"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." Proverbs 4:18
As Christians, we're all called to actively pursue righteous living. It's a path that sets us apart for God's kingdom and sets us up to live in the potential of what He has destined for us. But on our journey, sometimes we can find ourselves on different paths. Sometimes the path can be complacency, where our walk with Jesus takes a mundane turn and we begin to live in a state of stagnancy, allowing spiritual idleness to supersede our zeal for God. Other times, we may find ourselves on a path that is being led by the ways of the world, allowing sin to take root in our hearts. However, Proverbs 4:18 reminds us the more we pursue the path of righteousness, the more growth and fruitfulness we will see in our lives. We learn that when we hand over the burdens we face, the everyday decisions we make, and how we deal with sin to Jesus, a refining process will inevitably take place and a brighter, more radiant version of ourselves in Christ will emerge. Freedom and transformation begin to coincide as we lose our life to find it in Jesus. It's a path that opens up doors for the blessings and opportunities God longs to give you and allows you to walk into the calling and purpose He designed specifically for you.
But how do we remain on the righteous path when there are so many shortcuts and wrong turns we can take along the way?
Shortcuts can be tempting because it can get us from point A to point B faster and as humans, it's easy to succumb to the desire of instant gratification. Or maybe the temptation of shortcuts stems from the societal pressures of hurrying our divinely created timeline.. you know, giving into the narrative of "I need to have X, Y, Z before I'm __ years old." An important thing to realize though is the shortcuts in life gives us short-term satisfaction instead of the long-term, lasting satisfaction the path of righteousness will give. You don't want to rush Gods plan because you're in too much of a hurry to check the next thing off of your list or jump into anything that isn't meant for you when God has something bigger and better suited lined up. The path God has you on may take you into seasons of waiting but it will always be worth it in the end. Be patient, surrender your desires to Him, abide and trust that God will bring forth His promises because He always will.
Along with shortcuts, there are wrong turns we can take along the way as well. How many times are you in your car driving towards a destination and take a wrong turn? If you're directionally challenged like me, it's often! A lot of these wrong turns can lead to dead ends or have you driving a long way only to turn back around to get on the main route again. The same holds true in our walk with God. The distractions we entertain, the battle of sin and fear/worry are all breeding grounds for the enemy to misdirect and lead us astray from the path God has us on if we aren't careful. Thankfully, just like we have a GPS to lead us back on track again, we have a faithful God that will always reroute us back in the right direction no matter how far out we drift. Let me say this too though- there is always purpose even in the wrong turns and shortcuts. My greatest lessons have been from the mistakes I have made and there's nothing God can't use for His glory and good. Can I get an amen??
There are a bunch of different things that can lead us astray in our walk with God. I have had my fair share of lessons on that and I want to touch on three stumbling blocks that have really stood out while pursuing the path God has for me.
Distractions
"Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life's distractions." Psalms 4:25
"Don't allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness." Psalms 4:27
Distractions are one of the things that can mislead us from staying on track. They keep us from being focused on what's truly important and from being in the present moment. God wants our full attention on everything He is doing in our life and if we look away for too long, we could miss out on some great things. The distractions we face are a part of our everyday life that we can grow accustomed to if we don't stop to take a close look at the negative effects they have on us. Distractions can look like social media, constantly staying busy to feel proactive, addictions/obsessions of any kind, etc. It's important we see these things for what they are and what they are capable of in order to avoid entertaining them completely or at least to an unhealthy point. For instance, we have to realize that sometimes we use distractions as a quick fix or a way to deal with our problems that may seem harmless at first but when you become invested in that distraction, slowly but surely you can find yourself in a place you didn't intend on going and further away from God. You can find yourself prioritizing the wrong things that don't fill up your cup but instead leave you feeling drained, unsatisfied and emptier. Sometimes you have to ask yourself, is it really worth it? Remember, nothing is ever meant to take up more of our time, energy and dependence than God. Read that again! Nothing will fill your cup up more than intimately seeking a relationship with God, reading His Word and going to Him in prayer. Putting God as your #1 priority in your life will have your cup overflowing that will then pour out onto every other aspect of your life including the people you're surrounded by.
Sin
"But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." James 1:14-15
The battle of sin is something that every single one of us struggles with. It's the reason for all the brokenness we see in our world and it is what the enemy will use to his advantage to derail us from what God has in store if we aren't watchful. (1 Peter 5:8) he knows what our weaknesses are and what he can try and tempt us with to go in the opposite direction of where God is trying to lead us. We're in the middle of a constant tug-of-war battle between flesh and spirit and the side we lean more towards is the side we give more of an advantage to. It's through temptation that the enemy tries to lure us away from what God has for us. It can be sneaky, deceitful and clever. He likes to disguise sin as a mirage that will lead you into muck when you get up close and personal with it. It's important we recognize and build an awareness of the sin in our life that we struggle with whether it be lust, greed, vanity, etc. in order to take steps to lose its grip on us and avoid falling into temptation. A way to help identify what that may be in your life is asking yourself what is one thing or multiple things that you run to or find your worth in when things get hard instead of seeking God? Simply put, what do you run to the world for instead of God? Be real with yourself on this. You don't want to find yourself in a place that is being led more by the ways of this world than by God's guidance. Pastor Marquis from CBC said, "The sneaky thing about sin is when you become so wrapped up in it and the ways of the world, over time you begin to suppress and become numb to the conviction of sin and before you know it you can find yourself at a place where being unfaithful to God no longer makes you uncomfortable. You'll get used to being disobedient and it will become your new normal. It's a danger zone to be in that blocks you from growth, fruitfulness and an intimate relationship with God." My prayer for us is that we are always reminded that no matter how attractive the world tries to dress sin up as, it will never compare to the treasures you'll find seeking God's path for you.
Fear/Worry
The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8
Fear and worry are other tactics the enemy will use to direct us away from the path God has us on. Fear is a liar. Fear will keep you from stepping out of your comfort zone and stuck in a safety bubble. It will have you second-guessing yourself and send you into a spiral of overthinking. Fear is both limiting and paralyzing in the regard that it keeps you from moving toward your next step. In our walk, God is always taking us to higher places and new heights, but we can easily become stagnant if were allowing fear to have more control over us than what God has to say about us. Have you ever thought that what you fear the most may be where God wants to do His greatest work? Maybe your next breakthrough is on the other side of the fear that's holding you back whether that be fear of failure, fear of what others think, fear of disappointing, fear of the future, etc. Faith is what puts wind in our sails to move us forward against these turbulent waters. When we operate through the lenses of faith, our perspective in the midst of fear allows us to accomplish our God-sized dreams. It's not that fear will never be around, but faith allows our eyes to live above the chaos of uncertainty with fixed-focused knowing God is going to take us wherever He calls us to. Don't allow the "what ifs" stop you from stepping into the future of what God has for you. Allow the "Even ifs" to encourage you to take leaps of faith forward. God promises to be a God that never forsakes in times of uncertainty. So EVEN IF things don't turn out the way we expected or hoped, He promises to be a deliverer, redeemer, and make all things good kind of God. Believe, trust and embrace that truth to experience the power of walking in freedom towards His promised land. The lies that the enemy tries to feed you can quickly start to lead you when you believe them, but when you are confident in God and the path He created for you, it leaves no room for fear because with God, you are in constant reminder of the truth and it's the truth that sets you free. (John 8:31-32)
James 4:7 says "..resist the Devil and he will flee from you". We have the free will to resist and God's power to disarm these weapons formed against us by the enemy (Isaiah 54:17). We have full authority in God over the devil. Remind yourself of that every day. Resist entertaining harmful distractions, resist the indulging of sin, resist giving into fear and watch your life and your relationship with the lord completely transform. God wants to work miracles in our lives, but it takes a heart of obedience and surrender to get the fullness of that. Shortcuts and wrong turns will always be around, but our awareness of these things will help us remain on track. We can trust that the path that has already been mapped out by the creator of the universe is the one we can follow, knowing it will lead us exactly to where we need to be. We don't need to seek another route to see if it will lead us to something greater or more satisfying because nothing the world has to offer could ever compare to what God has for us.
-Bri