Proverbs 16:1-6
1
Go ahead and make all the plans you want,
but it’s the Lord who will ultimately direct your steps.
2
We are all in love with our own opinions,
convinced they’re correct.
But the Lord is in the midst of us,[in the midst of spirits]
testing and probing our every motive.
3
Before you do anything,
put your trust totally in God and not in yourself.
Then every plan you make will succeed.
4
The Lord works everything together to accomplish his purpose.
Even the wicked are included in his plans—
he sets them aside for the day of disaster.
Are you in love with your own opinions? We are welcome to have them and most assuredly many times we feel we are right, but let us not forget the Lord is in the midst of our opinions and he tests our motives. God knows the truth and he wants us to face it. According to the Bible Study Tools dictionary, motives pose at least a twofold dilemma: (1) the status of a good deed done for the wrong reason or an evil deed done with good (or even without) intent; and (2) the effect of a motive (good or bad) that never has opportunity to find fulfillment. The fundamental issue prompting the dilemma is that there is not a one-to-one correspondence between a given action and the motive of its agent: the same action may be either censored or defended depending upon one’s motive.
We have recently witnessed how motives can cause people to suppress contrasting information based on their own biased opinions; social media has been found guilty of this censorship. Many times I have wanted to explore a different research or political perspective on a topic—viewing something a friend posted—only to find the content taken down by social media before I could read it. Never fear, God already knows the motives behind the actions and has a plan for the wicked. Put your trust totally in God and ask him to direct your steps, today!
Prayer: Lord, my opinions means very little to me anymore. I hunger for the Truth, because so many want to suppress it. Therefore, I will stay in your Word and remain in fellowship with the Spirit of Truth to guide my path. In Jesus’ name. Amen.