“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” – Proverbs 4:26
My husband used to be quite a backpacker. He has hiked the Pacific Coast and John Muir trails, and he has climbed many mountains in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, including Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States. Each of his adventures took quite a bit of planning that included what food to carry, what clothing to take, and what emergency supplies might be needed. However, the most important items he carried in his pack were a map and compass.
Imagine what would happen if he had headed into the mountains without a map or compass. There are few signs along the trails, so without them, there was the possibility that he would get hopelessly lost in the wilderness. A lot of people live their lives this way. They keep on moving through life, but they don’t really know where they are going. It’s easy to get lost when you are not properly equipped.
This is true for our spiritual lives as well. It is critical that we know where we are going in our Christian walk, and that we are prepared to get there. God has given us a map book, His Holy Word, and His own GPS, or “God Positioning System,” His Holy Spirit. We need to use both to stay on the path of righteousness as we navigate through this life.
Here are a few things we need to remember as we go through our spiritual journey in life.
- Matthew 7:14 – “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
- We must remember that the pathway is narrow. That means it will be easy to meander off course if we don’t follow the directions in the map book and engage our spiritual GPS system. Following the guidelines that God provides for us will help our journey be prosperous and effective for Christ.
- Ephesians 5:8 – “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”
- We walk as children of the almighty God. Sometimes the path of life seems dark with trouble, but we carry His light within us! The gospel message will illuminate the path for us and others as we move forward with Jesus.
- 2 Corinthians 5:7 – “For we walk by faith, not by sight:”
- Sometimes, we may lose sight of what’s ahead, but we know where we are going because the Word of God directs us. If we trust God and follow His lead, we will not get lost; we will eventually reach our destination!
- Psalm 23:3 – “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
- There will be many obstacles along the way, and it will be easy to veer off our path and head into the ways of the world, but if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can avoid the entrapment of sin and its wickedness.
- 1 Kings 3:14 – “And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”
- As we journey through life following Christ and obeying the Lord, He promises to give us long life.
We also must be cognizant of how we are walking. Does our walk bring glory to God? Are we following Christ as we walk? The Bible gives us many ways in which we should walk. Here are just a few of them.
- Walk wisely (Colossians 4:5)
- Walk circumspectly (Ephesians 5:15)
- Walk in the law of the Lord (Psalm 119:1)
- Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16)
- Walk in His statutes (Ezekiel 20:19)
- Walk in His truth (Psalm 26:3)
- Walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11)
I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
(from “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” – author unknown)
“That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.” – Jeremiah 42:3
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As we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we can be confident that our own steps will be well established in Him, and He will never lead us astray!