Turn Away and Keep Moving - Guest Author - Pr. Alan Neel

Guest author - Pastor Alan Neel

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Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.
Proverbs 4:14-15 NLT

Indeed, it's not always our actions that get us into trouble, but our thoughts. What we think about somehow becomes "normalized" in our lives, causing us to lose our way. 

Yes, we as Christians should be different! Not just in our relationships and behavior, but also in our thought life. Proverbs give us good advice: "Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the paths of evildoers. Don't even think about it; don't go that way. TURN AWAY AND KEEP MOVING."

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Prayer:

Father,

           We trust Your Word and choose to walk in Your way. You said through the prophet Isaiah that You would go before us and make the crooked places straight. We want to follow You. Cause Your Word to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

He Has Not

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

Matthew 6:34 The Message

This scripture is taped to the monitor stand at my place of employment where I can read it every day. I printed and posted it several years ago as a reminder when the company was going through major layoffs. By God's grace and mercy, I am still there. The first couple of months I realized I was living with an underlying fear. That's when I went back to the Words I knew; to the One I can trust. God is my Source. He is my Provider. He leads me in the paths of righteousness... and my beloved Psalm 139; It doesn't matter where I go, He is there. And Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave me nor forsake me. And so many more...

God has been reminding me to live in the present. Forgetting those things that are behind, not worrying about tomorrow and what it may or may not bring, for God is already there. He is not going to take us or send us to any place that He has not already made the way. And if we believe that (and it is our choice), then we can fully live in the peace that He has promised us. The peace that only He can give us, and the world cannot.

Don't get caught up in what may or may not happen tomorrow or the next day. We must choose to put our faith and our trust in God; to not be moved by what we see or feel. It is God and His Word that must shape our lives and the choices we make.

Remember His Word in Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?"  No, He has not and He never will. 

Praise His Holy Name!

Prayer:

Father,
          When I think about all You have done for us, I am overwhelmed by Your love and faithfulness. Thank You for continuing to teach us. Use us to further Your kingdom, Lord. Morning by morning, according to Your Word, awaken us and open our understanding to Your will. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Going My Way

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 

And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

We get a little bit of wisdom and think we know where we're going and how we should get there. 

The catch is to NOT lean on our own understanding of it. Proverbs 14 tells us there is a way that seems right, but the end leads to death. Whatever understanding of life we grasp, we must keep it connected to God. We must acknowledge Him in every step we take, every plan we make, so that we stay on His chosen path for our lives. 

Going my way is only the right way when we keep our way aligned with Him. 

Prayer:

Father,

          We choose to trust You, Lord, with our whole heart, undivided, not distracted or pulled aside by the ways of the world. Keep our hearts and minds focused only on Your way, so that we arrive safely to our eternal destination with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* In God's Way

“As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning. Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”
Acts 11:15-17 NLT

Two chapters prior to this passage, we read, Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. Saul of Tarsus asked for and received letters requesting cooperation to arrest any followers of the Way he found in Damascus. 

Saul was both a descendant of Abraham and a Roman citizen. His education of the law was under the tutelage of Rabbi Gamaliel who was a leader in the Jewish Sanhedrin. He had all kinds of "bragging rights". Saul was also a Pharisee - he knew the law and that was the zeal that drove him to persecute Christians. They weren't following God the same way he had been taught, so he was on his way to arrest and bring back to Jerusalem in chains anyone who followed Jesus. The story of Saul's Damascus Road conversion adventure to becoming the apostle Paul is a favorite of many.

However, as Peter points out in our text for today, how often do we judge another simply because they don't do something the same as we do? They don't do it our way... but then, are we sure our way is God's way?

I wonder how often I have been IN God's way instead of following His way...

Prayer:

Father,
          Forgive us, O God, when we get in Your way rather than follow in Your way. Open our eyes, Lord, to clearly see You and follow You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Finding The Way

Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.   
John 14:6 NLT

Even the most novice of Christ-followers can quote this verse. But do we understand it completely? 

Most think it's only about finding salvation, but it's so much more than that! 

Think about some of the Names of God:

Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is peace
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord will provide
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is my banner
Jehovah Rapha - The Lord my healer
Jehovah Sabbaoth - The Lord of Hosts - Commander of the Angel Armies!

And that's just to name a few.

Do you think God changes into each of these names individually on an as-needed basis? Or is He the God who never changes and the Great I AM?  According to Scripture, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. So if He doesn't change, then He is ALL of these (and more). Think about THAT for a moment!

So then, if God is all these things, we definitely want to get to Him. We NEED to get to Him. We need salvation. We need to be healed. We need provision. We need PEACE! When we get into His presence, do you think He has one place for peace, another place for healing, a different place for salvation? There's not one door marked 'healing', and one marked 'provision' or one marked 'peace' - at least, not by God. Do you know and understand that when we are in His presence, we have it all? 

So, how DO we get to Him? Jesus said, I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [emphasis mine]  He's not one door for salvation and then playing tag for the rest of them. It is ALL available to us when we accept Christ as our Savior. When we spend time in His presence, we have it all. 

Whatever you require, find it in Him.

Prayer:

Father,
          Open our hearts and eyes to see You in Your fullness. Help us to walk in YOUR way - the only way - in Your Truth and Your light as we live our lives before You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen