Pointing the Way or Providing It?

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.

Psalm 37:23 NKJV

When people give directions, I get a mental picture of them standing and pointing in the right direction. And it dawned on me tonight that I tend to think of the Lord doing exactly that same thing while He's directing my path. That is until I read this particular verse in the Amplified Bible. It reads differently.

The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, and He delights in his way [and blesses his path].

Think about that for a minute. Pointing the way to go is one thing. Establishing my steps is a whole 'nother story (Texan for completely different)! God may be pointing me down a rough path, one with twists and turns, steep hills and lots of obstacles. My first inclination would be to find a go-around. How in the world will I walk that path?!? How? The only way possible - with Him.

His Word tells us in Isaiah 45:2 that He goes before us and makes the crooked places straight, levels the uneven places, flattens the mountains and hills. Not only that but according to our Promise for Today, HE ESTABLISHES our steps. He's right there to make certain that our steps are sure. The next verse (Psalm 37:24) promises that even if we fall, the Lord holds our hand and we won't be utterly cast down.

If God is pointing you to it, trust Him. His Word promises there is nowhere we can go that He isn't already there (Psalm 139:8-12). And truthfully, wouldn't we rather be on a rough road WITH God than a smooth road WITHOUT Him?

Prayer:

Father,
           Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

Which Way?

The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
Psalm 25:8-10 NLT

Sometimes in life, it feels like we're going nowhere fast. Sometimes, it seems all we're doing is spinning our wheels. We're in a hurry and we're trying OUR hardest to do life, but the Truth is it's never supposed to be about what we can do in our own strength. 

If we take the time to be still, to get in God's presence and wait upon Him, He promises to not only show us the way but to be with us every step of it. Which way are YOU going?

Prayer:

Father,

           Forgive us for the times we run on ahead and get off track. Thank You for showing us the proper path and for walking with us every step of the way. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Giving the Lead

He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

Psalm 25:9-10 NLT

I know the phrase we're most familiar with is "taking the lead." However, God does not do things the same way the world does. According to our Promise for Today, He leads us in doing right, teaching us His way, only when we give up our rights and put ourselves into submission to Him and to His ways. How can we do that? We must have wisdom from above.

James 3:13-18 NLT tells us that True wisdom comes from God. Read with me, If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

     But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. 

I don't know about you, but I sure could use a harvest of righteousness. We harvest the fruit of what we plant, so we have to plant the right seeds. We can't plant anger and/or seeds of bitterness and then expect a harvest of righteousness. We want the right crop. In order to do that, we need the right seed, the right field, and the right path to follow. The key is to realize that we can only follow when and if we give up the lead. Psalm 25, verse 8 reads, The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. Have we given Him the lead?

Prayer:

Father,

          According to Your Word in Psalm 25, we pray. Show us the right path, O Lord; point out the road for us to follow. Lead us by Your truth and teach us, for You are the God who saves us. All day long we put our hope in You. Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and unfailing love, which You have shown from long ages past. Do not remember the rebellious sins of our youth. Remember us in the light of Your unfailing love, for You are merciful, O Lord. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Which Way (by request)

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
Proverbs 16:25 NKJV

God loves us SO much that He will use ANYTHING to get His point across to us! If you try to tell me that He won't use certain things, I'd have to say you've come around too late - I've seen it too many times. Case in point? What I'm about to write...

A few years back, a friend and I were talking about distractions and "oh, shiny!" when she decided to share the lesson God taught her while watching - are you ready for this? - Finding Nemo. Yeah... seriously.

I don't remember the exact detail of the scene, but it was the one where Dory - who is supposed to be leading - loses her focus because one of the other characters tells her to "look over there" so she does and winds up completely distracted and doesn't follow the instructions that were given about catching the EAC. Instead of going through the tough spot - which is also the best shot - she winds up going over it (the path of least resistance) and ends up bouncing top to top, flying high and having a grand old time. However, what seems like so much dancing on air and the easiest way is actually a jelly fish pool. Then one little slip and she's thrust into the deadly tentacles being stung on every side.

More often than not, that is exactly what satan tries with our lives. We're going along, doing our best to follow the Lord, and lead those around us to Him, when someone says, "Oh, look!" and we allow ourselves to get distracted.

A new job may have more money, but also comes with travel and/or more time away from the family - and the next thing you know, we're off course. We follow whatever caught our eye and wind up flying high and having a grand old time - not having to fight the day-to-day challenges. However, what we're bouncing on is not our Sure Foundation. Oh, we may have a good time for a little while, but that one little slip and we're thrust into the deadly tentacles of sin... being stung on every side... facing the death of our soul... and what about those who are following us?

Which way? You choose. Choose wisely... There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Prayer:

Father,
           Please help us to wire the connection to our helmet of salvation with the proper Word of God filters that will effectively filter out distractions and anything that is not of You. Help us to listen AND obey Your words. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen