For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1:6 (NIV)
In Scripture, you will read about two paths. One leads to life and one leads to death. But how do you know which path you’re following? Can you see the way set before you or are you blindly jumping and leaping about? How do you know what God wants you to do next?
READ SCRIPTURE
The first thing you must do is read God’s Word. If you want to know HIS path, you read HIS words. It only makes sense, right? Not reading Scripture or only listening to another person’s interpretation is just guesswork. But you want to be sure, so you must know truth.
WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY ABOUT HUMAN NATURE?
God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. Genesis 6:12 (NIV)
In the sixth chapter of the entire Bible, we see people have already defiled their ways. When we do not have a standard set before us, we give in to our own selfish desires. I often think about marriage in this way. When a couple doesn’t have God as their truth, then each partner can selfishly say, “What’s in it for me? Why am I still here?” But when we have something bigger than ourselves to look to for guidance and wisdom, we can see that what we want isn’t always what is best.
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way. Psalm 119:37 (NKJV)
Turn my eyes away from what I want to look at! Isn’t that difficult? We need to ask God to revive, refresh, restore us in His way. Because our way leads us to looking at the wrong things. We develop cravings for what is not ours: that new car, a bigger house, a child who always obeys, a husband who brings home flowers every week, a job with a better schedule, just some recognition please!
Being envious of our friends and neighbors promotes jealousy and competition, not connection. God wants us to care for our neighbors, not looking to them for what we think we should be or what we should look like. Instead we should be looking to His truth for what we should be and what we should be doing.
A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2 (NIV)
Other people can see our actions. And our actions may look lovely. But God knows your heart, your motivation for doing something. The Pharisees wanted to do things the “right” way, but it was their way, not God’s. They wanted to be seen by men because their outsides looked perfectly polished, but Jesus said their hearts were ugly. Do we serve and put ourselves in public or prominent places because we want to be seen or because we really want to serve and help and teach?
I think what we do in private reveals the true condition of our hearts. Do we privately watch things God wouldn’t want us to watch or do we devote our restful times to the Lord? Do we spend our mornings catching up on news and social media or talking to God?
Even if it looks like we’re doing the right things and we think others will see us that way, God knows the true condition of our souls. Our ways are often selfish and corrupt, but God’s way is the way that leads to eternal life.
WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY ABOUT GOD’S WAY?
There are tons of verses about God’s way, but I chose to share these three because of the common theme.
Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies
—make your way straight before me. Psalm 5:8 (NIV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
[Paul] said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil,
you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?”
Acts 13:10 (NKJV)
The way of the Lord is straight. It is not confusing with multiple turns, leaving us trying to find our way through a maze. God is not deceitful. He does not try to trick us. His truth is laid out before us in Scripture. He sent His son to Earth to walk as an example for us to follow in his footsteps.
WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY ABOUT THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS?
“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Jesus is the way; he is God’s way. No one gets to be with God eternally unless they have embraced the way of Jesus.
What did Jesus do while he was here? He obeyed His father’s will and he served. He did not come to receive a crown of jewels, because as the son of God that’s what he deserved. He came and received a crown of thorns.
Whenever we think we are not getting what we deserve, we leave the path where God wants us. God’s path is a path of love, service, justice, and righteousness.
Love is not jealous, envious, resentful, or spiteful. Love gives and love serves, without selfish motives.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?
We must always be examining our hearts, and allow God to do His best work there. God can see the unseen. God can exalt the humble. God can fix the broken.
We must read about Jesus in the Word, talk to God in prayer, and listen for the voice of God’s Spirit. That is how you can determine your next step on God’s path. We have to be grounded in God’s Word to even know about Him and what He desires. Prayer allows us to speak to God and give him our cares and concerns and questions. But we have to be quiet to listen to that gentle nudging; we have to be still to feel that soft push in the right direction.
We can’t worry about our next step ten years from now, but what is your next step today.
SCRIPTURE FOR MEDITATION
Taking time to meditate on Scripture allows you to think and ponder what the real meaning is behind the words. Memorize the words and repeat them in your mind as you go about your day, whenever you have a quiet moment. Picture images in your mind as you say the words. Write the words, or journal about them. This can bring the words of God to life and allows them to stay in your memory so they can come to the front of your mind when you need them. Take a day or more for each verse below or just choose the one you like best.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God,
to walk in His ways and to fear Him. Deuteronomy 8:6
Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the Lord! Psalm 119:1
Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established. Proverbs 4:26
Photo by Jens Lelie on Unsplash
Leave a Reply