| Whether you turn to the right or your left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying "this is the way, walk in it"
Isaiah 30:21 |
When Jesus said that He would “build His church”, He wasn’t thinking of constructing actual buildings (Matthew 16:18). We are the church, so in order to build His church Jesus is putting us all under construction. Where there is construction there is confusion, disruption and pain (think of the traffic detours) but on God’s path, there is dripping abundance.
Choose God's Path and Hold onto His Promise
“You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance". Psalm 65:11 (NKJV)
There are many paths before us and sometimes it’s only after a great deal of pain that we decide to get on God’s path. But if you are not on God’s path, you will miss out on His benefits. When things are difficult, stay on God’s path where He will empower you to live out what He put within you (Philippians 2:12-13). Hold onto the promise of Philippians 1:6, that what God began in you He will bring to completion.
Stay on God's Path
Over time there are areas of our lives where we can see that we are “doing better”, making progress. Don’t grow suspicious (or superstitious) that something bad is going to happen soon, if things are going well. Starve your fears and feed your faith instead. Just as gardens left to themselves sprout weeds, so our minds can be conditioned to fear and anxiety - dig away at negative thoughts by reminding yourself every day of God’s promises.
He will lead us
When we construct a tall building we must first dig deep for the foundations - dig deep to go tall. Jesus said the same thing (Luke 6:48) and a good foundation is seeking God at the beginning of the day and throughout our day. We need to commit our way and the decisions we make to God. No matter what difficulty you are facing if the Lord is in front of you, He can lead you out. In the New Testament the path of light means being filled with the Holy Spirit. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit and listening to His voice, we have access to His supernatural knowledge which is no match for our own. If we lack wisdom we can ask God (James 1:5-7).
Make straight paths
Hebrews 12:13 repeats what John the Baptist said: Make straight paths. The word for straight here also means level, ie not winding or bendy or likely to cause damage. Lift up what is making us limp so that we can heal, rather than becoming dislocated - literally located wrongly. God’s way is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14) but God wants us to have a “wide-open life” (2 Corinthians 6:11-13 MSG). God wants us to have the best life but that doesn’t mean each step will be easy. Keep walking with God and let obedience to Him construct us anew.
Something to talk about:
- Have you experienced seasons in your life where it was difficult to stay on God’s path?
- How can we strengthen our foundations during times of rapid construction?
- Is there an area of your life where you need to “build a straighter path” to God?
