A few years back, we locked John Piper in a recording studio and told him he could not come out until he finished recording a series of video devotionals for the YouVersion Bible app. And one of those devotions that came out of the recording was on Proverbs chapter three verses five and six.

What Pastor John delivered is what we're calling three steps to stop wasting your life. Here's what he said. Proverbs three verses five and six. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

That verse probably is the one that my mother quoted most often in writing me when I was in college and graduate school. She was just put, without even writing it out, she'd put Proverbs three, five, and six. And I think it's because the main aim of the verse is to walk in a straight path.

That means she didn't want me and I don't want you and God doesn't want us to veer off the path into disobedience or into a wasted life or into anything that would dishonor him. That's the goal. To make your paths straight, straight to obedience, straight to everlasting joy, straight to a God honoring life.

And he says there are three steps to get there, right? First trust in the Lord with all your heart. So bank on the promises of God step by step in your life. Make your life a moment by moment trusting in a good, holy, kind, loving, all providing, all satisfying God.

And then step two, he says, don't rely on your own understanding, which I think means a conscious choice not to be self-reliant, to say to yourself, "Self, you are inadequate. Brain, you can't come up with enough wisdom on your own. You have to turn away from self-reliance." Of course, that doesn't mean that you don't think and you don't plan.

It just means you don't bank on it. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord. So even in the midst of our planning and thinking and using our minds, we're leaning on something else. We're not leaning on our own resources. And then the third one is in all your ways acknowledge him, which I think means, the Hebrew says, in all your ways know him.

So at every turn, every new choice you have to make, every new conversation you're in, you're sending up a message, "God, I acknowledge you here. I know you here. I'm drawing you in here. You are decisive here. I need you here." And if we follow those, trust him, renounce self-reliance, bring him into every situation, he's going to make our path straight.

He's going to keep us from wasting our lives or destroying ourselves and others in the path of sin and bringing us to everlasting joy. Amen. Thanks for listening to the Ask Pastor John podcast. And tomorrow, John Piper is back with us and we have a question. Really it's a series of three questions.

Should pastors be paid? Should we meet in church buildings or houses? And should we have sermons every week? A three in one bonus episode, all that tomorrow on the Ask Pastor John podcast with author and longtime pastor, John Piper. I'm your host, Tony Reinke. We'll see you tomorrow. 1 Ask Pastor John podcast, www.askpastorjohnpodcast.com 2 Ask Pastor John podcast, www.askpastorjohnpodcast.com 3 Ask Pastor John podcast, www.askpastorjohnpodcast.com 4 Ask Pastor John podcast, www.askpastorjohnpodcast.com