE WANTS TO SUE YOU AND TAKE AWAY YOUR TUNIC, LET HIM HAVE YOUR CLOAK ALSO. 41 AND WHOEVER COMPELS YOU TO GO ONE MILE, GO WITH HIM TWO. 42 GIVE TO HIM WHO ASKS YOU, AND FROM HIM WHO WANTS TO BORROW FROM YOU DO NOT TURN AWAY" (Matthew 5:39-42 NKJV). - Some Believers have faulted and disputed this passage of the Bible. Jesus Christ who said you should not be vengeful, retaliate, when you are being mistreated is not a fool nor stupid.
- If you obey what He said in His Word, He would not go to sleep without helping you. If you did obey Him truly and wholeheartedly; you would have to wait and see what He would do to the person who did the evil to you—the people who maltreated you:
17 REPAY NO ONE EVIL FOR EVIL. HAVE REGARD FOR GOOD THINGS IN THE SIGHT OF ALL MEN. 18 IF IT IS POSSIBLE, AS MUCH AS DEPENDS ON YOU, LIVE PEACEABLY WITH ALL MEN. 19 BELOVED, DO NOT AVENGE YOURSELVES, BUT RATHER GIVE PLACE TO WRATH; FOR IT IS WRITTEN, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," SAYS THE LORD. 20 THEREFORE "IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM; IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON HIS HEAD." 21 DO NOT BE OVERCOME BY EVIL, BUT OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD" (Romans 12:17-21 NKJV). - The good you are doing to the person who is mistreating you is a coal of fire on him or her. Your good towards him or her, in response to the Evil such is doing to you, testifies against him or her.
• Your lack of trust in God pains Him.
- Your Unbelief displeases God (Hebrews 11:6).
- Being vengeful, or retaliatory, is a product of Unbelief and lack of trust in God's ability to defend you or fight your cause.
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
- Whatever is contrary to your health is rebuked and completely uprooted in Jesus' name.
- And whatever Affliction that is uprooted would never rise again in Jesus' name.
Peace!
STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).
- If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!