Motokar! - Bible Plan Verse #10

Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬ NLT)

Read it again.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬ NASB)

WHAT STICKS OUT?

Seek God and He takes care of the rest

WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?

>>>OBSESSED CHILD<<<

How do I practically focus on God all the time? What about when I'm at work or school? I can't focus on God then because I have to focus on what I'm doing. The Holy Spirit showed me this idea of a continual focus on God as a comparison to a child with an obsessive interest or hobby. I'm sure you've seen a little girl with princess toys and princess clothes and she only talks about princesses. Or a boy that has pictures of dinosaurs on everything from his shirts to his sheets. My son can't get enough of motokars (that's Runyoro for motor-car). Every day all he wants to do is sit and watch the cars pass by. We see this behavior in the majority of little kids and we normally blow it off as childlike behavior out of touch with reality. It often become tedious for me to sit for long periods of time with my son looking at an empty street just waiting for a regular old car to pass by. But didn't Jesus tell us that we need to become like little children to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. We often associate this verse to a childlike faith in God, but the Bible never actually says "childlike faith". Jesus said we need to have childlike humility (‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭1-4). Stop trying to look like you have it all together and accept that without God we have nothing. Every creation on this earth is a reflection of its creator. Acknowledging that is like having that childlike obsession to see God in everything. From this perspective, forgetting or ignoring God in everything you do is childlike and obsessing over God in everything is an acknowledgement of reality.

>>>PATH PULLED STRAIGHT<<<

We often miss the poetic complexity of the Bible in its native language. In Hebrew, the word we translate to 'path' is

אֹרַח

Transliteration: 'orach

In the Bible this word is most often translated as a road or direction, but it is also is used figuratively as a passing of life or way of living.

Also the word translated to 'straight' is יָשַׁר

Transliteration: yashar

This word means to be right, be straight, be level, be upright, be just, be lawful, be smooth
So this verse literally says that God will make a correct path ahead of you. In our selfish ways we want this verse to read like this: Follow God and He will point you in an obvious, easy to follow direction. A clear cut path in life sounds like exactly what we want, but we know that rarely happens. When you read into the figurative definitions of this verse, our straight path is more accurately that God will lead us in an proper way to live. It's not so much a physical direction as it is a spiritual, emotional, and mental growth. We want a change of scenery but God promises a change of heart.

Philippians 4:6 Flowchart - Bible Plan Verse #3

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ NLT)

Read it again.

Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. (‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ERV)

WHAT STICKS OUT?

Worry versus Prayer

Don't worry. Pray happy!

WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?

>>> FLOWCHART <<<

Flowcharts visually map out a process. I see a lot of them at work and most times it helps me get a better handle on the path to solving a problem. This verse seems simple enough, but a flowchart helped me see the bigger picture.

>>> DIAMOND SHAPED BOX <<<

In a flowchart, a diamond shaped box represents a decision point. It's important to realize that every problem we face comes with a choice. And our choices reveal the answer to a deeper question. Who would you rather handle this problem: you or God?

>>> CHOOSING TO PRAY <<<

When I first started piecing together this flowchart, on the prayer-side of the chart, I wanted to add elements like "pray without ceasing" or "work together with God to solve the problem", but the Holy Spirit stopped me. There was no need to add anything to what God already said. So I kept the prayer-side simple with the only two things this verse says to do: tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

>>> CHOOSING TO WORRY <<<

The worry-side is a stark contrast to the prayer-side. There is mass confusion and a constant push to do anything and everything to make the problem go away. I was surprised when the Holy Spirit showed me that the first step in worrying is planning. When a problem occurs, shouldn't we be working toward a solution? Yes, but too often our planning is how we try to take control of the situation without considering God's plan. That's not to say we should never plan anything, but you need to make you plans with God instead of by yourself.

>>> WHERE'S THE END? <<<

You may have realized that there is no end to this flowchart. It's just a continuous cycle. Sometimes you'll choose to pray. Other times you'll choose to worry. So you're probably asking yourself, "How am I supposed to solve these problems then if there is no end?" Too often we forget that God didn't ask us to be problem-solvers. He asked us to be Christ-followers. Stop trying to solve every problem. Just follow God.

Day 299

[Text from image: Come to me. - DON'T GO THIS WAY! Over there is the real way full of rules and obstacles.]

Day 204

[Text from image: Do something...ANYTHING! You can NOT for you are NOTHING! Here is my chosen one.]