The Narrow Road

The Narrow Road ^{©2009 DAN GOLD}
Jesus said, " Not everyone that says to me 'Lord, Lord' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that does the Will of my Father which is in heaven. " This is the first thing on the mind of every sincere believer. When one knows the Will of God, and does it, he will receive God's blessings and have the internal assurance that his heavenly Father is smiling down on him. This means that God's peace rules in the heart of that believer (Col 3:15). God's peace is priceless and is the soil from which grow the spiritual fruits (Gal 5:22,23) and the spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:8-10). No man can tell you the Lord's Will for your life. God's Holy Spirit which lives within you will 'guide you into all truth' and 'teach you all things'. (John 14:26, 16:13) Just listen to your heart and follow what you know is right.		We are spiritually reborn by belief in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We now serve Him and not ourselves or the world. And like any good servant or true friend we must patiently wait for the Word of God to instruct and direct us. When we 'hear' that Word in our heart there will be no doubt as to what we are to do. Then we exercise our faith and follow our heart. God honors the faith steps of a true believer (see Peter walking on the water) and He is always there to save us when our faith falters. In this way, one step at a time, one day at a time, we travel the path which the Lord's Will has determined for our lives.

It may sound easy but the path is very narrow and strait. (Mat 7:13,14) Satan is always there with distractions, doubts and fears.

Family and friends will question your sanity when you follow the Lord - they don't 'hear' His voice in your heart. (see Mat 10:34-39)

Each believer has his own road to travel. We have all been invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb. We get there by walking in faith and by acting in love.

Along the way our garments are made white and spotless and the Lord Himself leads us right into His kingdom (right to the table!) as we daily seek to do His Will.

When you think about it, it is quite an honor to accept salvation and follow Jesus back home. What love God has for us!

And it is a free gift. We have already done the only thing we could to earn the right to come to the Great Supper - we've accepted Jesus as our Lord.

Don't let satan deceive you. He tries to get every believer off of doing God's Will. He tempts them to leave the road. Don't believe him - all temptation is from satan.

FOLLOW YOUR HEART WHERE GOD LIVES
NOT YOUR HEAD WHERE SELF AND SATAN MEET

Here are some practical suggestions to determine the Lord's Will for your life.

1) Stay in the Bible - read it, meditate in it, sleep with it, eat it (it is the 'bread of life'). Keep away from outside 'interpretations' - allow God's Holy Spirit to explain the Bible to your heart.

2) Re-establish your commitment to Jesus every day - He instructs us to 'pray and not to faint'. (Luke 18:1) He supplies a 'model' prayer in Mat 6. We should always pray sincerely and thankfully.

3) Seek to give to others what Jesus gave to you - His love. His general Will for our daily thoughts and actions is that we love one another. (John 13:34) Find out how Jesus really loved us by closely studying the four Gospels and Acts.

4) Be patient! Remember it takes years to grow a tree correctly and God is the gardener. He supplies the seed, the fertilizer, the sunshine and the rain.

He prunes and trims and in due time He plucks the ripe fruit. (Our heart is the soil out of which God grows a 'spiritual' tree.) So let God do the growing and not the self.

Finally keep in mind that no man knows the ways or the thoughts of the Lord (Isa 55:8). Therefore we must trust God that He knows what he is doing in our lives.

We must develop faith in His Word - no questions asked. What God says He means literally.

'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 knows that you have need of all these things.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof.' (Mat 6:31-34)

'Being confident of this very thing that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.' (Phil 1:6, 2:13)

Each new believer is faced with the task of doing God's Will. All should succeed but many do not. (see Parable of the Sower)

At the outset of his walk with God the believer should diligently study the Bible and faithfully practice His commandments. By this discipline his spiritual nature grows and his spiritual ears mature.

Soon he can begin to hear the voice of the Lord speaking to his spirit and directing him in the way that he should go. By faith he takes those steps.

In this way he performs the Lord's Will for his life and allows the Holy Spirit to prepare him for the good works which God has predestined for him to accomplish. (Eph 2:10)

The most important function for a believer in Jesus is to seek to do the Father's Will. Diligently persevere until you know you are doing it.