Proverbs 3:5, 6 Trusting the Lord In Spite Of “Driving Mode”

Pastor Ernest L. Williams Sr. • October 2, 2021

When I am driving I somehow loose my sense of spiritual wherewithal. But that seems to

continue elsewhere in my life. And in yours too. I can pray an earnest prayer in the morning

asking the Lord to bridle my words, thoughts, and actions to represent him. And get right in my

car and it is as if I am a completely different person. I get into driving mode. Driving mode

seems to take over. It is so bad now that my son Ajhanni, who is not able to drive acts just like

me in the car. Let’s just say, the word “Idiot” comes up a lot when we are in the car.

___________________________


What I think is a critical issue with human relationship is that people struggle with criticism. It is

difficult for people to accept criticism. Proverbs 3:5, 6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and

lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy

path.” One of the problems that I see that this passage is trying to address is that in order to trust

in the Lord you cannot trust in your own understanding. Here is the problem: Nobody wants

anyone to tell them that they are wrong. Society has embraced tolerance of everything today.

What the Bible use to declare has wrong is now accepted. Homosexuality is accepted today.

Marriage licenses now do not require a minister’s signature because of the acceptance of

LGBTQ community. There is no prayer in schools today because if they could, which god would

you pray to? You can’t pray and not acknowledge someone else’s god? That would be

insensitive. In Acts 17:22, Paul ran up against this with the Greek sophisticates on Mars Hill.

Even they were sensitive to acknowledge one statue as, “To the unknown God.”


So the generation that is in there forties and fifties were raised to believe that you are the

conquerors (champions) of the world. There is nothing you can’t do or be. “No” is not an option.

So, this generation teaches their children the same thing, but at a more intense level. So at home,

when something is broke, and you ask everyone in the home, “Who did it?” Each person

responds, “I didn’t do it!” Do you remember Jesus’ statement to his disciples at the last supper

that one of you will deny me? They all responded, “Lord, is it I?” As if to say, maybe its me, but

I am not sure, or I really don’t want to admit to being guilty.


It is the avoidance of guilt that lays at the real problem in society. Unfortunately, in the church,

we don’t help the situation. The gospel message is shrouded today with love, acceptance, grace,

and forgiveness, that nobody repents anymore. The message and the need for repentance has

been replaced with “Jesus loves you, He died for your sins, Just accept and acknowledge him and

he will save you from your sins and go to heaven when you die.” However, in this statement,

there is no mentioning of “you are wrong, bad, evil, a liar, a cheat…” And the only way to be

free of this divergent mindset is to acknowledge your present condition: I am evil and I deserve

to go to hell. And to ask God to forgive you of your sins, ask Jesus to come into your life,


acknowledge that the only way God can save you is to die to the flesh and ask Jesus to come into

your life and that he would live and have dominion in your life from this day forward.


The key aspect to this coming to Jesus is acknowledging that you are a sinner today, tomorrow,

and probably for the next days also. And if you can acknowledge your sins before Christ, then

why do we have such a hard time admitting our mistakes before others? My proposition: we are

not acknowledging our sins before Christ and thus we don’t acknowledge our wrongs before

others. Here is our response when we are accused of something: (1) I didn’t do it. (2) That wasn’t

me. (3) What about you? You are not so innocent yourself. Understand, to acknowledge God in

his righteousness and holiness is to also acknowledge our wickedness and evil ways. The Bible

says in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth

in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved

me, and gave himself for me.”


Here is a quick outline of Proverbs 3:5, 6. 1. Trusting in the Lord means NOT to lean to

your own understanding. 2. In all our ways acknowledge Him. 3. In all means “in all.” The

goal is to receive direction and discernment in life’s choices (path).


Consider the rich young ruler (Matt 19:16; Mk 10:17). This generation of Christians today, all of

us are rich young rulers. Why do I say this? Notice: after receiving Jesus’ correction, the young

man responds in sadness because he is not willing to comply to Jesus’ demands. The man wanted

to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to obey and keep the law. The man

responded that he has from his youth. Then Jesus told him to, “Go sell all that you have and give

to the poor.” And with that, the young man walked away. Notice his reaction to Jesus and ours

today: Jesus lays down stipulations of surrender and the man refuses. For us, Jesus lays down

stipulations of surrender to us. We are wiser than the rich young ruler. We simply modify Jesus’

demands. We come to him but we don’t fully surrender. Look at Proverbs 3:5, 6 again. “Trust in

the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways

acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path.”


Here is our modifications: “Trust in the Lord with some of your heart and lean not to others

understanding. In some of thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path that you have

carved out for yourself and now you want Jesus to bless.”


(1) We acknowledge God when it is in our favor. (2) Following God’s path is foreign to us. We

want to tunnel our own path and then we want God to bless our stuff after the fact. And then we

wonder when things don’t go our way. Please note: Even when we do it God’s way, stuff still

happens. Nothing in this life exempts any of us from trouble. You can pray all day and read and

memorize the entire Bible, do good to all men, be patient with your spouse and children and still

sickness and trouble will befall you. Job will tell you that.


Throughout Job’s ordeals with the devil, sickness, death, and the loss of his income, Job

continued to trust in the Lord. Job declared: thou he slay me, yet will I trust in him. I know that

my witness is in heaven and my record is on high (Job 16:19). Man that is born of woman is of

few days and full of trouble. All the days of my appointed time I will wait until my change


comes. And I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand upon the latter day of the

earth. And thou skin worms destroy this body. Yet in my flesh I shall see him.


Application


1. To fight against road rage, give yourself time and leave early.


2. Be a defensive driver. Act as though you are in the wrong to look out for the other person

(1 Cor 7). Watch out for the other driver.


3. Stop riding up close behind the car in front of you.


Conclusion



When I am driving, driving mode on my phone seems to take over. When driving mode is on, it

won't let me text, browse on my phone while driving. Which is a good thing until my phone goes

crazy and thinks I'm driving when I am sitting at my desk at the office.


I have learned that Proverbs 3:5, 6, means to me, when I want to drive everything in my life, turn

over the steering wheel to Jesus. I must yield to Him. I am crucified with Christ.


So, Trust in him in all things. Acknowledge that Jesus has the right-away and I don’t. In “all

things.”

Our Sermons

How do I project Jesus through me in my community?

By Pastor Ernest L. Williams, Sr. • January 20, 2023
How do I project Jesus through me in my community? How to take Jesus to the street? Tuesday, September 6, 2022 A. Be Intentional (Ephesians 4) 1. Start by telling the truth (stop lying), vs. 15. 2. Put off the old man and put on the new man, vv. 22, 24, 25. 3. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, v. 23. 4. Learn how to get angry without sinning, v. 26. 5. Stop being lazy, stealing and get a job, v. 28. 6. If you don’t have anything encouraging to say, shut up! V. 29. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” B. Be Available (Mark 5:18, 19) 1. How to take Jesus to the street? First, we must get him in the home. 2. Booker T. Washington said, “Cast down your bucket where you are!” No need to do anything extra, in the areas where you reside and work or go to school or serve, live for Christ. In Mark 5, the Lord healed a lunatic man who lived among the tombs. This man wanted to be with Jesus. “Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” (Mk 5:19). 3. The woman at the well was available. 4. When the Lord got ready to enter into Jerusalem, Jesus told two of his disciples that they would find a colt and its ass tied. Jesus told his disciples to loose him and let him go. The colt was available. A Roman centurion, who had great faith was available. Even the rooster that crowed when Peter denied the Lord, was available. Jesus calmed the waves and the wind one day: even the winds and the sea were availability. 5. Jesus told Peter and John to go into Jerusalem and they would see a man bearing a pitcher of water. The man was available. C. Be Relevant 1. Jesus, the apostles, and the NT writers addressed issues that people were facing and could relate to. Many in our Christian circles are not reaching people because our methods, not message, are out of date. It took a pandemic to force many of our churches to use technology. 2. Why is it that many of our churches are one man shows with just one pastor that is hired by the church. We need to have an elder board with various “paid” pastors on staff to meet the growing needs of our community. Our business model in the church does not work. Here is one reason why it doesn’t work: It's not biblical! 3. Jesus came to die for sinners because that was and still is the current pandemic: sin. However, the church focuses more on the cross and little emphasis is placed on the fact that Jesus will return to receive his church. Our message, if it is to be relevant, must be balanced. Conclusion  Let us learn to pray this prayer before we leave the home: Lord provide the platform for me to let you shine through me. Lord I give my mind, my abilities, my words, and my deeds as service to you in this day. Lord, help me to be available for my spouse, family, pastor, church family, to people in my community, those on my job, school, or to a stranger that I may meet today. Father, I know that no encounter is an accident. So, Lord, help me to be intentional with my words, thoughts, and actions, that I may minister grace to the hearers and so someone will come to know the love of your Son Jesus Christ through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Three Signs of a Joyful Spirit: Live, Give, and Forgive

By Pastor Ernest L. Williams, Sr. • January 20, 2023
The Three Signs of a Joyful Spirit: Live, Give, and Forgive Luke 6:20 – 38 September 4, 2022 Ernest L. Williams, Sr. In some translations, the word in Greek for “blessed” is translated as “happy.” Could Jesus be saying to the crowd in his sermon on the plains to be happy? (See v. 17 compared to Matthew’s sermon on the Mount, Matt 5). True joy contains living, giving, and forgiving. Illustration Proverbs on laughter. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones (Prov 17:22). A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken (Prov 15:13). All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast (Prov 15:15).  Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad (Prov 12:25). Dea. Jacque’s funnies!  Three surprises in heaven! 1. LIVE a. In verses 21 to 26, Jesus speaks to true blessings, but he also balances a happy life with warnings. 2. GIVE a. In verses 28 – 35, Jesus speaks to the nature of giving. b. A true sign of a person’s joy is seen in their giving. c. Paul speaks of allowing yourself to be defrauded in order to win souls for Christ: Luke 6:28, 29; compare with 1 Cor 6:7. i. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? d. The Golden Rule, v. 31. e. Give, looking for nothing in return, vv. 32 – 35. 3. FORGIVE a. Verses 36 – 36. b. One attribute of forgiveness is giving. Conclusion Vv. 22 – 23. We rejoice because our reward is in heaven. Job said, “my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high” (Job 16:19). Jesus told the disciples after they had returned from preaching and healing, that they should rejoice not because of what they could do, but rejoice because their names have been written in heaven. I sing because I am happy, I sing because I am free. His eyes are on the sparrow, and I know he watches over me!
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