"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Why would God say that? Does he think we're stupid or something? Does he think we can't even think for ourselves? Nope! That's not the reason at all. He's not even insinuating that.

In the Bible, the phrase "lean not on your own understanding", essentially means that we should not rely solely on our own knowledge and wisdom to make decisions, but also trust in God's guidance and direction, acknowledging that His understanding far surpasses our own and is ultimately better for our lives. Sometimes we don't make such good decisions, due to our own flawed interpretation or misunderstanding of situations. Sometimes we can't think clearly when we're in the midst of troubles, fights, or even when we're depressed, or ill. God just wants to help us see things more clearly. Going to God in prayer before we make important decisions, allows Him to lead and guide us towards the best outcome. Sometimes I think we forget that God can see far into the future, which is certainly advantageous in helping us make better choices. After all, we're not smarter nor wiser than He.

By saying "not to lean on our own understanding," the Bible is asking us to recognize the limitations of our human intellect and acknowledge that God has a much greater perspective.

Instead of relying on our own reasoning, we should actively seek God's wisdom and trust that He will lead us in the right direction. He always wants the best for us.

Proverbs 3:5, encourages us to actively seek God's guidance in all aspects of our lives...not just when we face trials and tribulations, and especially when it comes to preparing our souls for eternity. That's the time we really need to trust God, because He's been from heaven to Earth, to tell us how to get to heaven, then went back to His eternal throne in heaven. It stands to reason that if anyone knows how to have eternal life in heaven, it would be Jesus. God himself appointed Jesus, not just as a mediator, but as the only Mediator between God and man, as confirmed in scripture. 1 Timothy 2:5

Given our sinful nature, God knows we cannot save ourselves. It took a pure and perfect sacrifice to save us from the condemnation sin brings us. This is why we need Jesus. God the Father knew this was the best way to get us to Heaven, since we can't drag our sins into a Holy heaven. God the Father and His son Jesus, loves us so much, they weren't about to leave us with no way to have eternal life in heaven. Appointed by God the Father as Savior, Jesus proved how much he loves us, from the cross.

Proverbs 3:5 speaks to the dilemma that everyone who chooses to follow God faces....how to trust and how to choose. We all have decisions to make, and yet this Proverb clearly guides us to understand that sometimes we don't always make the best decisions for ourselves, and sometimes that's to our detriment. Especially when it comes to eternal decisions. God wants us to understand that if we miss taking care of spiritual matters....especially in deciding where our soul shall spend eternity, we will have missed it all, because once we cross over into eternity, there's no turning back and no second chances. Scripture makes that crystal clear.

Further, nowhere in Scripture does it say we are reincarnated. In fact, it says just the opposite; that man is appointed only once to die and after that, we stand before God. Hebrews 9:27. In contrast to Mere religious philosophy, which teaches that man is constantly reborn, or vanishes into nothingness, the Bible is crystal clear that all men experience a single, permanent death. Once this happens, each person is accountable for their own actions and decisions in life. This is why we should not gamble with our own soul. That would be spiritual Russian Roulette. Jesus said make no mistake... heaven and hell are real and we must decide where we wish to spend our eternity.

If we neglect the destination of our own soul and haven't prepared it for heaven before we cross over, our eternal destination will have been "sealed" by our own decision. No decision, and our souls are forfeited to chance. That doesn't mean we go to heaven.

This is why God wants us to think about this very carefully. It truly is the most important decision you'll ever make in your whole life, because what you decide NOW, determines where you shall spend eternity... and where you spend eternity, God said is completely up to you. Why? Because that tells God exactly where your heart is. Whether you want Him to rescue your soul, or not, because you know, some people don't! They don't realize that by passing up the opportunity to be saved from hell, they'll lose their own soul. That's why Jesus said not to rely on your own understanding. Sometimes it leads you in the wrong direction and wrong place. It can literally cause you to lose your life and your own soul, but some people don't know that. Now you do, if you're reading this, confirmed by God's Word. God did not leave us to guess on this. It's much too important to miss. We won't be able to use the excuse that we "didn't know". There's a spiritual hole in our heart that only God can fill.

1st John 5:13 - 15: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe."

So, if you consider what you've just learned from scripture right now, and you know you're not prepared for heaven, where do you think you will spend eternity? If you don't know or haven't thought about it yet, God said not to wait. He said now is the day of salvation... to make a decision today, because in this crazy world, we never know whether we're going to be here tomorrow or not. Therefore, God doesn't want us taking any chances when it comes to the Salvation of our soul. He doesn't want us taking tomorrow for granted, and missing Heaven altogether. He's not willing that any should perish...but that's entirely up to you. If you'll go to Jesus in prayer right now and ask him to save your soul, he'll do it right then and there, as promised, and He is no liar. He'll forgive you and remember your sins no more. They shall be completely obliterated from your life and you can start a brand new life in Christ. How exciting! You'll be ready for heaven, guaranteed! In all reality, we just can't afford to get this wrong. Our lives depend on it.