Crossroads Beware

The opportunity to change direction is supplied by a crossroad. It can mean going in the right direction or the wrong direction. When I am traveling down a highway, and I come upon a crossroad, I always think, "Where does that lead?" The Word of God speaks to a narrow road that is chosen by very few, but those who choose it see that there is a wide open life available should you give your life to Jesus. I believe in the abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10, and satan does not want that life for me, so he offers alternatives that fall miserably short. We have fallen short in the discipling of new converts to tell them of the great things God wants to do in their lives, so they are susceptible to taking other roads not meant for them. The seed of their faith can get surrounded by thorns, and their seed won't sprout and grow to the fullness God intended.

We need the Lord's help in making wise choices and staying on the narrow road before us. Here is what God provides to help us stay on the right road.

1. He gives us a helper to keep us on track. John 14:¹⁶ I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;¹⁷ that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,

   because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in our souls, and He is available at all times to give strength, direction, and power to live the abundant life. What power does the Spirit give us? Paul told the Philippians what power He got from God when He needed it and made the following statement that gives us hope beyond measure. Philippians 4:¹³ I can do all things ^[i]through Him who strengthens me. All is All ya'll! 2. When we choose the narrow road to salvation, our perspective on life changes, and then God opens up major life possibilities for us, which include taking our life calling to a whole new level. You can see why the main responsibility for calle ministers is to equip God's people, because a new convert's changed life is so radical that they need direction to follow this main road to completion and not be sidetracked. The Psalmist said it this way in Psalm 18: ¹⁹ He brought me out to wide-open spaces; He pulled me out safe because he is pleased with me. For the lost person, these wide open spaces mean more wild living, but for the born-again believer, these wide open spaces are filled with a new, deeper, more exciting faith walk that is full of the Holy Spirit's power and direction. Can you imagine being in a church where every light in every believer is shining bright, and they are loosed into the world with the hope of the gospel on their tongues? If you are on that road, stay on that road and keep growing in God's Word.

   3. This new way of living in our faith walk compels us to desire God's Word, because it is our only GPS or Godly Positioning Satellite, which means God knows just where we are in our faith walk and wants to position us to move into a life that flourishes in every area. When we get to a crossroad that takes us off the main direction, it doesn't even get our attention because we have "fixed" our eyes on Jesus.

   The following verse in Hebrews 12 says it all. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

   If you run, you know there is a point in a run where you are hurting, and you have to convince yourself to keep going. The Holy Spirit is the help you need to keep running the race of your faith walk, and He will supply the needed strength to keep going, just ask and say HELP, and He will answer with the strength and guidance you need, and He will lead you to the Word of God. We are meant to flourish as believers, but it will not be on our own strength. We must ask, seek, and knock, and keep on doing all three of those. I leave you with one set of verses Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus that shows us where our power comes from in Ephesians 3:¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Nuff said!!

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The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren