* Just Because it SEEMS Right . . .

There is a way that seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof  are the ways of death.  

Proverbs 16:25

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world,

 according to the will of God and our Father:

Galatians 1:4 

Beloved, there is a way that seems right to us, but please know that Jesus is the only way.  Every other way leads to death!

There is a way that seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 16:25

It is just human self nature that makes us want to do what we want to do, how we want to do it, where we want to do it and when we want to do it.  But as believers and followers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we have to take up the cross and live our life according to the will of God.

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.  Luke 9:23 

"Taking up the cross" does not refer to the burdens of life. These are common to all men. They are the afflictions, trials, disappointments, and depression that come to us because of living in a sinful world. The believer is not excluded from such burdens of life. He experiences illness, accidents, fire, and natural hazards because he lives in a world marred by sin. But these burdens are not "taking up the cross". Cross bearing is voluntary, not something imposed by the burdens of life. It is a continuous (daily) choosing to deny the desires of self in order to do God's will.

Jesus said, 

"Whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple."  Luke 14:27

Taking up the cross is not pleasing to human nature because it involves self denial. It must be done voluntarily for the sake of Christ.

To take up the cross, we must empty our hands of the things of the world. If our heart is set on money and material things, our hands are too full to take up the cross. If our time is consumed by pleasure and things that please the flesh, our hands are too full to take up the cross. After denying self and taking up the cross, the next step is to follow. We must leave behind the old lifestyle and sinful relationships.

This does not mean a life of hardship and suffering as in loss of income, things not going our way, negative circumstances and situations in our life and even suffering in the manner that Jesus suffered for our sins, but it does call for us to deny our propensities, desires to follow our intellect and the disobedient nature of self and put on the very nature of Jesus; following as He leads.

We should be as John the baptist said:

He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30

John meant this literally; as Jesus was to begin His ministry, John's ministry was to end.  John's purpose was to pave the way for Jesus.  In the same way, our personal ways, desires, natures must decrease so that God's will can increase in us.  Concerns, cares, even wealth, luxury, etc. of this world; all of it becomes secondary.  We submit wholly unto God and allow our faith to work in all aspects of our life.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:30:34

It is not just the sinner and the lost that are outside of  the will of God.  As believers accept God into their lives, they are to walk according to His will and His way.  Consider Jonah when He was given a specific instruction by God and his failure to do it.

Jonah was commanded by the Lord to go and preach repentance to the sinful nation of Nineveh. Instead of obeying God, he purposely headed out in the opposite direction. Once Jonah realized that it was the error of his ways that caused him to be in a dire situation, he took the following steps to return to the will of God. These are steps that we should also take when we experience failure:

Acknowledge Your Failure:

It took a great storm at sea to convince Jonah he was out of the will of God. 

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.  Jonah 1:2 

Be assured: 

God has ways of letting you know when you have missed His will!

As long as you fail to acknowledge you have missed the will of God, you can never get back into His will.

Do not let any excuse prevent you from admitting failure. Here are some common ones:

à    "People will lose confidence in me."
à    "If I admit failure, it is admitting I was wrong."
à    "I already failed. I might as well give up."
à     "It is too late."
à     "I am a bad example, so I should just quit."
à     "I am too far out of the will of God to ever get things right."
à     "I don't know if I can even find the will of God again."

Repent Of Your Sin:

Jonah's great prayer of repentance is recorded in Jonah 2. Jonah acknowledged his sin before God, repented, and asked forgiveness. When you miss the will of God, come before the Lord in godly sorrow and repentance and ask God to forgive you. Be sure to forgive yourself, too! It is not necessary to confess publicly unless it has affected the lives of others and you need to ask their forgiveness. 

It is necessary to repent before God.

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  Luke 13:3

Recognize The Departure Point:

Through prayer, the written Word of God, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, determine the point at which you missed God's will. In the case of Jonah, he recognized his departure from the will of God began when he purposed in his heart to go the opposite direction from Nineveh.

Return To Correct The Error:

Return to the point of departure and correct the error, if possible. When Jonah recognized his failure began by heading in the opposite direction from Nineveh, he reversed directions. He went to Nineveh. He corrected his error. 

So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.   Jonah 3:3

Sometimes you can do nothing to correct an error except repent. In the example of David he could do nothing about his sin with Bathsheba after it was committed. There was nothing he could do to correct it except repent. 

In situations where you can take corrective action, it should be done.

Revelation. . .Seek God For And Act Upon New Direction:

After you admit your failure, ask forgiveness, determine the point of departure and correct any errors possible, seek the Lord for renewed direction. Remove any hindrances to hearing the voice of God. These might include sins of rebellion, self-will, people, and wrong attitudes. Continue to train your spiritual ear to hear God's voice by praying and studying His written Word.

As Jonah sought God for new direction, the Lord spoke unto him a second time and said, "Arise, and go to Nineveh" 

And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.   Jonah 3:1-2

This time, Jonah obeyed the voice of the Lord. He went to Nineveh and preached the message of God. Because of his obedience, the city of Nineveh experienced one of the greatest revivals in history. The whole city repented (Jonah 3).

The Bible contains many illustrations of men like Jonah. These men failed but admitted their failure and asked forgiveness. When they did, God always forgave them and provided new direction. He will do the same for us! God is not looking at our past record. He is not looking at us as we are. 

He is seeing the person we will be if we walk in obedience to the voice of God.

The following summarizes Biblical guidelines to follow when we miss the will of God:

√    Acknowledge your failure 
√    Repent of your sin 
√    Recognize the departure point 
√    Return to correct the error (if possible) 
√    Revelation: Seek God for and act upon new direction

God's desire; His will, is always bigger than our thoughts.  We do well to remember God's admonishment to Isaiah:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  Isaiah 55:8




(Biblical Studies)

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