Joel M Bradshaw

14So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD.–Joshua 9

When I begin to journey with people, I collect data from them about their heart. How do they view God? How do they view life? What guides them as they make decisions? And one of my favorite exercises takes a famous passage from the Bible and asks such questions. Proverbs 3…

5Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

We ask about the areas of the heart where they don’t trust God. We ask if they go to God first when making big decisions or are their own primary direction. We also ponder what crooked areas of life might be straightened if they trusted in God. It’s a great exercise, because it reveals who they trust most to guide them at the heart level. It’s either God or someone else. And many times that someone else is themself.

So their normal way of doing things has them on a path they don’t like and seeking help. And as we turn to God’s Word, we establish a different practice. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about your situation. The very God who made you knows you better than you do. The short journey in Proverbs 3 is usually revealing and convicting.

The Gibeonites were deceiving Israel in order to save their lives. And Joshua simply went forward with his own understanding rather than seeking God for counsel. Who was closer to God than Joshua? He had no excuse.

To be in a relationship with God and not seek his counsel is equally foolish. To believe the Bible is the Word of God, but not seek its direction is also foolish. Where do you go for counsel at the heart level? You are either seeking and following God or you are not. You are either turning to God’s Word for understanding or you are leaning on your own.–JMB