In this sermon, the speaker focuses on Proverbs 3:5, which emphasizes the importance of trusting in God to direct our lives. The speaker shares a personal experience of attending a born-again evangelical church and being deeply impacted by the message of this scripture. They highlight the significance of trusting God with all our hearts and acknowledge that there may be parts of our hearts that still struggle to fully trust Him. The speaker encourages listeners to embark on a journey of surrendering their lives to God's direction and trusting Him to lead them.

This message is one of the Times Square Church pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. You are welcome to make additional cassettes of this message for free distribution to friends. However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission, existing copyright laws apply. And God directed life. If you would turn with me to Proverbs 3, 5. Proverbs 3, 5, a very familiar scripture for many. For some of you, it's brand new. It's a real privilege for me to be able to speak on this verse. Because the very first time I ever went into a born-again evangelical church, this was the scripture that they preached on. And I'll never forget being highly distracted going into a denomination that I wasn't used to and I didn't know their practices. Totally distracted. And then when the preacher stepped up and he opened up Proverbs 3, 5, I remember sitting in my seat and all of a sudden glued to every word that he was sharing. And it was like the truth that I could never say was being preached to me. There was something in it that was so life-giving. And it was this word. And I'd like to pray and believe God to make it a life-giving word to everyone who can hear. Father, I do thank you that your incredible heart is to direct our life. That, Lord, you not just want to only save us, which you do gloriously for those that trust you. But, Lord, you have a plan and a purpose that, Lord, goes so beyond anything we can begin to understand or grasp. Lord, you say that the glory of the former house, Lord, and a time past when you moved among your people, is nothing compared to what you want to do for an end-time people. That the glory that you want to share with the people who are called by your name and what you want to do in their life and through their life is incredible. So, Lord, we just ask now that you take this word and make it life, make it meat, make it drink for us. That, Lord, we may go the whole course, the whole distance of what you have planned for us. And we'll thank you for it. And, Lord, we'll be careful to give you all the glory for it. For it's only you who have had this thought. And it's only you who can accomplish it in our lives. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen and amen. And God-directed life. Scriptures, Proverbs 3, starting at verse 5, says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. Be not wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. This morning we heard a very powerful, powerful word from the Word of God talking about a man, King Ahab, who lived knowing the Word of God. Who was called as a leader of the people of God. God had revealed himself powerfully to him. Had spoken many words over him. Had actually used him to defeat the enemies of Israel. But in the end, he would never exchange his own plan and his own will for that of God's plan and God's will for his life. And he died in his pride. He died never yielding to the plan and the purpose for his life. He could never trust the exchange God wanted to do in his life. Where he had to lay down his plan and his will by faith. When it didn't make sense. When it seemed to go in the opposite direction of self-preservation. When his kingly glory, when it would require humility to take another path. He could not do it. In spite of strong assurances of God. In spite of a revelation that God would be with him. God would empower him if God made him king. God could bring him certainly through the Red Sea of his own heart. And bring him victorious on the other side. Triumphant over his fears. His pride. But he would not. But beloved, this message this afternoon. A companion message to this morning. Is about a people who say, all right, Lord, I don't understand what it means. But I do want you to direct my life. I do give you control of my life. And what is the path that you have to lead me through. So that will be accomplished in my life. Because beloved, the Lord has to bring us through paths that are strewn. That are full of deceptions. Because when we begin to cry out, God, give me a God-directed life. Where Lord, I release and surrender the right to lead my life. Because I say your plan is higher and greater for my life. I say because you bought me with a price. It's only reasonable I lay down my life. I say that because you are the God of this universe. There can be a glory that can happen in my family. In my circle. In my life. If I will surrender. But it will only happen. If I let you lead. And beloved, there will be deceptions along the path. The path where we say, God, I want to walk your way. I want you to direct. My life. And so we can see that there will be an enemy. Please know, if this is the cry of your heart today. There will be an enemy that's going to try to scramble the message. There's going to be an enemy that's going to try to twist the signpost. When you with a heart cry, say God direct. He's going to try to do that. He's going to run. He's going to try to run interference. Beloved, there's going to be our own heart that is going to oppose. The will of God. If our heart strongly desires something in a certain matter. And also know that the world who knows that knows nothing about godly counsel. The world that knows nothing about being directed by God in big decisions. In small decisions. That they are going to scorn and laugh our desire to do that. Our intention. And when we carry it out, they're going to scorn and laugh till success comes. And then there will be a voice that will try to flatter us out of our faith. That will try to. That we will take back trusting ourselves. Because we're going to. There'll be an attempt to flatter us out of our faith. To believe the press clippings. When it goes well with us. Because beloved, it will go well. If we lead God directed lives. And so this scripture is the key of Proverbs 3 5. It is the ammunition against every plot and tactic of the world. The flesh and the devil. It is the absolute key to how we can stay on a God directed path for our lives. In contained in these verses. Is everything that we need to understand the journey we're about. That we're on. If we all have a heart for it. It starts trusting the Lord with all your heart. Beloved, we have to believe that God fully intends to direct our lives. And for good. And when we believe. We have to understand that every part of our heart starting out on this trip. Does not trust him. And so God is committed to revealing the part of our hearts that does not trust him. And part of the journey is understanding that when we get to the part of our heart. Where we don't trust him. Something's got to give. That we may be on the journey where we say. God I am about having you direct my path. And then all of a sudden we come up against things we don't understand. But it's a part of the heart where we don't trust him. And God is going to reveal it. So he can heal it. Beloved, when it says lean not on your own understanding. That is how the world operates. That the world that we're called out of. The best the world can do is lean on their own knowledge and understanding of things. That's all they have. And they will get the best or the worst that man can do. But we have access. To a greater understanding. But it means giving up leaning on our own. Where we have leaned. Where we have supported. Where we have had full confidence. In our own understanding. It's all we've ever known. And there have been times we've made messes of our lives. But it's all we've got. We have leaned on our own understanding. And God is saying that for you to have and I to have a God-directed life. There are going to be times in our life we are just going to have to give up. Leaning on our own. We have to. He says in all my ways acknowledge him. Beloved, acknowledging him. Is an interesting term. It means that it doesn't mean well Lord I say your name once in a while. That you're the God of my life. That acknowledging means to know in an intimate way. It means that God knows all our heart. He knows the path he wants to take us on. He knows how we think. How we operate. How we will respond. What buttons. How we react when certain buttons are pushed in our life. He knows everything about us. But he says in all my ways that we're to acknowledge him. We're to start on that journey of God I want to understand you. And I want to understand your ways. Lord I need a revealing of how you operate. How your kingdom goes forward. I need an intimate knowledge of how you think and what your heart is. And beloved, God wants to do that for us. So he says in all your ways. In all thy ways I want to learn. I want to learn all your ways. And then I want to be able to say. Oh Lord I understand by experience you bring me through what you're teaching me now. I understand in your word I haven't been there yet. But Lord you're giving me a bright beam of what is to come. Lord I don't want to have to be able to. I have to fall into every pothole and every hole to learn something. I want to be able to acknowledge you. To be acquainted. To be intimately acquainted with how you work in a submitted life. How you work in the lives of those that are found opposing you. How you work in a backslidden life. How you work in a life hard caught for you. Because God I want to be able to declare you with confidence to those around me. I don't want to be found in the last hour of time with nothing to say. Because it need not be so. I don't want to be found in the time of a twin tower tragedy. And people go is God responsible for this? And I don't know. Is this God or is this not God? And the people of God go I don't know. This does not have to be so. He says I want you to be intimately acquainted with me. I want to be known by you. But it's an increasing revelation. Finally it says be not wise in your own lives beloved. That doesn't mean that we're not to be wise. It means not to be wise in our own eyes. It means absolutely necessary for this trip is a humility that has to be worked into us. That if we start to think we know something. When we start to think I've got a handle on this. When we start to feel God with a confidence that can now move into the area of presumption. That we feel we can speak for God without actually knowing. That there has to be a humility in us because we will ever be learning in one degree. He shall surprise us. He's going to be fresh in his revelation. Every morning there's going to be a new depth of mercy. There's going to be a new revelation of incredible love towards us. That's going to keep it vital. And so there's going to have to be a humility. Beloved how does all this apply? How does this verse apply in everyday life? If you would turn with me to Joshua 9. In the Old Testament Joshua 9. The first lesson here that the Holy Spirit wants to speak to us. Our things are not as they appear. Things are not as they appear. Beloved when we start to have a heart say God I want a God-directed life. I want your plan and purpose that you determine from the beginning of the world. When you saw me and determined that I should be. That if I would give this surrender to you there was this plan. And beloved what is going to happen to that heart is the enemy is going to come. And he wants to make things appear in a different light to deceive. And that's what happened to Joshua. In Joshua chapter 9. Joshua went in as captain of the Lord's army. An anointed captain and leader of the army. Anointed to fight the enemy with a heart to obey. He knew success in the battlefield. An incredible success. And the fame of him and the fame of his army spread throughout the whole promised land. And every ungodly nation heard of the fame of Joshua and an undefeatable army it seemed. And there was incredible fear in the hearts of these people who represent spiritual enemies to us today because they had not known a defeat when they first entered the promised land. The fame of Jericho had spread and now the enemies knew that when they moved in they meant to possess it fully. That meant their demise. That meant their end. And so the scripture tells us that people who were Joshua's neighbors disguised themselves. And they came to Joshua and they had with them some moldy bread and they had their shoes scuffed up and they had their clothes were old and they had old bottles of wine with them. And they put on a show for Joshua and his generals. They took the leadership of that godly army and they stood before them and in their cunning and in their slyness and in their worldly wisdom they stood before them and they began to say in verse 4 of chapter 9, they did work slyly and went and made as if they had been ambassadors and took old sacks upon their asses and wine bottles old and rent and bound and it goes on to tell their old shoes and garments and they said we're from a far off place although they were neighbors. And they said we've come to make peace with you. They said look at the great distance we've come. Look at our shoes. Look at all that we brought. We have come from a long way off and we want to make peace with you. And the bible says in verse 14 that Joshua and his leadership and the men took of their evictuals and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. Joshua and the leadership took from their hand. They took their story. They took everything they said and they appeared that they understood the situation. They understood that these men had seemingly come as people from a long way off that could do them no harm. That they would not be a people living in their midst and that in their wisdom they would show them mercy. They would be good to them but the bible says that they asked not the counsel of the Lord and beloved things are not what they appeared. And the scripture says that after they'd put on the show and Joshua had not asked counsel and received from their hand, received their story, fully believed them, that the scripture says that in verse 15 that they made peace with them and made a league with them to let them live. And the congregation swore unto them. They said we won't touch you. But beloved can you imagine when they found out that these were the people that God had commanded that they were to be destroyed. When they found out that they weren't a far off people, that they were their very neighbors. That the land that they possessed was called by God to be their land and now they've made a league with them. They swore to them and they said we will not touch you. Because things were not as they appeared to be and they were totally deceived. And when they made peace and chose to live with them, what an incredible thing. Because as long as Joshua and those that have the heart of Joshua lived, they were able to subdue these people. They were their servants. But another generation rose up and their descendants of the people they'd made peace with, their enemies, they became a snare to Joshua's children. They became a snare to Joshua's generation. And the people that should not have been there occupying that land they had made peace with. And now they were going to be a snare to the following generation. Joshua could handle it and his generals could handle it but the following generation could not. And beloved we may find that we have made peace with an enemy we should not have had. There may be peace in our home where there should not be a peace. There may be a music coming in, there may be influences coming in and we've made peace with it. We said all right you have it your way I'm just going to worship God here and I'm going to try to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. But beloved the only way that I see that we can come against because it says in verse 19 it says we may not touch them. All the princes said we've made a covenant we cannot touch them. Beloved you may have made peace with something that God has had a controversy with you. That God has been showing repeatedly. You didn't want to have to deal with it, you didn't know where to begin, you don't know how to start, you don't know how to go about it because you've made peace with it and now it seems like you can't overturn the decision. It may seem like you don't even know how to begin. But beloved I tell you that when we say we will not lean on our own understanding and we begin to say God I acknowledge my sin and God I cry out to you. Your ways are higher I can't think this through, I can't rationalize this through, I don't have the plan how this is to be overturned. But God you understand what has happened here and I ask you God to cancel the peace. I ask you God to give me the next step. I know that if I charge in in my anger, if I charge in in any other spirit but yours Lord, the enemy will be allowed to oppress. But Lord I'm asking you now, I acknowledge you. I need an intimate knowledge God of how you're going to handle this in my home. We need to rise up and say God you're God of this, now give me the plan. I begin to cry out and I want you oh God to come and teach me how not to fear but to depart from evil. And he would do that. He will do that for us. He will cancel the peace treaty. He will cancel the bad harvest. If we lean on him and acknowledge him in all our ways, if we will trust him for this, he says that he will direct our path. He knows how to take back the land we've given up. He knows what it is, how to go in and have us teach our hands to war and our fingers to fight against an enemy that we've made peace with. For he is committed to giving us all the promised land. Now beloved, another way that can be a deception of the enemy, another way when we, to take us off the path of following, of having a God-directed life, is believing that because we want with all our heart a God-directed life, because we have a heart for him to do this, that this will save us from being manipulated by the enemy. Because we have walked with him and he has started to clear up some confusion in our mind, because we've started to know some success, because we have an integrity and we have a history with him, that beloved, that that is going to be enough. Scripture, if you turn with me quickly to Psalm 26, God wants to show us a very important principle, that having a heart for him and having a heart for truth is the right step, is the first step in a right direction, but it needs something more. Psalm 26, one verse, Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in the Lord, therefore I shall not fly. Because beloved, we can have an integrity and it's not going to be enough. The Scripture says, I have walked in mine own integrity, I have trusted also. And we see what, how this is made so real in the life, you don't need to turn there, but in 2 Samuel 15, 11, for those that like to take notes, it talks about a time when Absalom, the king, the son of King David, when he rose up against his father, God's anointed one to lead Israel. And the Scripture tells us how Absalom began to beguile the people of Israel. He began to beguile them by saying he had an interest in them. He began to say, I am as you are. He wouldn't allow them to kiss him and do, and do the honorary customs towards him. And he began to steal the hearts of Israel. Israel began to see an aged king and there was something in them they liked about Absalom. And the Scripture finally says that Absalom at a certain time rose up against his father and made rebellion against him. And it caused David to flee the city of Jerusalem. But an interesting thing in 2 Samuel 15, 11 tells us, and with Absalom went 200 men out of Jerusalem that were called and they went in their simplicity and they knew not anything. And when you look up that word simplicity, it means integrity. They went in their integrity and they knew nothing. But beloved, they were in the wrong war. They went with a good heart. They went believing they were called men, it tells us in that Scripture. They went believing they were in the cause of God. They went believing they were in the right war. They thought time had changed. They thought David is passing away and we've got a king among us right after our own heart. A man that we feel we can walk in agreement with. But it tells us in their integrity, in their simplicity, they didn't know, understand the wrong that they were doing. But they were in the wrong army fighting the wrong enemy. Even though they were men of integrity. We can have a heart that says, God in my integrity, I want what you want. But the Scripture tells us, and we must trust. That means there's going to be a time, beloved, that you and I are going to feel fully right in our cause. And God is going to come and say, move away. Move out. Step back. And we, in our simplicity, are going to be fully convinced we're correct. And that's where trusting in the Lord is going to come in. Because when we begin to hear his voice in order to be God-directed, he has to begin to show us we're in the wrong path first by saying, if he speaks a word to us, we have to trust it. And do it. When I was a brand new Christian, not very long saved, I came under the influence of a teaching that says all doctors and all medicine was wrong. That it showed a lack of faith. And they were very pervasive teachers. They were very convincing. And it sounded like what they were teaching was for the greatest glory and honor of God. And I hadn't traveled too far down that path of listening to their tapes, being totally convinced in my heart that I was on the highest path. Because I wanted God with all my heart. And I did not realize that I was being led by an Absalom. That I was being led by someone who was forming an army against the true anointed army of God. And while I was in that teaching, my oldest son, when he was three years old, fell in a fire. It was an open pit. I lived on a farm and we had a fire pit. And he fell in it and a chair fell on top of him and pinned him in the fire. And my husband pulled him out of the fire and put a three-year-old boy, my son, in my arms who was screaming in pain. And I had fully believed that teaching. And I began walking up my driveway while my husband went in to get a wet cloth for his hand. And I was praying in tongues and I was believing. And I had been taught, beloved, that anything of medicine was a lack of faith. Except in my arms was a badly burned son. And we went off to the hospital. And I want to tell you that God did an incredible work on my son's third-degree burned hand. Took away the scars from his face and his chest. And brought me out of that teaching. Because it was the medicine that was three long weeks in a burn unit that was able to bring that hand back to you. And I don't say that God has to use every measure like that to that degree. But I do know from that moment on that in my simplicity, I had been following an absolute. That I needed to declare in that hospital room, God, I trust you. And he opened my eyes. When I had other people from that persuasion coming and questioning why I was in that isolation room, my only word to them was that I trust God. When it didn't make sense, that's all I could say. And then God opened that word to me and began to show me that in my integrity, it was not enough. But I needed to couple it with trust. And if he said move away, then I did. Beloved, another deception can be seen in the scriptures in the life of David and Joab. And it's a picture of David who has a heart who wants to do God's will. But David had a general, Joab. And for most of his life, Joab, the general of his army, served him. And beloved, that's a picture of our intellect and our will and our intelligence and our wisdom and our skill with our hands and an intelligent approach to life. God is not asking that we lay down our intellect, our wisdom, God-given wisdom and otherwise, or our skills. But he's to say it's forever to be the servant to a heart that wants him. It's a picture of those talents that God has given us. And we are to be trained in righteousness through the use of exercising our mind and our skill and our wisdom. It is forever to be the servant to the leader of a heart that wants God's will. And for most of his life, David's general of the army, Joab, was in right relationship. But beloved, there came a day when he rebelled. And it started like this. God made it very clear that at the end of David's life, his son Solomon was to be his successor. And the scripture tells us in 1 Chronicles 22, you don't need to turn there, but it says, Behold, a son shall be born to thee who shall be a man of rest. For his name shall be Solomon. He shall build a house for my name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever. So before Solomon was even born, there was a prophecy to David. You are going to have a son. And his kingdom, his throne shall follow yours. And it tells us also, David says, And all my sons, for the Lord has given me many sons. In 2 Chronicles 28, he has chosen Solomon, my son, to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. And so this was a well-known fact that after David's death, his son Solomon should reign in his stead. But beloved, towards the end of David's life, when he gets old and infirm, this general Joab, who is a picture of our will and our desire and our heart, who is a picture of when our own understanding and our own human will wants to lead our life. And David is old and unfirm. And his servant, the general, declares another ruler, another direction, another power to rule. And the known will of God is to be replaced by the commander's will. The known will of God, beloved, listen to me, this will happen to you if you have a heart for God. The known will of God, He has spoken it to you. You've seen it in the Word, you've heard it preached. It's clear to you. And yet there's another own understanding and our own will that will want to rise up and anoint another to lead. His choice. Joab wanted his choice leading the kingdom. It's a picture of when our own will and our own heart's desire wants to rise up and rule. Our lives. And the reason why would Joab, this is a revealed will of God. He has followed David faithfully and they have known victory. Why now at the end of his life would Joab want to turn? Why? And the scripture tells us in 1 Chronicles 22 5, it says, Solomon, my son, David said, is young and tender. And the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceeding magnificent. And beloved, when we look at that word tender, it means weak, faint-hearted and soft. We have to get the picture. It is a known fact that Solomon is to be the next leader. It is also a known fact because if your father's saying it, you know it's got to be true. He's saying he is young, but he is also faint-hearted and he is weak and he is soft. And the work to be done is exceedingly magnificent. And there was a time when the whole kingdom had a huge question mark over this boy. Because the work that was to be done, they were used to a David, a full-bodied man who could take the control and charge. He seemed to know the will and mind of God. He had victory after victory over his enemies. Even when he fell, he was able to, because he had a heart of a lion, get back into right relationship with God. And it seemed like only this kind of personality could lead Israel. And now God's anointed was a young and a tender man who was weak and faint-hearted. And the work was to be exceedingly magnificent. Because David in his latter days had stored up to build a magnificent house for God. And he knew he was not to do it. It was going to be his son after. And God's choice looked to be the wrong choice. God looked like, how could this be? How could this be at this time in the history of Israel, God, that you're choosing a man that is faint-hearted and weak and soft? How can that be? Beloved, I'll tell you, God will try us. Because many times when he's saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, it looks like a path of no success. It looks like something that's absolutely impossible. And it is in the natural. It looks like something, God, can that be you at this time? God, you know what I'm facing. You know the change I'm facing. You know, God, what is before me and the work to be done in my life. You tell me you want it to be exceeding magnificent. Yet God, the path you're pointing for that to happen looks so weak. It so looks unlike you. But beloved, Solomon was David, God's choice. Solomon was God's choice. The lesson of Joshua, things are not what they appear to be. But beloved, the battle will be how can I trust when God points in a direction we can't seem to trust? When our own understanding of God's will seems to be so in conflict of what's needed, of what I think should happen, of God, you're asking me to trust, but there doesn't like to be much to trust. But beloved, I'll tell you something. God-directed life says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding. We will be tested on this. Joab could legitimately point to David and say, you have been a mighty man of war, but you've also failed. You've also missed it. And it could be another reason why he could rise up and anoint another successor. Not only is the choice weak-hearted and faint in a time when the work is great, but it's also David, you who are anointing, who said you've heard from God, you've made mistakes. And beloved, the enemy will come like that. How can we really trust what we're hearing? Look at our track record. How can we say, God, I want your will, but remember when you did this and remember when you failed here. And the enemy will continually be pointing to our track record. How can you be sure this time? How when the plan looks so weak and so able to not support your life, when it looks so fearful to go this way, God, if you really are calling me to change careers, look at the little bit of money there. It's not able to support me. But beloved, and then the doubts. Well, you've missed God before. You haven't been right in everything. Joab well remembers the time that it tells us in Samuel chapter 11, where it says it was a time for kings to go out to battle. And David was found in the wrong place at the wrong time. How can I trust? How can I trust? Beloved, God's not asking us to trust our track record. He's saying, I trust mine. God's saying, I want you to remember something. That I am a God who's never failed. And I'm a God who never will fail you. And when I point to the Solomon in your life, you can trust it. When I point to the plan and you know, like, you know, because I've spoken it to you out of my word, just like Joab knew that Solomon was the God appointed heir. There had been a word about him repeatedly. And beloved, there are some of you today, and God has spoken repeatedly to you about something. Repeatedly. And you've used these excuses of why you would not go down that path. But beloved, we can trust. We can trust. Beloved, I want you to think about something about Solomon. God's choice to leave. Who was he? He was the son of a king and a woman that should not have been his wife. And many times, beloved, we pull away because can God truly redeem that level where I sunk to? Can God's will actually come into a situation that is depraved as this? Can God actually turn around and redeem a mess that I have made? And when I ask Him, God, come in and take over and direct and put my feet on a new path, that you'll do it? Oh, yes, He will. Oh, yes, He will. The Bible says that when Solomon was born, the Lord loved him. The Lord loved that plan. The Lord loved what he was going to do. And all that Solomon represented to David and his wife. Beloved, many times we begin to get under where I say, God, I have missed you too many times. I wanted your will, but I backed away in fear. I've leaned on my own understanding. I never did trust you. I did not want to know your ways and acknowledge you because I was afraid what it would mean. Lord, I've made a mess of it. I have made a mess of it. God, can you truly come and one more time point out to me in my mess and my failure, this is the way. Walk ye in it? Absolutely. Absolutely. But beloved, when Joab, you know what he did? He looked around the kingdom and he anointed Adonijah. And beloved, that's what our own will. We don't learn to begin to fear our own will and our own understanding. We are going to anoint the Adonijahs in our life. Adonijah was, they say, the oldest living son at that time of David. And he looked the part. Not only that, he had ambition. He exalted himself. He was following the pattern of human spirit. When he rose up, just like Ammon, his older brother before him, rose up and tried to take what was not his. Just like Absalom rose up his other brother and rose up to take something that was not God given to him. And beloved, if we do not begin to fear our own understanding and our own human will, we will give in and do what the world does. And that is to go and do what's in our heart. That is to go and do what is in our heart. And then our heart will begin to scheme, how can I get what I want? And then if we're found in a church, we're going to put a religious mask and cloak on it and say, this is what God wants for me. We will anoint the Adonijah like Joab will. Our intellect and our wisdom will try to be the leader, not the servant. Joab came out from under his place and he thought it was his place to anoint the next leader. It was not. And God canceled all those plans because God's choice went forward. Beloved, if we will trust him, no matter where we have found ourselves, no matter how disobedient we have been, no matter how fearful we have been, no matter how foolish we have been. God is the God that is able to cancel that. And say, I today, if you can hear my voice, harden not your heart. For I have a plan and a purpose for you. You can have a God directed life if you can hear me and move away and not anoint your Adonijah, not your own strength and your own will. Joab was a commander of the army and he represents the army and the arm of strength and our own understanding. Beloved, let us move away from that and lean not on our own understanding. Finally, beloved, just turn with me quickly to James 3. Another way, those that want a God directed life and can be deceived. It's those that God says, I need to define what wisdom is for you. I need to give you an insight into wisdom. If you want to be directed by me, you need to have an understanding of the forces that will come into your life when you set your heart to follow. And in James chapter 3, verses 13 to 18, it begins to describe wisdom and it describes it not by a definition because beloved words can be used of the enemy. Anybody can say anything, but the scripture is always saying, show me or I will show you. And it tells us in James 3, verse 13, it's asking a question, who is wise among you? Not by what they say. It's saying in James 3, I'll tell you, I will by showing you, I will show you who has wisdom. It says that by the fruit of his life and the manner of his life, he does, he works with what he has. It talks about a meekness of wisdom in verse 13, he's going to show out of a good conversation his works with the meekness of wisdom and beloved. God is saying, now I want to show you what a life is like when it's God directed the fruit that's going to be in a God directed life. There is going to be a wisdom that's going to confound your enemies. There is going to be a knowing in your spirit what my will is for you. Step by step. There are going to be times that I have gained to build true godly wisdom into you and that there is going to be the warning lights go off. There's going to be when they're troubled in your spirit, you're started to head off on another direction because I'm going to fill your life with godly wisdom. If you'll stay today, we will stand up. It will say, God direct my life. God says, here's how I'm going to do it. I'm going to warn you, but I'm also going to fill you. I'm going to fill you with godly wisdom. The scripture says the meekness of wisdom, and I love that word. Meekness is one of my most favorite words. Meekness does not mean weakness. Weakness, meekness means power with restraint. Meekness means power with restraint that you have in your hand, a power to move in your anger, a power to take control of your life, a power to make your own choices according to your own understanding. But when a meekness of wisdom comes in, there is a power with restraint. You are allowing the restraint of God to come upon your understanding. You are allowing the restraint of God to say yay to this and nay to that. You have a power to direct your own course, but there's a cry in us, God, I want this power with restraint, a godly restraint. And how does that show? Beloved, it's because when we begin to face experiences in life and issues in life, we begin responding in the right time. We begin responding in the right measure. We begin responding in the right, for the right reasons. We're not baited out. We're not found following an Absalom in the wrong army. We're not given to angry outbursts, but we're not given to an uncaring whatever. Beloved, a meekness and wisdom comes into our life that as every situation arises, we begin to move in a godliness that is characterized by power with restraint. But in verse 14, it says, but if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where there is envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. And now the scripture is telling us perhaps a little known fact about wisdom, but that wisdom really is a neutral force. Wisdom is a neutral force that can be used for the power of good, or it can be used for the power of evil. And the scripture is telling us in verse 13, what the power when wisdom is animated by the spirit of God, when it comes from heaven, when it has the heart and mind of God behind it, our lives begin to look like this. Our decisions begin to look like this. Our walk begins to look like this. But it says there is a wisdom that can be animated by evil. It is cunning. It is intelligent. It is sly. But it's talking about a wisdom that can come in and try to masquerade itself. There is a wisdom, the scripture says, that is from the descendeth not from above. There is a wisdom that is earthly. It is tied to the earth. It only operates by what it sees. There's no faith in it. There is a wisdom, the Bible says, that is sensual. And that means it's animal-like characteristics. There's no spirit-breathed reasoning in it at all. God has no say in it. It is a sensual wisdom governed by our fallen instinct. It is a wisdom in mind only. And beloved, it's not a word of honor. A sensual wisdom. And there can be a devilish wisdom. It's anointed and animated by the devil himself. Will it be cunning? Will it be wise? Yes. And what does it produce? This kind of wisdom. The Bible says confusion. And it's a cloak for every evil work. Beloved, we can say, you can judge yourself to be wise. Scripture says, be not wise in your own eyes. But those that begin to esteem themselves as wise. Those that begin to say, I have the mind of God without a humility worked into it. That's from above. Those that begin to feel that they know something. Can start to open their lives up for an evil kind of wisdom. Beloved, we need to know that there is a wisdom that is not from above. Sometimes when things don't make sense. When why do the ungodly prosper? Why is it that such cunning evilness can prosper and abound? Beloved, because there is an intelligence behind evil. And the scripture is telling us very clearly. It will bring nothing but a bitterness. And an envy. And a strife. The scripture tells us that this envy and strife is going to throw a cloak of confusion. Verse 16. It's going to throw a cloak of confusion. So that every evil work can hide under this cloak. This confusion. Every evil work can happen. All in the name of a wisdom. Beloved, we are convinced that every time envy. And bitterness. And strife raises its head in our spirits. We can begin to have it unmasked by a godly wisdom. Because if we've experienced godly wisdom. When the evil wisdom raises its head. We're going to judge it and discern it. When the confusion. Which means the bitterness and the anger. And the envy in our spirit wants to take dominion. And lead us all in the name of wisdom. Well, wisdom dictates we do it this way. Beloved, that's just coming from a heart that is deceitful and wicked. Jeremiah tells us that. When a heart gets animated by its own ambition. When a heart gets animated by its own envy and strife. Beloved, that is when there is something that is not a godly wisdom animating in us. And it is our privilege to discern it. It is our privilege to unmask it. And draw away the cloak. And let the pure light of this word shine into it. And say, I know what's operating right now. I know what wants to rise up. But it will not when we know this word. And the Bible says, because the wisdom that is from above. And it tells us in verse 17 and 18 what it's like. It's such an opposite spirit to the other. It is an opposite spirit. And beloved, we know that what is operating out of our heart. We're going to begin to call it what it is. That we are going to say, I'm not going down that path. I have a God-directed path. The light has shined on this path. And when it begins to rise up in my heart, I'm being pulled off the God-directed path. I'm being asked to go down a place with a devilish wisdom. And it will not prosper. That God has given me a sensitivity now. God has given me a sensitivity to know what is evil. If I, when I begin to say, God put me on a God-directed path. Because he will give us the wisdom from above. And it will discern. And it will light up the evil wisdom that proceeds from our own heart. And so beloved, I want to close with a word to leaders. And those that have influence over the lives of others. In my experience, those that have, want a heart for God. And are seeking to know his will. There are three things. When we stand before a path, that's a fork in the road. And we have a choice to make. And it's been my experience and my personal testimony. That when you stand in that fork of the road. We can act, we can say without a certainty. Either I know exactly what to do. I'm having heavenly wisdom from above. I'm having that light shine. I know, I know what to do. Or we can stand in that fork of the road. And say, God, I don't know what to do. I honestly don't. Or we can, a third thing is when we think. We know what to do. And I have had that awesome and glorious experience. Of standing at that fork of the road. And knowing what to do. I have known in leading ladies ministry or something like that. God has given me the plan. I know what to do. I see it clearly. And because I see it clearly. Then others come around. And that's how God says, you're the leader. Because you know what to do. You see what to do. You see what direction. You know where you're going. And you transmit it to others. And that's a call of leadership. You know what to do. You see. But then there are times you can stand in that road. And you don't know what to do. And that is the time that where we seek godly counsel. In addition to seeking the word. And we wait on him. So we seek counsel and we wait on him. The Bible says waiting really means to be entwined together. So God, I'm not moving until you move. I'm waiting on you. And waiting is a form of trust. I don't move until you say move. That's trust. But then beloved, there's the times when you think you know what to do. And there has been a time in my life where I felt that I knew what to do. And I couldn't have been more wrong. And there was a time where my husband said, this is the situation. And I said, all right. As pastor of the church, I trust that. I accept your word. And as your wife and you're the leader of our home, all right. I'll accept that word. But I want you to know. For the record, I don't agree with that. And I think it's this. I know you think it's A. But honestly, I have to let you know. I have to know. I think it's B. Fortunately, I knew enough of the word that I said A before I said B. Simply because when I was proven to be absolutely wrong. The very next day, I might add. That as loudly as I declared, I want you to know. I had to go back and loudly declare, I want you to know. I was wrong. Now, he knew I was wrong. But it was very important I said that. For my sake. Because there needs to be a humility. But looking back. When I look back on that. Like, God, how did I so miss it? God was saying because, you know, that's why I put leadership over you. You don't see everything. You need to listen. You need humility. But he also showed me too that there was a troubling in my heart. But you know what? I didn't want to see the troubling. I didn't want to hear the troubling. Because my heart really wanted it to be option B. And when I saw that, Lord, you were trying to give a troubling. But it was such a faint one because my heart was speaking so loud. But you were troubling. And beloved, David, when he stood up to number the army. You know what Joab did? He said, don't do it, David. There was a time for our reason and our wisdom to have a voice. And he said, don't do it, David. But David went ahead and did it anyway. God, David missed the path of God. David suffered because he missed the path of God. But David repented. And David said, put me back on that willow path of God. And God did. And God did. And vindicated him. Beloved, we have an incredible future if we would be a God-directed people. There are some here that there is something that's said in this message that you need to be humble about. That you need to say, Lord, I hear you. This, as you know, is an altar. God is going to transform our hearts into altars that we can bring to him what we need to. He says there's a certain sacrifice he will never refuse. A broken heart and a contrite spirit. God, I've missed you, I'm afraid. There are times I'm not even sure I want your will. But God, I hear you because there is a life that you've left. Beloved, it's to be your life. It's to be my life. In this hour, we need God-directed lives because what God is going to do in this last hour of time, we don't want to miss. Will you come if the Lord has been speaking to you?