Knowing the path to take
Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it...Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. Matthew 7:13-14; 24-25 God’s word provides warning that we can be deceived into believing we are going down the right path and yet be heading toward death and destruction. People left to their own device will not naturally seek God or pursue righteousness (see Rom. 3:10-18). It is the Holy Spirit that stirs our heart to hunger for God and respond to His conviction. Once it happens, we begin to desire God’s will for our life. We realize that every time we make a decision apart from the guidance of the Word of God and the Spirit of God, we will be like a ship trying to sail without a rudder. Then we end up relying on our own wisdom. Without the guidance and leading of the Spirit and God’s word could lead us to commit sin. “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (Proverbs 16:25). From the text, the Lord Jesus Christ made a declaration that only God knows the way that leads to life. He wants to lead us so we will walk in it (Matthew 7:13-14). Be discerning and don’t immediately assume that every opportunity that arises is from God. Be aware of Satan’s tactic of deception. Let us be aware that Satan can mask himself as an “angel of light” and he will present alternatives that seem to be in our best interest (2 Corinthians 11:14). God’s commands to His disciples should not be ignored. It is by listening to His word that will enable us to live by godly principles. He wants us to be strong so we can stand against the wind of trials. The word of God becomes a light to our path, guiding us in the ways of righteousness (Psalm 119:105). Simply knowing God’s word without applying them, could be deadly because it could dull our sense of spirituality. Once He reveals to you the path that you should take, trust Him as He walks with you.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com