Arguing with the GPS

Have you ever argued with your GPS? I have been places where I was nearly 100% sure that I knew where I was and the GPS said that I was somewhere else. I looked around, tried to compare what I saw with what was on my GPS, and still could not believe it. I told the voice coming from the GPS to just hush for a minute while I tried to figure it out.

In that instance, I did choose to follow the GPS. Within a few minutes I had my bearings again and found the location for which I was searching. Just crazy. I thought for sure that I knew what was what only to find out it was not as I expected.

In Brazil yesterday I went out with a few of the speakers to grab some needed items for them at a store. I did not need to go; however, I was the only one who remembered where the store was. We are in a mountain community during the winter offseason. For those of you in Southwest Missouri, similar to Branson in offseason. As we took off, we made two wrong turns. Actually, I should say, Only Two wrong turns. We figured it out fairly quickly and found the grocery store. In this instance, the GPS was of no use because I did not even know where we were trying to go outside of what was in my mind. Thankfully, we did get there and back without much difficulty – just a few laughs.

Back to arguing with the GPS. If the GPS shows the road ends in water or at a cliff or says a road is closed, do you think it is a good idea to argue with it? Or, in humility, do you think it is good to follow the GPS?

What about in the issues of life? Do we have a spiritual GPS?

My friend Nicolas reminded me of a great text and illustration this week at the counseling conference. Please, read it along with me:

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
But whoever walks wisely will be delivered (Proverbs 28:26).

As a follower of Jesus Christ, this text reminds me of the GPS.

If I trust in my own heart, I am a fool. However, if I walk wisely, I will be delivered or, in other words, escape from trouble. The one who follows his own wisdom and follows his own heart will end up in trouble. On the contrary, the one who lives with the wisdom of the Lord escapes the troubles of life.

The world tells you to follow your own heart.

The world teaches to follow your own heart. Live by your own truth. Do what feels good to you.

This wisdom though is the opposite of what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). In that same verse, it reads, “But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Wow.

Is it possible that the Bible provides a spiritual GPS where we respect and listen to God’s opinion, perspective, and truth for daily living. When we choose not to do so, it is as if we are arguing with the GPS. We turn it off and try to follow our own wisdom.

What happens? As the verse teaches, we end up in troubles of various kinds. God’s wisdom is what protects us from the trouble.

Sadly I know people…

Sadly, I know people who depend upon their own wisdom rather than God’s. They get into situations where they are disappointed, hurt, or have undergone suffering, and instead of following the GPS, they turn it off and go their own way. They end up more lost than when they were just simply suffering. Now, they have added troubles on top of being lost.

Solomon teaches in Ecclesiastes that when things do not go your way, be careful that in response to it, you really put yourself in a mess (Ecclesiastes 7:14-18). When you trust your truth, your perspective, and your wisdom, you actually turn the Wisdom GPS off and, instead, follow your own foolishness. Then, if we are not careful, we blame God for the bigger mess that we actually caused.

We need to trust God’s Word, read it, consider it, and try to learn its wisdom. Walk in the Spirit as you enjoy the presence of Jesus Christ. If you are disappointed, concerned, anxious, down, or discontent, turn to God in prayer rather than turn off your GPS. As I mentioned above, sometimes I tell my GPS to hush so that I can get my bearings. You may need to pause a minute to get your bearings, but ultimately, you will need to follow the spiritual GPS rather than your own wisdom – which is really folly and will only lead you to further trouble.