As believers in Christ, we should acknowledge the Lord in all things. Not just when we are in church, but we should most definitely acknowledge Him when we are not in church. We should acknowledge Him in our walk, in our talk, and our total being. Scripture tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The key to Proverbs 3:6, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths," are twofold, if you do your part, the Lord will do His part. It is also conditional. There are times when our Lord demands that we do some things before He acts. Therefore, all we have to do is acknowledge Him and watch Him direct our path. Our path is not always easy or pleasant, but if our path is being guided by God, it is the right path.
Let's look at the word, acknowledge. To acknowledge is to admit, accept, grant, concede, appreciate, own, recognize, avow, confess, and/or disclose. To show that you know something, is to acknowledge it. When you wave to say "hello," you are acknowledging someone. When you nod your head to say "yes," you are acknowledging that you agree with what is being said, they are both acts showing acknowledgement or acceptance of someone or something.
When you confessed the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you did this confession of faith by acknowledging Him as being supreme in your live. Romans 10:9 says, "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:13 makes it even clearer, "For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." When you call upon Him, you are acknowledging Him.
There is no way around Scripture, you must acknowledge the Lord as your Savior. As a result of your confession, you are placed in the body of Christ. You are now in a relationship with God and you have invited Him to direct your path, without a fear of where He may lead you.
He has many ways of directing you. He directs by obstacles placed across the way which we can't overcome and which drives us into a new way or direction. He directs by clearing obstacles away, which we could not have moved. He directs by delay, keeping us waiting long after we have heard His call to service. This directing is the out calling from the acknowledgement.
In the Psalms 23, David begins his prayer by saying, "The Lord is my Shepherd." He acknowledges Him and he leaves no doubt as to where His Lord resides in his life. He further states, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me besides the still waters." Now we are able to see the Lord directing David's life. David further states, "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." David gives his Lord credit as the one directing his paths.
We are to acknowledge Jesus in all thine ways. Once this is done, you have established a relationship with Him. He becomes your God and the director of your life. When we acknowledge Jesus, we are admitting that He is the Head of our lives, and without Him we are nothing. He reigns supreme, and if we accept His lordship, we should not hesitate in acknowledging Him and allowing Him to direct our paths. Jesus said to His disciples, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father, who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32). This scripture makes it very clear, that if you acknowledge Jesus, He will acknowledge you and He will direct your path. In other words, Jesus is our pathfinder. In our obedience to Him, He makes our going in and our coming out easier to navigate. Let me add this, which is very important, that by acknowledging Him in all things, doesn't mean that we will not have problems or missteps. Jesus told his disciples, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). In reality, when you acknowledge Jesus, as one of the followers of Jesus, you will suffer.
By acknowledging Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we know He has our back. This is very good news for the believer, but it is also old news, because in the Old Testament, we were promised a Savior and He would receive the crushing, the suffering, and his life will be a guilt offering: "Yet it was the Lords's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offsprings and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand" (Isaiah 53:10). Jesus poured out his life unto death. He bored the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors, but only to those that acknowledge Him.
I have tried to make it plain to you, that you must make Jesus your Lord. When doing this, you can move to acknowledging Him in all things and He will direct your path. If you have invited Him in your life and you are living with Him as the head of your life, then He will do what He says He will do.
I would like to introduce to you the four "T's" that will underline the importance of acknowledging Jesus as your Lord and Savior:
TITHING - Proverbs 3:9 says, "Honor the Lord with thy substances, and with the first fruits of all thine increase." Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." When you give the tenth, you are acknowledging obedience to God and His Word.
TIME - What are you doing with the time that the Lord gives you? Are you using your time wisely while it is still day? "The night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4). Please give some thought to that when it comes to time. Are you serving God in season and out? Are you serving in the church? Are you serving God by serving others? To acknowledge God is to glorify Him. To glorify God requires full commitment to Him. Apostle Paul said, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" (Colossians 3:23). Your work and your time has to be done as if you were serving Jesus. Even your thoughts and your actions.
TALENTS - We all serve God in different ways, using different methods. We all have different kinds of talents and gifts, because the Holy Spirit distributes them to us. There are so many different services available, and there is always one that you will be the perfect fit. The Bible says, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men" (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). I am sure that you have some skills that comes so very natural to you. If you are unable to identify them, pray and ask God how can you glorify Him with your talent. Ask Him to open your eyes to use your gift to glorify Him and to spread His gospel.
TREASURE - "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). If your treasure is the Lord, then all will be well with your soul, because where your heart is, is where your emphasis will be. Each person's heart will reveal abundant truth about themselves. The Bible clearly states, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). Every believer of Jesus should treasure Jesus as who He is. Jesus isn't saying that you can't have things. He isn't saying that you can't save or have an investment portfolio. He isn't saying that you can't own homes or cars. He was simply saying, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth." Don't worship those things. Don't be prideful about them. He simply want you to lay up "treasures in heaven." This is simply living for the glory of God and the good of others. For example, helping others in need, sharing the gospel, forgiving and loving your enemies. "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22).
Are you committed to that path that leads to Jesus? Then be mindful of what He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6). If you refuse to acknowledge Him, you will miss out on the greatest gift to man. When God directs your paths, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn" (Isaiah 54:17). No purpose defeated, no evil can baffle you. "In all thine ways acknowledge Him" and he will direct you away from the evils of this world.