Where are you putting your trust and understanding?

“The Bible says, ‘Trust in The Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.’ Do not trust your own understanding. It can only give you thoughts and ideas about spiritual things without the reality of them. It will deceive you with the thought that the truth, if received into the mind, will somehow surely enter your heart. It will blind you to the terrible experience which is universal: the practice of daily Bible reading, listening to God’s Word every Sunday, and yet becoming neither humble, nor holy, nor heavenly minded because of it.
Instead of trusting your own understanding, come with your heart to the Bible and trust Him. Let your whole heart be set upon believing God as the teacher when you enter your prayer closet. Then you will find good understanding. God will give you an understanding heart, a spiritual understanding.” Andrew Murray- Daily Experience With God

How often do we do this? We think that because we read the Word of God and our mind understands it, that it will automatically be applied to our heart and change our lives. We know that the Word of God is sharper than a double edged sword. We know the power of the Word. We have hopefully experienced the transforming power of it and the Holy Spirit in our lives.

This hit me hard this morning. Throughout reading this book, the Holy Spirit has been revealing much to me about myself. This is an area I struggle with. Growing up in the church, hearing the Bible your entire life, being able to speak ‘Christianese’… I know all the right things to say or do. However, that is not what brings about the change desired. I truly need to read the Word of God, and ask the Holy Spirit to do His work in my heart, to give me a spiritual understanding that is going to continually transform who I am.

Every day I read the Bible, I want to be changing. One thing at a time, little by little, I want God’s work done in me. I want to be holy, for He is holy. I don’t want to be left prideful of my own ‘knowledge,’ unholy because I know it in my head and not my heart, with a lack of eternal perspective because I don’t truly understand eternity. Just recently I feel like I am learning so much that I am on overload!

I want to take time to take inventory of the gifts and talents God has blessed me with. I want to make sure I am using them for His purposes and not just my own. I want to read The Word and have it change my heart and not just my way of thinking. After all, there is a difference.

What about you? What is the Holy Spirit teaching you? Are you listening? Are you relying on the knowledge of Him and not your own? Are you open to change? I know it’s scary, trust me. I’m comfortable with who I am and where I am. Stepping outside of that isn’t always easy. Yet, I believe, God is calling us to do just that. I believe there are great blessings when we step outside our own little world, and see a world in need of Jesus and be the ones to proclaim the gospel. I hope this will encourage you today to seek God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and ask the Holy Spirit to change you!

Blessings,