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“O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” – Jeremiah 10:23
Recently I moved to a new city, so I have been relying on my GPS to help me get around. One particular day I knew the general area where I needed to go, but not the location of the specific street. So I entered the address into the GPS and began to follow the instructions.
The guide directed me to turn off the freeway, onto an exit which I knew would not take me directly to the area I needed to go. I ignored the voice, but it was insistent that I turn around. Every minute the instruction was repeated to turn around, but I knew that exit was not the best way to get where I needed to go. Finally, when I made it to the next exit, there was a long pause while the GPS recalculated my position and then began new instructions. I arrived at my destination with no further problems.
Out of curiosity, the following week I chose that same address and this time I followed the instruction, getting off the freeway at the intended exit. About a mile off the exit, I was instructed to proceed straight ahead. There was no road. Instead, there was a rocky bluff and dangerous waters. There was an abandoned railroad trestle, but no legal road.
That GPS reminded me of what the devil does. As Christians, we are headed for Heaven, and we know the general direction but rely on God for making the right decisions. The devil comes and tells us to get off the road we are on, saying his way is faster and easier. Even if we ignore his voice, he does not give up easily, but continues to badger us with temptation and doubt. If we are too caught up with daily life, we may not realize he is lying until it is too late. We may end up driving off the road onto rocky bluffs or into treacherous water.
Once we have determined that we are going the way that is right, the voice backs off. There are some things we cannot be persuaded to do, no matter how hard the devil tries. We know they are wrong and by God’s grace, nothing will sway us.
Let us be careful not to allow doubt to enter and lure us from God’s path for us. We can be sure that His path will take us to our heavenly reward!
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