Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5
We find wise words like this repeated all throughout the Bible. Yet, we somehow manage to lean on our own understanding, or the understanding of other men.
If we follow the advice of this Scripture, it means we trust in God, we place our faith and hope in Him, not in a man. When we lean on God for understanding, it means we seek Him in prayer. It means we search the Scriptures asking God for wisdom and understanding, not in a man.
Don’t Lean On Your Own Understanding
Today, there are numerous church denominations that all have their own Biblical beliefs.
After every service, most Christians leave feeling really good about the message that was brought forward. They were uplifted by the inspirational experience or the emotionally charged message.
However, did it align with the Word of God, and what did we learn from the lesson?
Think about your church service for a moment…
What did you actually learn from the Bible after sitting there for an hour?
More often than not, we were entertained for that hour. Or we heard a few verses from the Pastor and his explanation of it, without really diving into the subject. We now form our opinion about the Scriptures that was read to us, all based on our Pastor’s beliefs.
How many of you went home and double-checked his work?
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Not many, because the message felt good, it had to be the Holy Spirit that filled the room, not emotion…
If we are not careful, that message, full of praise and energy begins to form our understanding. We unknowingly begin to lean on the understanding of men, not God as Proverbs 3:5 instructed.
It truly begins innocently, and then takes over our entire thought process and mind. That is why our Heavenly Father constantly reminded us to stay grounded and rooted in His Word.
That is not our Pastor’s job, that is our job.
We cannot understand the Bible through another man, they may help us, but it is our job to read it for ourselves. We are reminded of this in Acts 17:11 where the Bereans,
Received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
The Bereans held fast to what God asked them in Proverbs 3:5.
They did their best to verify if what they were taught was Biblically accurate.
Our Heavenly Father knows we are not all trained theologians, but He does expect us to think for ourselves. God expects us to use our minds to ensure we stay on track, following His Word, His understanding, not man’s, and not our own.