Exodus 20:19 “And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die” (KJV).
The people of Israel enjoyed hearing God’s message delivered from Moses but were afraid to hear from God directly. I can remember a time when I was so captured by listening to my weekly sermons that I failed to focus on my own personal time with the Lord. I have learned through the years that the most important portion of my Christian walk is to spend time with the Lord. My personal time of study and reflection has to come first. My walk must begin each day with time in His word, prayer, and study.
I believe it is important to discuss our spirituality with other Christians and share our faith as well. But if we focus too much on the external we might become like the people of Israel. There is a balance that I believe exists between our internal personal relationship and the external. Our walk of faith begins with our personal relationship with the Lord, it is the foundation that called us to salvation and it is the rock that is the solid footing of our faith. “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6, KJV).
My point is simple, be careful and ensure that your daily walk with the Lord begins with him. Do not rely or place your faith entirely on the wisdom of man. While it is important to seek spiritual counsel and share our faith with others, it is crucial for us to grow in our faith by seeking Him on a personal level. If our faith is based on what others tell us, then we are bound to fall short. Of course this does not mean that we should not listen, heed, and cogitated on wise counsel. Again, my point is that we should always balance the worldly wisdom we are given with the only form of absolute truth, which is found in His word.
Here are a few verses that reminded me of what Moses witnessed with his people. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23, KJV); As much as we would all like to trust people with great spiritual wisdom, we must always remember that we live in a fallen and sin filled world. Satan wants nothing more than for us to stop reading our Bibles, praying and speaking directly to the Lord. That way he can use others to implant his deceptive plans into our hearts. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2Tim. 3:13, KJV).
1 Corinthians 3:18-19 “18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a food, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain” (KJV).
Most of the time we fall short of the mark because we just decided to aim low and miss the target, we aim without taking into account the truth, such as the wind or distance. Sometimes we miss the mark because we haven’t searched the Scriptures to see what the Lord has declared about such concerns, or we may simply be too busy and seek the counsel of others, while this may provide us the right answers to those specific areas we face at times. We still need to take the time to balance any worldly wisdom with what the Bible has to say.
I have had the privilege of sitting under some great pastors and they constantly remind us to perform a checks and balances of what they are preaching with the Word of God. They are humble enough to admit that they could have made an error or a statement did not come out right; meaning the sermon could have been taken out of context. 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (KJV).
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17, KJV).
I know this is a long posting and my prayer is that someone can relate to what I am trying share. Not only did the Lord lay this in my heart today for my own personal reminder, but I have a feeling that someone out there needs this reminder as well. Maybe you are dealing with a difficult situation where the amount of influence and outside wisdom has you feeling overwhelmed. I pray that the truth the Lord has laid on my heart will help you find peace.
In Christ,
The Silent Preacher
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Psalms 11:1-7 “1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? 2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. 3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. 5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright” (KJV).
The Silent Preacher 
