Finding the Path

Life…

We all face it, and we don’t understand many of the things that come our way when it comes down to it.

Life can be difficult…uncertain…unpredictable

So what on earth can we do to ensure that we are doing what is best when it comes to the challenges that we face? How can we be sure that we are doing the right thing? How do we know what path we are supposed to take?

I’m about to surprise some of you with my answers to these questions…

First, we must seek answers from God.  Scripture tells us we do not have because we do not ask God; Solomon asked for Wisdom; therefore, we can also ask for wisdom to get through the challenges we face.  To ensure that we are pursuing the best in our difficult challenges, we need to ask for wisdom from the God who gives freely.

Secondly, we must use the Word of God as our guide. God will give us answers to the difficult questions…he will show us the right thing if we seek wholeheartedly for answers and guidance. We can know we are doing the right thing if we are listening to the guidance of the Word and applying it to our lives.  James 1 tells us to be more than hearers of the word, but also doers…reminding us that we must put God’s word into action.

Lastly, I’m not sure that the path we take is as important as the destination we reach…I know this may sound strange to hear, but let’s look at this a little deeper…

The path we take, the job we have, the family and friends we are around may not always be a constant…our job might change…the people around us have their own lives to lead and may very well do something we don’t understand when it comes to our assumed direction, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

We are all searching for answers and seeking a path that leads to God’s plan being fully revealed in our lives…and each one of us have destination at the end of our journey…but how do we know which path will lead us there?  I would venture to say that if we are following the lead of the Holy Spirit…they all will!  We can be used in whatever path of life we are taking, as long as our journey is being led by the Holy Spirit…

We must listen for the Spirit to speak, whether through Scripture, through teachings, or maybe through a still small voice that tugs at our heart…if we are attentive and seeking the wisdom of God we will find the path to travel.  There is no set blueprint, because each of us are different…but God will guide us on our journey; after all, He does promise that if we seek, we will find.

Trust God to show you the way…Ask and you will receive…Seek and you will find…Knock, and the door will be opened to you.  Your destination may be just ahead.

 

FIreworks

With the Fourth of July just past us I wanted to think about one of the greatest “fire”works shows the world has ever seen.  The story takes place in Daniel 3 where we see three young men who would stand firm on their faith and in it all would prove the power of God to a Nation who did not believe.

I think we can all take lessons from this story in our life, and that we can prove the Power of God to a Nation in which we live; a Nation that seems to have lost sight of God.

In Daniel 3 we see the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they desired to continue serving God and not bowing down to an idol, despite the pressure around them.  A lesson we can all use today in our own lives.  Today, in many ways we are being asked to bow down to idols and to deny what we know to be truth.  The scripture can tell us what we need to stand for, but we too often let society dictate what we actually say; too often we tend to sit back and be quiet when we need to be vocal as these three Hebrew men were.

These men knew the consequences, but yet they continued to stand rather than bow down to an idol.  Are we willing to do that in our own lives today?

The second lesson that I think we can take from this story is what happened to these three men when they did take a stand.  They knew what would happen, they were told that they would be thrown into the Fiery Furnace if they refused to bow down, yet they remained on their feet because they knew that showing approval to the idol was denying God.  And, as they were warned, they were thrown into the fire to face their death.  The story tells us that the furnace was turned up seven times hotter than normal, so hot in fact, that men who were throwing them in were killed because of the heat.

Here is where our second lesson is shown.  When the men were put in the fire, they were walking around, dancing, and praising God.  When those on the outside began to look, they saw a fourth man walking in the fire with them.  Not only was the fire not burning up these men, but now, as Daniel 3:25 puts it, “the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

As we see here that when these men faced the fire, God was in their midst, and wants to do the same for us today!  God wants to guide us through our fires, but we have to stay strong when we face those who will try and get us to waiver on our stance.  We must continue to stand firm on the things we know and continue to stand when we know the outcome may not be favorable for us at that moment, but knowing that the outcome will be even better when the fire comes.

We must know that no matter what consequences we will face, when we face them we will not be alone because God will be there with us.

Take the time to read and pray over Daniel 3 today and allow the “Fire”works to happen in your life today.  Remember that God is with you no matter what you face today, and it is through the fire that the world will see God at work in your life.