Bible Study

Proverbs 16:9: "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."

It's wise to make plans for the future. God gave us a free will to make wise choices in life. Some of us plan our lives right down to the last detail, while others do not give it as much importance and leave things to luck. Some planning is necessary, such as what to have for dinner tonight, or when to get groceries, but for the most part, the kind of planning that is not good is the arrogant kind that wants its own way and has expectations for how things should go.

Our hearts are deceptive and when our will does not line up with God's will for our lives and we follow our own desires, evil or not, we like to think that our desires, however evil, are okay.

The way of the world puts a lot of pressure on society to be achievers to make a name for oneself. Mark 7:21-22 says, "For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come - sexual immorality, theft, Happy New Year! January 2022

Proverbs 16:9

'Which way, Billy?'

murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly." This mentality can lead to being prideful or feeling empty because our goals were not worthy or fulfilling. We could end up hating ourselves for the decisions we have made to try to be somebody. We find ourselves at

crossroads where we need wisdom or advice to decide well, but we don't think about whether our decision is aligned to the will of God, who directs our path of life. Sometimes we make decisions with the best of intentions, but God knows the end from the beginning. He sees the big picture and may take us to a different destination with a different expected outcome. However carefully we plan, we just don't know what our future holds anyway. We don't know what will happen tomorrow, much less the coming weeks and months. Only God knows the future; He holds all of our futures in His hands. It is such a comfort knowing that

if we seek His guidance by first taking things to Him in prayer, the Lord will direct our feet into the way that is best for us. Sadly, we meander through life wondering what God's will is for us. But His will is not a mystery! We just need to commit our works to the Lord, plan a way to achieve our godly objectives, and believe that the Lord will take care of the rest! If you fear or worry about circumstances, you will hesitate and not do anything, and will lose God's blessing for faith and diligence (Eccl 11:3-6). Don't fret about having perfect goals or strategies, because we're not capable of knowing them. God does not want us to worry because He loves us and will provide what we need. Jesus can set us free from this cycle. Instead of being stressed about having to make a decision, open your heart to Christ, entrust your way to Him and wait for His answer. When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we are saying that God's will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. So before we even make a decision, we ought to take it to the Lord and ask that He guide us and show us the path to take. The Bible tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God, and the Lord, who establishes our steps, will add all things to us. If we live by faith and trust His guidance, He will bring us to the place that He knows is best.