Most
people hesitate to follow God. They shun Godly advice. They are afraid that
God’s commandments and His plan for them are too restrictive. They see
hypocrisy in people who are Christian in name only, and they judge all
Christians by the behavior of these few deceived individuals.
The few who care
about Godly things often follow after false teachers and preachers rather than
the true prophets of God.
The Word of God is swift and
powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). It divides our soul’s desires from our spiritual
ones. It warns us of the deceitful comments that Satan whispers in our mind,
masquerading as words of light. Too often we ignore God’s “red flags” in our
spirit and end up in deception. Many children forsake the teaching of their
parents and pursue the course of least resistance, following the crowd and
ignoring the straight and narrow path.
Here are a few time-worthy
verses that describe this place of deception, which many people wander into as
adults. People turn their ears from God’s truth and are turned aside, because
they end up believing fables (2 Timothy 4:4). They
follow their own thoughts, opinions, ideas and convictions, which are contrary
to God’s advice (Isaiah 53:6). They
go along in life on a fairly bumpy road, following their
heart and listening to the proponents that agree with their philosophy.
Eventually, we all come to a
crossroads. We are given a choice to do things God’s way or to continue on the
godless path we chose. God used Solomon to write the book of Proverbs in order
to share with us the advantage of the great wisdom God gifted him with in his
lifetime. In three places in this beneficial book, he wrote these exact words:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs
12:15; Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25).
If God took the time to write these same words repeatedly, I think they are
worthy of our attention!
It is so easy for people to
succumb to the deception of humanism and carnal appetites and to walk in ways
that will bring them to ultimate destruction – both in this life and in the
next. Solomon admonishes these foolish people who think they are right in their
own eyes. Some erupt in anger if corrected or opposed, or cautioned to wake up
before it is too late. The wicked friends they choose lead them astray (Proverbs
12:26; Proverbs 16:29). The sad ending
to this drama is that the ones who wander away from Godly understanding will
wind up in the company of the spiritually dead (Proverbs 21:16) not only in this life, but also in the next.
Then Solomon contrasts these
deceived individuals with the wise who heed Godly counsel. They take the narrow
road (Matthew 7:13-14), which leads to
life. The righteous carefully choose their friends (Proverbs
12:26). They find life, because in the
pathway they choose, there is no spiritual or physical death (Proverbs
12:28). These Godly people will avoid
the resulting shame, which will follow the fool (Proverbs 12:15-16). Born Again Saints pass from this mortal life into
eternal life (Philippians 3:20),
because the experience of death is swallowed up by Christ’s life within us (1
Corinthians 15:54).
Choose wisely what road you
will take when you come to the crossroads of life. Follow the Spirit of God in
making your decision. Even though the road is narrow and steep in many places,
the Holy Spirit within you will guide your steps (John 16:13) and the Word of God will be a light to your path (Psalm
119:105).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, there is no
temptation that any of us fall victim to that is not a common problem for
everyone (1 Corinthians 10:13).
However, You are faithful. You will not allow any of us to be tempted beyond
what we are able to withstand. At the same time, with the temptation, You also
gives us a way to escape it and to stand strong against it (1
Corinthians 10:13). We just have to
avail ourselves to Your Word and grace, and call upon You as our Savior and
Lord (2 Peter 3:18).What benefit did you obtain from doing things you are now ashamed of? Those actions result in eternal death! – Romans 6:21
