Magicians are masters of illusion who deceive their audience into misinterpreting what they see.  In general, people love a good illusion, as long as they know they are being fooled. But what about when masters of illusion deceive us to our harm? That is not at all funny; yet, it takes place all the time. Con men and scam artists make their living this way. In fact, our own CIA is a master of disinformation, employing deception against our enemies and sometimes against our own citizens.

Part of the reason we are so easily fooled is because we want to be.

People who go to see a magic show desire to be deceived. Otherwise, why pay the money? We know the woman is not really being sawed in half, but we like the illusion. We want the magic tricks to be so good that it is impossible for us to know how they are accomplished unless we are given the secrets.

We are most easily deceived when we are told what we want to hear and shown what we want to see.

This is one reason why flattery can be so effective.

A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet. Proverbs 29:5 (ESV)

Illusions are not real. We probably can all picture in our mind’s eye a scene of someone staggering with weariness and thirst in the desert, thinking they see water at an oasis, only to find out it is a shimmering mirage, a disappointing illusion. Illusions can be relatively harmless, like pretending there is a Santa Claus, and they can be diabolically evil, such as when college students are taught that communism is a good thing or that everything we see around us got here by itself or that abortion is not really murder.

Most of us have areas of our lives that are built upon and controlled by illusions of reality. The Bible calls these “strongholds.”

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV)

Beginning with Adam and Eve, mankind has shown a propensity for believing lies. Satan knows this and is a master deceiver. Jesus identified him as the “father of lies.”

In general, people accept lies more easily then they do the truth.

One salacious slander is usually more easily believed than a hundred truthful protestations of innocence. Knowing this, politicians use smear campaigns to “dirty up” their opponents.  People remember the dirt, even if it is later refuted. Sadly, once people make up their minds, it can be very difficult or impossible to change them.

To be blunt, illusions are lies. If we believe a lie, we need to be disillusioned.

Disillusionment takes place when it becomes evident to us that the lie we once believed is not true.

This can be very traumatic. Some people never recover; while others are able to learn from their mistakes and move forward. Can you imagine how difficult and it would be for a college professor who built his or her entire career on promoting Darwinism and evolution to come to terms with the truth of intelligent design and specific creation?

There are perils and benefits to being disillusioned. Jesus’ disciples, like us, needed to be disillusioned in certain areas. They had false ideas about Jesus’ mission and their roles in God’s kingdom. Despite the fact that Jesus repeatedly warned them that he would be crucified and rise again, his disciples were not able to process that reality and expected him to lead a glorious revolution against Roman oppression. When the truth finally dawned on them, it was very painful. In their pain and confusion, all of them except John deserted the Lord.

When we are afraid to confront truth, it makes it probable that we will adopt a convenient illusion.

The Benefits of Peter’s Disillusionment

Just before his passion, Jesus t

The suppression of the truth that God exists and is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe of the beginning of all deception and lies.

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One of the most challenging things any of us will face in life is being treated unjustly. Something deep in our souls cries out for justice. Unfortunately this godly desire is easily corrupted into bitterness and a desire for revenge, both of which are anti-God. Left unchecked bitterness will destroy us and those around us, and revenge, according to the Bible, is God’s domain alone. When we go there, we are likely to bring his judgment upon ourselves.

Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them. Deuteronomy 32:35 (NASB)

When we we are on the receiving end of injustice, it is important for us to resist the urge to respond sinfully. Jesus taught us not to return evil for evil.

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36  You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Luke 6:35-36 (NLT)

The only way a person can follow Christ’s teaching on this matter is if he or she believes that God is just and has everything under control. As the Apostle Peter encouraged us:

Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. 1 Peter 3:9 (NLT) Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. 1 Peter 4:19 (NASB)

The only way to do this is if we believe that God will eventually bring all of us to give an account for what we say, think, and do. A firm belief in God’s justice and judgment is part of the gospel message, as Paul so clearly showed when he delivered the following statement to the people in Athens.

"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31  because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." Acts 17:30-31 (NASB)

Without this conviction, we may think and act as if we must personally take action to insure that justice is done.

Faith in God’s justice and sovereign rule over his creation is the foundation for releasing justice issues into his hands.

Is there a place for self-defense? Of course. Is there a time to go to war against those who are trying to annihilate you? Yes. But is there also a time for taking injustice “on the chin,” without retaliating? Yes, especially when that injustice is linked to being persecuted for our faith and allegiance to Christ. It may be quite proper to kill another human being in defense of family or country, but I cannot think of a situation where Jesus taught his followers to kill as part of demonstrating their allegiance to him.

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. Revelation 12:11 (NASB)

How do we decide what to do in any given situation?

First of all, reaffirm our faith in God’s sovereignty and justice.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Psalm 89:14 (ESV)

Secondly, lay aside any desire for revenge.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. Romans 12:19 (NASB)

Thirdly, ask the Holy Spirit what is the loving way to respond.

For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13 (NASB)

Lastly,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warfare results when two wills clash in an effort to gain supremacy. The only lasting solution is the unconditional surrender of one of the parties. Until that happens, there may be temporary cessations of hostilities, but conflict always reemerges. Our life on planet earth is a series of conflicts and difficulties that eventually will terminate in physical death. Because of the entrance of sin, the beginning of hostilities against God’s will, all of life is a battle against hostile forces that seek to destroy us – evil or misguided people, germs, demons, natural disasters, the aging process, etc. Jesus told us that the devil, who is our archenemy and the archetype of resistance of God, seeks to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) Peter wrote that Satan “prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Warfare, stress, and difficulties, thanks to Adam’s sin, are a fact of life. We can either be terrified by it, surrender to the devil as a means to gain a temporary reprieve, or surrender to God and become part of his army as he brings final victory to his people. Ultimately, the battle is the Lord’s. It is he who took the initiative to regain what Adam lost. It is he who sent his Son to wrest dominion back from Satan.

The pivotal question is to whom will we surrender? Who will be our lord – God, Satan, or ourselves?

The essence of what it means to become a Christian is to surrender our wills to Jesus. This is what it means when we call him Lord. Surrender to Jesus means we repent from living self-directed lives and come under his authority. This takes place initially when we understand the gospel message and confess with mouths that he is our Lord. (Romans 10:9-10) Over our lifetimes, we will need to continually re-surrender every time we find ourselves resisting or doubting his sovereignty, wisdom, goodness, and love for us. It can be a scary thing to surrender ourselves to the will of an invisible God, whose ways are often confusing to us, and to trust that he is in control and always has our best interests in mind, even when everything around us seems to indicate the opposite. In all of life, and particularly when we are in the middle of a difficult or scary situation, if our wills are battling against God’s, lasting peace can only come through our unconditional surrender to God.

Oddly enough, even though we are surrounded by external dangers, sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Our sin and the fear and mistrust in our hearts toward God can sabotage our efforts to be true to Him. God has a plan for our lives, but if we stubbornly and fearfully refuse to go along with that plan, we can end up in an unprotected place outside of God’s best for our lives, in need of His correction and deliverance. Surrender to God and His will requires that we lay down our own agendas and our desire to control our lives and protect ourselves at all costs. It means that we must be open to the possibility that God will require us to go through something we dread.

Unless we unconditionally surrender to God, we cannot have unconditional peace.

By surrendering to God I do not suggest that we become passive. When we find ourselves under attack or in the middle of something scary to us, our first responsibility is to turn to God and acknowledge that he is sovereign over all things, including our current situation.

Unless God allows something to enter our lives, it will not take place. Satan is not in control.

God is not the author of evil, sin, suffering, or sickness. However, God’s sovereignty transcends all these things in a magnificent and mysterious way that is beyond explaining. Wisdom tells us that, no matter what God allows to come into our lives, we are first to acknowledge His sovereignty, seek Him and His will, and then respond as directed and appropriate.

Trust in the LORD with all your h

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 (NLT)

I suppose all of us who have lived for very long have experienced disappointment in friendship – anything from failure to keep a promise or a confidence to outright betrayal, from unkind words to slander and lies.

Every follower of Christ will be faced with relational disappointment because we are fallen people living in a sin-scarred world.

The world and the church are full of people who are relationally “broken” or at least still “under construction,” who will disappoint us at times or often. Rather than becoming embittered or disillusioned when this happens, Jesus wants to teach us how to handle these disappointments in friendship properly. Our own spiritual life and growth is at stake. Our Lord was thoroughly and completely betrayed by one of his own disciples, and even Peter, who was one of his closest three followers, publicly denied knowing Jesus at the time of his most severe testing. How did our Lord handle these “disappointments” and what can we learn from him?

Understanding Our New Covenant Relationship with Father God

Before looking in more detail at the idea of friendship, let us consider what a covenant relationship is. Today, when we talk about covenants, we usually mean some sort of business contract. In the Bible, covenants were much more relationally pervasive and meaningful.

A Bible covenant is a solemn promise made before God between two or more persons that is often sealed in blood, usually has some sort of sign or token attached to it, and stipulates a punishment for those who violate it.

In Genesis 15, when Abraham asked for “proof” that the promises God made to him would come to pass, the Lord had Abraham kill and divide several animals and lay them out on the ground. In the evening, God appeared in the form of a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch and passed (walked) between those pieces. The slain animals represented what would happen to whomever violated the covenant. Since God alone walked through the pieces of the slain animals, it meant he took upon himself sole responsibility for keeping the covenant. This made it a unilateral or one-sided covenant. Normally, in bilateral (between two parties) covenants, both parties would walk together, illustrating their commitment to keep the terms of the covenant or face the fate of the slain animals for violating it.

It is powerfully encouraging that God represented himself by two symbols. The New Covenant is a covenant between the Father and the Son (Jesus). Jesus took full responsibility for keeping the covenant with his Father upon himself (carrying us on his shoulders, so to speak), and even paid in advance the penalty of our violation of the Old Covenant by dying in our place on the cross. Did I hear you say, “Hallelujah?”

Both the Abrahamic and New Covenants are unilateral, unconditional covenants of grace.

God, the covenant maker, by walking between the slain animals, said to Abraham (and us) in symbolic form, “May it be done to me as has been done to these animals, if I fail to keep the terms of this covenant.” The author of the Letter to the Hebrews mentions this:

God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. 18  So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. Hebrews 6:17-18 (NLT)

Covenants can be between equals, between a sovereign and his vassals, between a husband and wife, or between God and his people.

The New Covenant was inaugurated when Jesus shed his blood on the cross for us. We enter into a relationship with Father God as his

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once when Jesus forewarned his disciples that he would suffer, die, and rise again, the apostle Peter objected and gave Jesus what he felt was some much needed counsel.

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Matthew 16:22 (ESV)

Jesus’ response to his words must have shocked everyone present.

But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:23-25 (ESV)

Why did Jesus react so angrily to Peter’s words? Our Lord actually addressed Satan, which we might find strange, unless we realize that Satan was using Peter as a mouthpiece at that moment to tempt Jesus to turn away from his God-given mission to die as the Lamb of God. How could Satan so influence Peter without his being aware of it? I believe it was because in this matter Peter’s human desire for his and his Lord’s self-preservation meshed perfectly with Satan’s desire to manipulate Jesus away from the suffering and glory awaiting him. Our Lord came to give his life away, not to protect himself from harm. Peter could not fathom how it possibly could be advantageous for the leader of the movement to die, but going to the cross was the key to everything God had in mind. Our Lord knew that the cross was absolutely necessary and the only route to victory over sin, Satan, and death. Without the cross there could be no resurrection, and, without the resurrection, there would be no salvation for us or the restoration of the creation to God. Peter unwittingly asked Jesus to forsake his mission and disobey the Father’s will, all the while thinking that he was being considerate of Jesus’ best interests. It was a powerful temptation, which accounts for why Jesus reacted so strongly. No one wants to die an agonizing death, not even the Lamb of God.

Temptations to avoid God’s appointed suffering must be firmly rejected.

God’s Puzzling Ways

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)

God’s ways are very unlike ours. One of his ways that is hard for us to wrap our minds around is that God often makes his most dedicated followers pass through what some have called the “death of a vision.”

Between the mountain top experience of receiving a promise from God and the exhilaration of seeing its fulfillment there may be a period of contradiction and waiting, which is very difficult to endure.

We can call it “the cross” or the “valley of the shadow of death,” or, as it is described in Genesis, “a horror of great darkness.”

God tells us what he will do, and then requires us to wait. Only God knows for how long. As we wait for God to fulfill his promises, the Lord may allow something to come against us that seemingly threatens to destroy the promise, something we cannot run from or otherwise avoid. In such cases, God requires us to face down such adversity and contradiction by faith, go through the darkness of delay and disappointment, and come out the other side into victory and the fulfillment of the promise. We can only do this if we completely release the outcome to the Lord and fully trust in his faithfulness and love.

God asks us to place everything in his loving hands in order to gain the promise.

Some Biblical Examples

Abraham

After God promised that he would make him, a childless man, into a great nation and inherit the land of Canaan, he told our forefather of faith to divide some ani

The pain mothers endure during labor and childbirth should give us a big clue that life and pain are connected. Although we do not remember our birth, it is never an easy passage from the either the mother’s or the newborn’s point of view. Why then do we sometimes imagine that life should be pain free? Something in us hearkens back to Eden and the pre-Fall state of humanity. Deep down we long for the restoration of Eden, which was promised by our God.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT)

Just as our natural conception eventually requires us to go through the narrow gate of the birth canal to emerge into a difficult world of suffering, so too our new birth was accomplished through Christ’s travail and thrusts us into a road of suffering designed by God to prepare us for a glorious eternal destiny and reward with God.

Jesus often warned his disciples that following him would entail suffering.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)

Paul, who was no stranger to suffering, wrote the following to prepare his disciples for what would surely come.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)

Big Idea: The pathway to glory must include suffering, or it is a false way that will take you away from the Lord and his plan for your life.

Beware of ingratiating teachings or glowing prophecies and promises that only assure you of a good outcome but conceal or minimize the painful process that God will use to get you there. Rarely does God immediately fulfill his promises. Why would faith be needed in that case? How would we be transformed into persevering, fearlessly trusting people? How would we bring glory to God by choosing him in the face of contradiction and adversity?

Our journey is often long and difficult. God tells us ahead of time what will be the eventual outcome in order to prevent our giving up. He wants us to hang on to his promises through whatever may come our way. The conclusion of the matter will be our participation in the life and glorious reign of God.

Few are those who begin with the new birth, and fewer still are those who choose to walk the difficult path of suffering to arrive at the glorious end.

For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14 (ESV)

When the angel Gabriel visited Mary to inform her that she was favored by God, the young virgin was troubled, and rightly so. Why would an angel give her such a greeting? She was waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. Gabriel was like a proverbial door to door salesman who sets you up by telling you something that seems too good to be true. You just know that there must be a catch, and so there was for Mary.

God’s magnificently generosity is always working toward his intended end – our sharing his glory. This can only happen if we surrender to him and his will as an act of worship.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2   Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (E

Life comes with storms.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25  "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26  "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27  "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall." Matthew 7:24-27 (NASB)

A storm is any potentially or actually calamitous situation that God allows to come our way. When we enter one of life’s “storms” we may feel pressure and/or fear for our safety. Most of the time our first inclination is to escape from the danger as quickly as possible, but if we learn that it is in the storm that we can discover who Jesus really is, we may change our strategy.

Storms reveal how solid is our foundation of faith. Are we relying on God’s promises or our feelings? Do we truly believe that God is sovereign over our affairs or just an onlooker? Do we think that God is bigger than our suffering or not? Are we controlled by faith or fear? All these things come to the surface very quickly when we enter a storm.

The disciples, who were in discovery mode regarding Jesus’ identity, entered just such a situation as they rowed across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had fallen asleep before the storm arose and continued to slumber, despite the increasing intensity of the wind and waves. The disciples, all experienced fishermen, feared for their lives. It must have been a severe tempest. When their fear outweighed their competence as sailors, not knowing what else to do, they awakened their Master and informed him of the situation.

The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm! 25  Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” The disciples were terrified and amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!” Luke 8:24-25 (NLT)

Here are some principles we can derive from the above passage that can help us survive and thrive in the storms that God allows in our own lives.

Calm your soul in God’s presence. If Jesus is not upset, why should we be? Take your cue from the Lord. Listen to the voice of God’s Spirit when you are in the storm. He will tell you what to do. Think about who you are and God’s purpose for your life. If the disciples had given some thought to their situation, they would have realized that the Messiah was not going to drown. God also will guard our lives and keep us safe as long as we are supposed to be here on planet earth. Remind yourself of God’s power and sovereignty in your life. God is in control of every situation. Faith in his sovereign power is essential, if we are to remain at peace during the storm. Remember Romans 8:28: God is working all things for good in our lives. Pray for God to be glorified in your situation. This is the fatal dagger we can thrust into fear. When God’s glory becomes our goal, fear has to go.Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal more of Christ to you. If we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and an understanding heart, the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to see who Jesus really is. He is more than a man: He is the Sovereign Lord. A storm is an ideal place for us to have our understanding enlarged.

Are you going through a storm right now? Don’t panic. Turn to Jesus and ask him to handle it for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and enlarge your faith. Don’t miss the opportunity. Don’t waste your storm.

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Each of us were born into this world with significant choices having been made for us. For example, none of us chose to be born. Our gender was not our own decision. Neither was our physical, intellectual, or personality makeup. We did not choose to which family we would belong, in what part of the world to be born, or with what race to be identified. We were not given the option of being born into a family that was poor or wealthy. We were not given the option of being born into a family with both a father and a mother or one having a single parent, or perhaps being an orphan. We did not get to select whether the nation in which we were born was free or oppressed, at peace or at war, impoverished or flourishing. Who made those choices? The obvious answer is God. As a result, we have the obvious option of being reconciled to God’s choice or resenting it.

Adam and Eve chose to rebel against how God made them. God created them and us to be dependent beings who don’t know everything and who must rely on God’s help. Satan, who had already resisted God’s creation order for himself, deceived Adam and Eve into falling for the lie that God did not have their best interests in mind. They thought that being able to decide how to live for themselves was far superior to trusting and obeying God. By casting off their dependence on God, they thrust the entire human race into darkness and destruction, the consistent result of sin. This mindset has been passed down through the ages to every single person born from Adam’s and Eve’s line.

It is the nature of sin to distrust God and seek to run our lives independently from him.

Jesus became a man, embracing his role as the Lamb of God who provided us with forgiveness for our rebellion and offered to us rebellion’s antitoxin – complete surrender to our loving God. All this was to put humanity and the universe back on the right track. This brings us to my first big point.

No one can be truly and thoroughly happy until he or she repents from thinking and living independently from God and surrenders to Christ’s lordship in every area of life.

Gender and Godliness

The Bible teaches that we are composed of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23) As you would imagine, the salvation provided for us in Christ covers each part. The new birth takes place in the spirit, our innermost being, where we are made new in God’s likeness. We are made completely right with God or justified. We are joined to God’s Spirit, which provides us with God’s life, mind, and presence. We do not have to look for God in some distant place. He comes to live inside each believer. The new birth is based on what Christ already accomplished for us through his death and resurrection. It is a done deal that is activated by our faith in response to the Spirit’s work in our lives.

The salvation of the body awaits for us in the future. Our salvation will be completed on the day Jesus returns and raises us from the dead. At that point in history, God’s threefold salvation will be finished when we will be instantly changed into Christ’s glory and likeness, never to die again. It is a future hope.

The salvation of the soul is an ongoing daily process through which the Spirit of God is transforming us into Christ’s likeness as we respond in faith and obedience to God’s Word and the Spirit’s promptings. This is the present aspect of our salvation which will largely determine the nature of the reward we will receive at the Last Judgment. In other words, how we live today matters. Another way of thinking of this present daily salvation is that we live in a dynamic tension between what God has already done (justification) and what is coming in the future (glorification). In our present struggle against temptation and sin, we look backward to remember that Christ already defeated sin through his cross and resurrection.

 

 

 

 

 

Life is a journey with plenty of ups and downs, easy times and difficulties. All of us must make important choices along the way, and these decisions often have far reaching consequences. Sometimes we can back away from a bad decision and get back on the right path. Other decisions we make tend to lock us into a bad outcome that may leave us feeling stuck, confused, or desperate.

All believers have the Bible to guide them. It is up to us to study God’s word and familiarize ourselves with the truths it teaches, seeking to apply them to each life situation.

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105 (NLT)

In addition, Jesus is the Lord of life and positions himself at every fork in the road in each of our life journeys, offering his guidance and protection, if we will choose to walk with him. All believers are indwelled by God’s own Spirit who guides us from within. Every follower of Christ has the ability to hear his voice and sense his guidance.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; John 10:27 (NASB)

Even when we do not have any objective way to discern his voice, we know that the Spirit guides us nevertheless in imperceptible ways.

These pivotal forks in the road on our life journey test our willingness to follow the Spirit and our ability to trust in God and his power, protection, provision, wisdom, and love.

If we are not yet at a place where we are able to trust in God, we generally try to figure out things for ourselves and rely on whatever strengths and understanding we think we have. By nature, we generally tend to become independent operators in a world which God designed for us to continually depend on him. Whenever we choose to walk alone, it often leads to an increasingly difficult and confusing path, causing much consternation and, eventually, desperation. Sin invariably produces bad consequences, even if they are slow in coming.

If we choose to walk away from Jesus and his path for us, he will pursue us, using the difficulties that we encounter will help us to come to our senses and return to him and his path of life.

People tend to get stuck in life when we are unable to trust God in some area and fail to take the road Jesus offers. There are multiple reasons why we get stuck: fear, pride, rebelliousness, greed, lust, and the list goes on. Basically, we get stuck or choose wrong paths when we love something or someone more than we love God. This is what the Bible calls idolatry. Idols can do nothing for us except strip us of our dignity and drain the very life out of us. Serving false gods is based on having false beliefs and false hopes. Jesus is the only One who offers real life and hope. He is the only One who can be safely trusted.

Are you stuck? Have you become increasingly aware that somewhere along the way you took a wrong turn, and now things have gotten dark and confusing? Are you finally ready to surrender your life to Jesus? You can be assured that he has been keeping a watchful eye upon you, waiting for the turnaround. If you return to him, he will never ever reject or belittle you. Instead, he will place your feet back on the highway of life and remove the desperation and confusion. It’s good to be back under the Shepherd’s care.

O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. 20  Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. 21  Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. 22  Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them, “Good riddance!” Isaiah 30:19-22 (NLT)

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