The future, it’s full of promise, but often mixed with uncertainty. Should I marry this person? Does he or she really love me? Is this the right job? Could my spouse be cheating on me? The temptation to want to know what the future holds can be huge. But what does God say about knowing the future or seeking information about things He has not revealed?
And what about your heart? Do you have a wise heart? Are you teachable? Do you listen to godly counsel? Or do you first make up your own mind and then look for justification to believe and do what you want? What does it mean, “What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies”? Find out more in today’s Proverbs reading.
Welcome, to “God’s Word Day by Day” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here or subscribe on YouTube.
And speaking of YouTube, be sure to check out the new discipleship videos on the channel and my husband Mike’s new BCF Self-Confrontation videos. If you’re not familiar with the Self-Confrontation Course, you should check it out. It is life-changing material that can teach you how to truly live the Christian life and it’s available for free.
Today’s Readings:
Deuteronomy 13 & 14
Psalm 37.23-29
Proverbs 12.15-16
Luke 2.25-52
Can Christians Seek to Know the Future?
Deuteronomy 13 & 14:
Fortune Tellers, Palm Readers, and the Future
Deuteronomy 13.1-4 talks about false prophets who predict things that, actually, come to pass. Many people assume that if what a fortune teller, palm reader, or some other prognosticator predicts comes to pass, it must be from God.
But the Bible says this, verse 3:
… you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
There are still people out there today, claiming they can predict the future or they can tell you if your husband is cheating or give you a message from a deceased family member. They may even claim to believe in God and they may. James 2.19 says, “… Even the demons believe—and tremble!” And in Matthew 8 when Jesus met two demon-possessed men, the demons cried out, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
Believing In God is Not Always of God
But, you can believe in God and not be of God. We are told to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Eph. 5.11). And Deuteronomy 18.10-12 says this:
10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.
God Still Tests Hearts
God still tests hearts today.
Even if we don’t visit fortune tellers or others like them, we can be unhappy and demanding when God doesn’t reveal something we want to know. Or we can become sinfully worried and anxious.
It’s certainly acceptable to ask God to show us things and give us the wisdom to move forward wisely. But, at times, He asks us to simply walk in faith.
So … when that’s the case, let’s learn to trust Him completely (Prov. 3.5-6; Hab. 2.4).
And now a few thoughts about today’s other readings …
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 37.23-29:
God’s Sovereign Care & Protection of His Children
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand (vv. 23-24).
God is a little like a parent with a toddler. The parent watches over and encourages the child to take the next step, sometimes letting him fall, but is always ready to lift him back up. Too little help would be unloving and dangerous, but too much interference would hinder him from becoming a healthy adult.
And unlike us, our Perfect Heavenly Father, also guarantees our future, “[we] shall not be utterly cast down.” The Apostle Paul said it this way, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1.6).
Proverbs 12.15-16:
What the Heart Loves, the Will Chooses & the Mind Justifies
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise (v. 15).
Are you teachable? Do you listen to godly counsel? Or do you first make up your own mind and then look for justification to believe or do what you desire? Do you lift passages of Scripture out of their proper context and use them to validate what you want to believe?
If you’ve been reading along with me, you’ve heard me quote this before, “What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies.”
Think about that statement for a minute. Is there some area of sin or compromise that your will has chosen and you’ve been justifying to yourself and others? If so, what does it say about what’s going on in your heart? Is there something you want more (“what your heart loves”) than honoring and glorifying God?
What kinds of things do we justify?
Living with someone to whom we’re not married. We may justify it by saying:
“After all, the Bible was written a long time ago …”
“A marriage license is just a piece of paper.”
“We’re married in God’s eyes.”
“We plan to get married later.”
Refusing to forgive:
“But they haven’t changed.”
“What they did was just too bad.”
“I’m not ready to forgive.”
“They’ll just do it again.”
Not being a part of a good Bible-teaching church:
“This is the church I’ve always attended.”
“My mom would get upset.”
“I can worship God anywhere; I don’t need to go to church.”
If there is something sinful you’re justifying, go to the Lord, ask for His forgiveness and grace, and for His help to forsake that thing and go His way.
Luke 2.25-52:
Joseph, Mary & Us
It’s interesting how many times Joseph and Mary were surprised at what was happening around them. Even though each of them had a divine visitation before the birth of Jesus, they “marveled at those things which were spoken of Him” (Lk. 2.33).
Is there a promise in God’s Word that you have allowed to become dim? Have you decided that God won’t do what He has said in your life?
You might want to write those things out in a journal or prayer notebook. Find 2 or 3 passages of Scripture that apply. Consider memorizing key verses and meditating on His truths and promises. God wants to do great things in and through your life.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll look at how trusting God applies to our choices, talk about judging God, and discuss when to help (especially our grown children) and when to get out of the way, along with many other subjects.
I hope you’ll join us and if this post spoke to you, please share it on your favorite social media platform.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
What Is Your Plan to Grow Spiritually This Year?
I hope you’re reading through the Bible with me or you have another reading plan in place. If not, you can sign up for my daily email or subscribe here for the YouTube version.
Following along with me can help you stay on track. And I believe you’ll benefit from the additional information I share and grow as you learn to apply God’s Word to your own life.
Another way that we grow in our Bible knowledge and our ability to share our faith is through discipleship.
Here’s our most recent discipleship lesson and below it, you’ll find today’s Bible in a Year video.
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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