Trust In The Lord With All Your Heart And Learn To Choose Wise Counsel!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJ

Every day I drive by a sign advertising a palm reader who is ready and willing to gouge the pockets of vulnerable people who are desperately seeking help in knowing what direction they should take in life. They ask about future relationships, finances, kids, business deals, etc. hoping that this person can guide them into making right decisions. What is interesting to me is that millions of people really believe the palm reader has some kind of mystical power to see into the future and they are willing to pay their hard earned money to listen to their lies!

God is the ONLY One who can give trustworthy counsel on how to direct our lives so we make it to our destinations. But the difficult part in knowing this truth is trusting in Him with our whole heart because along the way there are always diversions and distractions that make it seem we are on the wrong path. It is so difficult when what we see in the natural realm appears to be the exact opposite to what God has promised! I know this reality too well and I can assure you that entrusting my heart completely to God in times where things seem impossible is not an easy thing to do. One thing I have discovered is that in these times it is best to be very selective with whom we share our situations with because other people can influence us and cause us to adopt a mindset of doubt which can lead us to rely on our own understanding.

Proverbs 15:21-22 says, “Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly. Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” Many people read Scriptures like this and use them as their justification for sharing, but in actuality they are doing themselves a disservice because not all the people they are sharing with are wise; which means they will not give wise counsel. So how do we trust in God with our whole heart and how do we identify the people who will give us wise counsel and pray for us with the decisions we have to make on our journey of faith?

In order to trust in God with our whole heart we have to believe by faith that He is trustworthy. Think about this next statement for a minute and see if you can identify with it. We all have people in our lives who we would say are trustworthy but if you were asked to entrust your children, finances, etc. to them, you would say no. Why? Because deep down inside we all struggle with trust issues due to past wounds or let downs by people who we thought could be trusted. What we have to realize is that we have these same trust issues with God. I have encountered this reality many times during my life and each time it was a sobering time of reflection when I had to face it.

But as I sat with God and acknowledged how faithful He was to me in times I couldn’t see it or didn’t feel it in the past; I was able to release the fear I had in thinking He wouldn’t be faithful now. Another sobering reality I had to face was the fact that I had hidden judgments against God and I had to release those. Both of these exercises of faith enabled me to entrust my heart fully to Him for my present or future needs. This has been the only way for me to learn how to trust God with my whole heart. I now keep a mental list of all the times God was faithful and when I am in need of direction in the way I should go; I bring that list to remembrance and it reminds me that God is a trustworthy God.

I have to say as hard as these two exercises of faith were; they were nothing in comparison to choosing the people I share my situations with. But I am learning daily how to do this too. The Scripture I bring to remembrance during the process of choosing is Philippians 2:1-4. Paul says, “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Being like-minded is defined as: having a like disposition or purpose: of the same mind or habit of thought. What I am learning is how to identify like-minded, faith filled, people who believe in the destination God has called me to, whatever it may be. In this process I have discovered that most people are not a match for me, but the ones who are, are a gift from God because their counsel is invaluable! They diligently pray for me, encourage me, build me up, and correct me if necessary and they do all of it in a spirit of love. With my heart completely entrusted to God and with a network of like-minded counselors, every path I need to take becomes easier and easier to identify.

Prayer: If trusting God with your whole heart or choosing wise counsel is a struggle for you I want to encourage you to spend time with God and ask Him to give you wisdom and understanding as I did. Be willing to release your fears or judgments so you can entrust your heart to Him. He is so faithful my friend and He will answer you when you call on Him. Spend time praying for the people who you can call on for wise counsel and if there are people you typically share with, who are not a match, practice being silent the next time a situation arises and wait on God to show you who you are to seek counsel from.