05 July, 2011

The Path of the Righteous

"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day" Proverbs 4:18.

You couple this verse with Proverbs 3:5-6, and there is no reason for any Christian, Church or ministry to ever walk in confusion. What is the deal here? We claim that the Word is the foundation for our living, yet we do not live out these verses of Scripture I have just listed. It is my conclusion that, after the Gospels, Proverbs is the first thing new (or un-read) Christians should read. We need God's wisdom and insight if we are going to survive all the chaos of these Last Days.

The Word says that our ways, while seeming to be right, will end up in the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12). In Isaiah, the Lord declares His thoughts and ways to be much higher than ours (55:8-9). HOWEVER, He also gave us this mind so that we can ascend to His ways of thinking and doing (1Corinthians 2:16). God is not gloating over us in Isaiah, He is pointing out that He has a better way of accomplishing things in the earth. Most Christians take that as "God is going to do what God's going to do." It is another form of Christian laziness that God never intended us to live by. Do you see this? When you acknowledge God's way of doing things, it elevates your thinking and brings more light into your ways of living.

God's Word brings light. He has so many ways of accomplishing something in our lives, but so few of us (myself included) give Him enough time to show us what to do. We are instructed to avoid the "world's ways" (1John 2:15), because He has given us His Spirit to know all things (1John 2:20). We do not live like this. We follow the "American Way," which is another form of the world. The "world" we read about in Scripture is simply a system contrary to the Word of God. The "American Way" is contrary to the Word of God. Yet, that is how most Churches and ministries operate - and thus they fail. God has so many other ways of accomplishing breakthroughs for His people and, as we have already seen, they may seem counter-cultural and make no sense in our natural minds. That's how God operates! If it seems impossible, it's God.

Christians "throw the dice" too often. Prayer has become nothing more than asking God for something ans seeing what happens. If we see an answer to prayer then we assume God said yes. If nothing happens, we assume God said no. Ephesians tells us this is foolishness and not how the Christian ought to live (Ephesians 5:17). God is not hiding anything from us. Faith is necessary to accomplish anything in the spirit-realm. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17), not heard. The Word should be pumped into you over and over and over again.

How much time do you give God to show you anything? His Word is what illuminates the path of the righteous. You take one step and it gets brighter; take another, it gets brighter still. "You never know what God is going to do" is not a Scriptural statement. I have fallen prey to this too many times, myself. As you grow in God, your path in life should get brighter. If things still seem unsure all of the time, then you are walking in darkness and confusion; more time with God and less time with everything else under the Sun is needed to receive clarity regarding your situation. Things should be getting done in the Body of Christ. People should be healthy, wealthy and wise. If you are not, it is a violation of your Covenant with God. Religion will tell you otherwise. That is why I do not bother with religion. I want Jesus.

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