Outside-in or Inside-out?

(Proverbs 16:2-3) "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. (3) Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established."

Are you overwhelmed with knowing what to do, how to make a decision, how and what to accomplish? How do you get to where your ways and thoughts are established and following God?

First, we see the solution cannot be solved by outwardly doing more good stuff - simply because starting from the external, that is from the flesh, you are always going to justify whatever it is that you choose to do: "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes." It is here that religion exists. It is here that performance exists. It is here that the "checklists" of "every good Christian" exist.

Secondly, we see that God's priority is the spiritual: "but the LORD weigheth the spirits." God looks at us from the inside-out, and is concerned about our relationship with Him first. Simply put, we can't know if we are pleasing God if we are not in fellowship with Him. You can religiously read your Bible every day, even memorize it, but without a personal, daily relationship with Him, it won't help you.

Finally, we see in verse 3, we see the practical summary or answer - "Commit thy works unto the LORD." When you commit your works to the Lord, you dedicate yourself to finding out what God wants you to do and only doing that. Instead of trying to do good things from the outside-in, this requires you to seek God's Word first in order to get answers - not to check off a religious box. This requires the help of the Holy Spirit, and a personal, ongoing relationship with the Lord.

Man's Way: Doing "good" things in the power of the flesh, hoping to satisfy God and find peace within.

God's Way: Seeking God first, and being empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit to accomplish God's plan for your life.