LEAN NOT, ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING!

There are moments in life when we want to do things our own way without first seeking the Lord for His will to lead us and His direction to guide us. We are to remember that God's ways are much higher and better than ours can ever be and He knows what we should do and when it should be done. God knows the end result of the road that we are traveling on whereas we do not.  He knows when we should stop, change direction or move forward and has promised to direct the lives of those who trust in and lean on Him all the days of their lives.

Be encouraged to seek the will of God for your life in all areas and do not trust in your wisdom, but trust in the wisdom of the One who declares the end from the beginning, the all knowing, all powerful, Almighty God who loves you with an everlasting love.

The following story (from an email sent to me) illustrates this point very well:

My nephew's 10 year old son came for a visit one hot, July weekend. I was enticing him to stay inside by joining him in a Nintendo game. After being mercilessly defeated by a more experienced player, I suggested that we relax awhile. I collapsed into my favorite recliner to let my neck muscles relax and my ego recover from such a beating. He had slipped out of the room and I was catching a few relished moments of peace and quiet.
“Look, Alice,” he said enthusiastically as he ran over to the chair where I was recovering.
“I found a kite. Could we go outside and fly it?” Glancing out a nearby window, I noticed there was not a breeze stirring. “I'm sorry, Tripper,” I said, sad to see his disappointed eyes, but thankful for the respite from more activity. “The wind is not blowing today. The kite won't fly.” The determined 10 year old replied. “I think it's windy enough. I can get it to fly,” he answered, as he hurried out the back door.
I peeked through the slats in the Venetian blinds to watch determination in action. Up and down the yard he ran, pulling the kite attached to a small length of string. The plastic kite, proudly displaying a picture of Batman, remained about shoulder level. He ran back and forth, as hard as his ten year old legs would carry him, looking back hopefully at the kite trailing behind.
After about ten minutes of unsuccessful determination, he came back in. I asked, “How did it go?” “Fine,” he said, not wanting to admit defeat. “I got it to fly some.”
As he walked past me to return the kite to the closet shelf, I heard him say under his breath, “I guess I'll have to wait for the wind.” At that moment I heard another Voice speak to my heart. “Alice, sometimes you are just like that. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the Wind.”
And the voice was right. How easy it is to use our own efforts to accomplish what we want to do. We wait for the Wind only after we have done all we can and have exhausted our own strength. We must learn how to rely on Him in the first place!

Be encouraged to seek the Lord in every important decision that you make. Do not allow pride or arrogance to keep you from bending your knee and asking the Lord to direct your steps.  The Bible declares in Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way.”  It is the Lord's pleasure to bless, prosperous and lead us onto the best path for our life, but we must be willing to allow Him to take control and lead as He sees fit.  We must heed the voice of God and He knows in which direction our life should head.  Trust Him, seek Him, and allow the Spirit of the Lord to be the Wind which takes you to heights that you have never reached before.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”