October 26 – Much needed refreshment

Do not be wise in your own estimation; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.  This will bring healing to your body, and refreshment to your inner self.  (Proverbs 3:7-8 NET)

God asks us to be wise, but in this verse, being wise in our own estimation, is when we think we can diverge from God’s word, and invent our own version of right at wrong.  He has to tell those of us who think we know better, to turn away from evil.  Whenever we think more highly of our own opinions than those of God, we are always in the devil’s camp.

Shannon was a young lady who came to us years ago, and insisted that she loved God with all her heart. But she couldn’t accept a God who taught that a couple who lived together outside of marriage, were living in an immoral and sinful condition.  God was love, after all, she said.  While we didn’t condemn her, and let her know that she was always welcome for prayer and counsel, she felt angry just knowing that the Bible taught against the life she wanted to lead.  A battle raged inside of her because she loved the help we offered yet she resisted submitting her life to the wisdom of God’s word.  Eventually Shannon revealed that her live-in boyfriend was abusive, but she couldn’t let go of him because she felt worthless without a man in her life.  There were a lot of inner wounds that needed healing.  She realized that she was trying to create her own version of the truth in fear that she could never be healed.

The reason that only a few in this world are truly converted, is because God’s wisdom requires change and sacrifice.  But those who risk giving up their own version of wisdom and submit to God’s truths, are the ones who can finally find healing to their bodies, and refreshment to their inner selves.

Who among us needs to be healed?  Perhaps this is the missing piece of the puzzle.  Are there truths in God’s word that you have been resisting or avoiding?  Have you concocted your own recipe for wisdom and hold it in higher regard than God’s?  

We all need refreshment and healing, and if this is one way we can receive it, let’s determine to healthy fear of God right now, and to live by His words above all else.  We could be totally renewed in a short period of time.