Proverbs 3:5-6 Lean On The Lord

Lads to Leaders Convention is next weekend in Orlando, FL Each year, the Sunday before convention, we look at a lesson that is centered on the theme of the convention Tonight we will spend some time studying together from the passage selected for this years theme

Lean On The Lord Our young people have studied these verses and done many projects surrounding it It’s one thing to see this verse, to memorize it, to put it on a bulletin board or piece of paper It’s quite another to understand what it means in a practical way in our lives and to live by it each day

Lean On The Lord The majority of Proverbs are written by the wise King Solomon Many say they were written as words of wisdom to his son As practical words of wisdom, all these words are true as we live before an unchanging God in this world

Lean On The Lord 1. Trust in the Lord, not yourself One piece of advice that Solomon gives here is to put our trust in the Lord That sounds great and it sounds easy enough, but often we do not produce it in our lives Too often we struggle with really trusting in the Lord

Lean On The Lord 1. Trust in the Lord, not yourself It’s easy to say that we trust in God We prove it by the way that we live Trusting in God means believing what He says and becoming obedient to His will If I trust God, then I believe what He has promised and I live accordingly

Lean On The Lord 1. Trust in the Lord, not yourself The flip side of that is we are not to lean on our own understanding We can be deceived and misled very easily by what seems right “There is a way that seems right to a man, but it’s end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12)

Lean On The Lord 1. Trust in the Lord, not yourself “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23) We have no choice but to trust in the Lord if we wish to navigate through this life David knew all about trusting in God

Lean On The Lord 1. Trust in the Lord, not yourself Psalm 5:11; 22:4-5; 25:2-3; 31:19; 32:10; 33:21; 37:3,5; 40:4; 44:6-8; 49:6-7; 56:3-4, 11 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15) We should put our trust in our creator, the God who never lies (He who promised is faithful – Heb. 10:23)

Lean On The Lord 2. Always acknowledge God Solomon says that we should acknowledge God in all our ways We are pretty good at acknowledging God in times of need Do we still acknowledge God in times of our prosperity, when things are going good?

Lean On The Lord 2. Always acknowledge God God knows our tendencies as humans, to forget Him when things start going good Deuteronomy 8:11-18 Paul said we should acknowledge God by thanking Him in prayer (Phil. 4:6) We should do all with Him in mind (Col. 3:17)

Lean On The Lord 2. Always acknowledge God This was the idea behind Ebenezer (Stone of Help – I Sam. 7:12) The Israelites recognized the help and presence of God in their lives Do we acknowledge God in all that happens to us in this life, whether good or bad?

Lean On The Lord 3. God will direct our paths If we trust in God (not ourselves) and acknowledge Him in all we do, then God will direct our paths Both trusting in God and acknowledging Him requires time spent within His word It is there that we find the wisdom and direction God offers

Lean On The Lord 3. God will direct our paths God has said that He will lead us throughout scriptures (Ps. 25:8-9; Is. 48:17) James says that wisdom comes from God (Jam. 1:5; 3:17-18) It is impossible for God to direct the one who trusts in himself over God

Lean On The Lord 3. God will direct our paths God is not going to force direction upon us in our lives Those who submit to His teachings shall receive the direction they need in their lives The straight path directed by God is the best path (Heb. 12:13)