He Will Direct Your Path

 Proverb 3:5,6

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.

We think we know and can figure it out. Common sense guides us many times to understand the path we should take. Common sense is what human beings would do given a reasonable sense of right and wrong. We make decisions based on experiences and through the things we have been taught and what we have learned through reading. God has gifted man with an ability to do extraordinary things and accomplish feats that would have seemed impossible at one time. But, in matters of the heart, we often cannot understand or ascertain the answers to many problems in life. We can reason within our minds all the variables and possible solutions, but we come up empty-handed. Some would advise you to follow your heart and do what your heart says. But the heart of man without God is flawed and can easily be deceived. A heart that will trust in God will lean on God’s word, search out the scriptures to find the right path to take. In matters that matter, it is vital that we trust in the Lord, and not let the wisdom of this world guide our path. Common sense is a reasonable guide, but it is not infallible. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”- James 1:5. In everything we do, ask the Holy Spirit to guide our path. He will never lead us astray, and will keep us on the path that is good and right.

Lamp to Light the Path

 Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

The book of Hebrews describes God’s word as a two-edged sword. Piercing the heart, revealing the thoughts and intents of the heart. But David in this Psalm likens God’s word to a lamp. A lamp is light that will pierce the darkness. No doubt, God’s word will reveal the sinfulness of the heart as it sheds its light showing us our sin and need for salvation. It is also a light for believers as we walk the path and journey through life. The path is not always clear, and there are times that Satan will attempt to deceive us into taking a path that leads to destruction. When the path is uncertain, we go to the Word, examine its truths and follow its precepts. God’s word will illuminate what is true and what is false. A decision that is contrary to the teaching of God’s word is to ignore the light that is shed on our path, and to walk away from the path that God desires for us. We need not stumble through life not knowing how to live and what to believe is the truth. His word is given to us to show us the way, direct us in times of confusion, and to keep us on the path to heaven. 

The Good Fight

 2 Tim 4:7
​​I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

I have never been to a boxing match, but I have seen videos of boxers in the ring. It is a brutal sport, and I'm not sure why anyone would enjoy it or want to engage in it. At the end of the fight, the referee will raise the winner's arm in the air, proclaiming them to be the winner, the champ. They fought a good fight and came out on top. As Christians, we fight an unseen enemy. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph 6:12) We fight to keep the faith, we fight for the salvation of loved ones, we fight for truth and for what is right. Sometimes, the fight comes with a high price, even unto death. Paul’s departure was at hand, his life was coming to an end. Each one of us is on a course, a path to heaven. The "good fight" may not be the same for everyone. The journey we take is personal, and we all fight our own battles and spiritual wickedness in high places. Whatever the obstacle that is put before us, we need to believe in God to give us the strength and power to overcome and fight to keep the faith. The end is near. We don’t know when our course will be finished, or when the Lord will return, but we must keep our eyes on Jesus, fight to keep the faith. At the finish line, we can raise our hand in triumph, and say, “It was a good fight.”

He Is Our Guiding Light

Isaiah 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

When it come to knowing the future, we are clueless. We are blind to what life will bring not just the next year or ten years, but tomorrow. Our best plans can be wiped away in the blink of an eye. We plan for the future and set goals because it is good to be prepared and ready to be used of God wherever He leads us. But God may take us down a road that we did not expect and leads us down paths that are unknown to us. We take counsel in knowing that He will light the way before us and will keep us from straying off the path. He sees the pot holes that are ahead and directs us safely around them. We need not fear the unknown if we have put our trust in the God who knows all our tomorrows. He will not forsake us in our time of uncertainty, but will make the darkness light and guide us through this journey of life.

Man's Understanding

Proverbs 3:5,6 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.

The human mind is an amazing things. Its nature is to figure things out. We teach in our schools to problem solve. How to fix things that are broken, how to come up with solutions that will save us from disaster. God created us with a brain to think and find ways to make life less stressful. But a mind that is not subject to the will of God is influence by the carnal nature of man and the thinking of this world. A mind that leaves God out of the equation becomes humanistic and self reliance. Universities across our land are filled with this mind set. The philosophy that man does not need God to direct their ways is taught in the lecture halls and classroom everywhere. From the lips of the wisest man that lived at his time, gave this warning,  “Don’t put your trust in man’s understanding, put your trust in God, acknowledge His ways and He is able to direct your life”. He who knows our uprising and down sitting is able to guide and direct our life in a way that will be best. God does help them that are willing to submit to His will with all their heart. “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” 

God Leads

Ex 13:18 “But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea;...”

God leads His children along. The path that He takes us is not always easy. Life’s road for most people is filled with difficult terrain. Mountains to climb and desserts to walk through is not exclusive to Christians. The difference for a Christian is the path that we walked is for a purpose that works together for good to them that love Him. Those that are called and answer the call to walk the way of the cross. We walk knowing that God is in control and problems we face along the way will draw us closer to Him and will make us stronger in our faith. Trusting God as we walk in paths of difficult circumstances is His way of leading us to the promise land. It is not ours to question God’s leadership, but we must believe that He will be with us each step of the way and His Spirit will lead us unerring through the valley of difficult times.