There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.  – Proverbs 14:12

We’ve all been there…we’re driving along to our intended destination. A place we’ve never been to by way of GPS, Google Maps, etc. We’re trusting these devices or phone apps because we’re quite sure they know the way much better than we do. Why, because once again, we’ve never been to our desired destination but with certainty know it exists and have put our faith in these “external” methods to get us there. When all of sudden, we have an idea that if we turn here or there, we might just be able to shave some time off of our schedule and arrive much earlier than expected only to soon hear or read, “at the next exit, make a U-Turn”. It didn’t take me long after hearing this voice on either my phone or GPS in our truck to disable the voice command feature. Why, simply because men do not like to be told what to do. Men are like, “me lost?…no…I’m know where I’m going…just hang on..I believe this area looks familiar.” It looks familiar due to the fact that you’ve circled it two or three times already; much like the children of Israel in the wilderness. A trip that should have taken thirty-five days but ended up taking forty years! Why, simply because they were a stubborn people that would not take God at His Word and put their total trust in Him in their circumstances.

Friend, so often in our lives we are tempted and more so than not, choose to go our own way and choose that broader path instead of taking God at His Word trusting that what He has promised, He will certainly do. Why do we do this? I simply believe we have a problem with waiting. We like to see what I call “microwave results”. We want to voice out a prayer and immediately want to see God move in our situation. And when we do not see our intended results in our expected time, we so easily begin to drift away from faith and begin to choose our own path or try to make it work ourselves only to end up miserable and disappointed.

I like what Bro. Tony Evans says of faith. He says that “Faith is pretending that God is telling the truth”. The scriptures tell us in Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it”. God is committed to His Word. He cannot lie. It goes against who He is past, present and future.

God also has given us His Spirit within us friend to guide us and help us know His way and paths to choose in our lives. Just recently, our daughter was blessed with a new job. She had made the choice to be a stay at home mommy and raise her first child, our grandson. Yes, there were many new decisions which needed to be made in order to adjust to their new lifestyle in regards to missed income. But God always came through and met every need in their lives and they never missed a meal and always had a roof over their heads during this time. Many years ago, she had considered becoming a teacher and had put it off due to other opportunities but now has returned to that career. She successfully passed her teacher exam and is now a certified teacher and has just recently been hired as a kindergarten teacher. Another school district had interviewed her for a teaching position during this same time but she told me, “it just didn’t feel right”. I asked her where her peace was in regards to this dilemma and she told me it was with the school district which hired her. Proverbs 16:9 reads, The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. The will and purpose of God should never be one of fear, doubt and especially a troubled heart within. God will always give you a peace within when making a choice or decision when you fully trust and wait upon Him. You cannot look to natural circumstances to base your decisions in regards to knowing and living in God’s will. God tells us “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.” Isaiah 55:8.

So friend, if you’re in a situation right now which you are unsure about which path or choice to make, just simply ask God to give you His peace within and know that with certainty that He will never lead you in the wrong way. And if you’ve recently taken a wrong path or made a wrong choice, know that God’s Grace allows U-Turns and is right there to guide you with His internal GPS, “God’s Positioning System”, and get you back on the right path for your life.

For His Kingdom,