You'd have to admit that as Christian women, wives, and mothers, what
is important to us is that our homes, marriages, and children are all
centered in the will of God. We want the best for our loved ones - or
should anyway - and we spend much time in prayer in regard to the direction
these sacred relationships take. Wouldn't it be nice to have the guarantee
that our homes, marriages, and children would follow the path that God
has for each one? How is it possible that such divine guidance could be
made continually available to us? Of course, the verse that comes to heart
and mind in answer to this question could only be:
Proverbs 3:5&6
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
We find through this well-known portion of Scripture that WHO we trust
in for guidance should always and only be the Lord! We must first acknowledge
God. We must then relinquish all reliance upon our own understanding,
our own insights, and place our total trust in God and His ability to
make straight paths for our feet and the feet of our loved ones as well.
We must humbly recognize God as that One who can best control the affairs
of our lives. Certainly, we may recognize that God exists and does wonderful
miracles, but God is not going to shape our lives until we acknowledge
Him as Lord! To acknowledge the Lord is to individually and personally
take notice of Him. Are you doing that, dear lady? Do you notice your
heavenly Father on a regular, daily basis? Sadly, sometimes we don't regard
Him for days. We neglect to acknowledge our Lord and therefore lose touch
with divine guidance upon our lives…
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I
will guide thee with mine eye.
HOW we trust in the Lord is just as important, too… The Bible says we
are to acknowledge Him with our WHOLE heart, not just a tiny portion of
it. This is to be the testimony of every child of God! Whatever portion
of your heart you keep to yourself remains as the segment that is filled
with doubt and suspect. What happens when you acknowledge God with your
whole heart? You'll find that you will also have to acknowledge your sin…
I don't know about you, but in the very tiny cracks and crevices of my
heart, sin has lodged itself there. If I do not acknowledge God in every
area of my heart, this sin will never be brought to light! And this is
precisely what God has intended should happen when He told us to acknowledge
Him in ALL our ways... Remember too, that the devil would prefer we don't
detect our sin, and he therefore tries to hinder us daily from acknowledging
God at all. You see, when you take notice of God, you can't help but take
notice of your enemy too!
Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said,
I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the
iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Psalm 51:3
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Christian woman, don't attempt to gloss over your sin, or hide it from
your heavenly Father! You'll only turn yourself into a stubborn mule!
Psalm 32:9 would counsel us otherwise… "Be ye not as the horse, or as
the mule, which have no understanding…" Sin cannot be concealed; it must
be faced and openly dealt with, admitting that we cannot deal with it
alone. We need God's help with our sin! Can you humbly admit that you
don't have all the answers?? Acknowledging our sin, confessing it, and
getting it out of the way will positively make God's course clearer to
our eyes. We will improve our ability to distinguish the way in which
the Lord would have us to go - or not go in! We will also begin to recognize
the strange paths we have traveled in the past… Not only that, but with
sin out of the way, you and I will be more willing to walk in the right
path with obedient hearts, free of mule-like tendencies!
Jeremiah 3:13
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the
Lord thy God, and hast scattered THY WAYS to the strangers under every
green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.
By acknowledging God in all our ways, we will realize too, that against
Him only have we sinned! It is our Father's voice we have not obeyed!
Of course, there is no such thing as private sin where others are not
affected by our actions, but ladies, regardless of who we hurt when we
sin, we hurt the Lord the most! Remember that God is in full view of all
that you decide to do…
Psalm 51:4
Against thee, and thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight....
In closing, no matter if you are saved or lost here today, near to God
or far away from Him, He needs to be acknowledged by each and every one!
Our lives will take the wrong direction if we neglect so important an
issue. Ye who are far off need to acknowledge what Christ has done at
Calvary - He died for your sins that you might have eternal life through
the blood of Christ! Have you acknowledged your need for salvation yet,
lost woman? Ye that are near need to acknowledge the might of the Lord,
His strength and power that are over all the earth and made available
to His children. Have you acknowledged your need for the Lord, Christian
woman?
Isaiah 33:13
Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge
my might.
If we want the security of God's guidance upon our lives, we must every
morning commit ourselves to the Lord, acknowledge Him and go forth in
His strength to do the work of the day. Daily, even hourly, we ought to
acknowledge our sin and confess and forsake it! We must not fail to remember
God's might… Let all who note what God has done recognize that He can
do everything! The Bible says, "and He SHALL direct thy paths....". It's
a promise we can claim - but not if we have dismissed Him from our minds!
Acknowledge the Lord today, won't you? It will put a song in your heart
and remind you of how great He really is!
Oh, Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in!
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home; what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
