The Necessity for Believers to Allow God to Lead and Direct Their Paths if They want to be Successful!

07 Jan 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 20:24.         Man’s goings (steps) are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?

So we’ve come to the middle day of our work week Wednesday, our second-wind day, another wet and cloudy day with no sunshine. And no doubt many of us need to catch that second breath after all the celebrations of the past couple of weeks so you can finish the week strong. Now, nothing is wrong with that if you’re going on well in Jesus’ name, but if you’re not, then you definitely need to make some serious changes and look to Jesus for guidance and direction. 

And there are several scriptures that speak of guidance and direction; some of which we are quite familiar, others that we are not. Today I want to look at a few of those Bible verses, both familiar and unfamiliar. And the first one comes from Psalm 32, where Bruh David declares of the Lord: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.’ (Ps. 32:8-9) 

Yes friends, if we allow the Lord, He will teach and instruct us how to live this earthly life, but we cannot be stubborn like the animals that have no understanding and have to be fit with bit and bridle to make them obedient. And this commentary offers this insight: ‘It is also comforting to know God is counseling us with His loving eye on us. This means God always has His eyes on us and is protecting us. Never will the Lord fail us. He is directing us and guiding us each day. Listen to His gentle nudge and continue to follow Him. God will keep you safe and protected as you continue to follow Him.’ 

And is that ever the indisputable truth! Then there’s scripture from Cousin Sol in Proverbs that’s not so well known. He writes: ‘Man’s goings (steps) are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?’ (Prov. 20:24) And that’s totally logical. For if God guides man’s every step, then how can he know his way eh? He cannot. And this commentary elaborates on that verse thus: ‘Each and every step is directed by the Lord. As the writer of Proverbs says, “How then can anyone understand their own way?” 

While this can be a confusing statement, we can interpret it to mean that God will direct our steps even if we are not aware at the time. This is because God will fulfill His purposes in our lives—even if we mess up, even if we don’t know what’s next. Whether we fail or not, God will still work through us and ensure we are going in the right direction. If you are unsure of where God is leading you today, go to Him in prayer. Use  Proverbs 20:24 as a passage to direct your prayer. The Lord will give you clarity and guidance. While we will not know all parts of God’s will on this side of heaven, we can trust Him with our steps. His directions will guide us and make our paths level.’ 

And talking about making our paths level, brings us to these oh so familiar verses of scripture. Again they are from Cousin Sol in Proverbs where he exhorts us to: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make level or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) Oh my fellow believers, if you had to choose two Bible verses that would set you on the right path with God, then I believe those are the best two. 

Then we have this verse from Jeremiah where the Lord directs him and other believers to: ‘Call on me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.’ (Jer. 33:3) Now nothing can be better than going to the fountain of guidance to find it! That’s why when we’re confused and perplexed, the best way to handle it is by going to God with our problems and asking Him to provide answers. 

It’s like Jesus says in the gospel of John. ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you in things to come.’ (John 16:13) There again we have another guiding light; the Holy Spirit that will show us the truth and lead and guide us if we are obedient to His leading and guiding. The fact of the matter though is that there’s no point in asking for direction if we don’t intend to use it, to put it into action. 

And what about this well-known verse from Isaiah: ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21) But again, it all depends on our listening and then putting the advice into action. And we’ll close with this scripture from Psalm 119, where the psalmist desires the Lord to: ‘Order (direct) my steps in thy word: and let not iniquity have dominion over me.’ (Ps. 119:133) So there we have some very useful scriptures on leading and guidance, but please remember we cannot ask for it, then not use it. 

Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And if we endure to the end with Jesus, then we’re promised to have an even more glorious future than we can ask or imagine! So let’s be wise and endure to the very end with Him nuh, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!…there’s no better counsel to lead and direct us…than Jehovah God…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 June 2023 Matthew 25:40a.

14 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 25:40a.        …inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

And we’ve progressed to Wednesday, the middle day of our work week, when we get our second wind for the last part of the five labouring days. (smile) I guess it’s like the race cars going like crazy around the oval, who pull into the pits every so often to refuel, change tires and fix whatever else may be wrong, then head back out to the track with a burst of speed to join the fray once again. Yes my faithful brethren, that’s how we ought to be; getting refueled, recharged in our spirits, then getting back into the fray to help lost souls come to Christ to receive His saving grace, salvation and eternal life. 

Oh, what a wonderful assignment for a wonderful Saviour! Ah friends, we couldn’t have a better guide, leader and employer. He came to earth and died for us, thus paying for our sins and saving us from eternity with Satan in Hades, then went back to heaven where He currently advocates for us, meanwhile giving us His Holy Spirit to help and comfort us, to enable us to do what He desires of us, then when our days on this earth are over, the unimaginable joy of spending eternity with Him in heaven! How could it get any better than that eh? It certainly could not! 

The problem though is that some of us want the benefits without lifting a finger to do the work necessary. But do you think Christ wanted to go to the cross and die that shameful death? No way Jose! Yuh see how the night before His crucifixion, in the Garden of Gethsemane He begged the Father three times about not having to go through it. He was so anxious about the whole situation that He even sweated what seemed to be blood. But the Father’s answer was a silent No! Although He did send an angel from heaven to comfort and strengthen Him (Luke 22:39-46) 

Eventually Jesus got the message that there was no other way to save the souls of us sinners, and it shows up in His fateful words: ‘Not my will, but thine, be done.’ Yes, my fellow believers, Jesus didn’t relish the thought of going to the cross, but He did it because the Father asked Him to, and He LOVED both us and Father enough to give His sinless life to save our sinful ones. And I hate to bring this up because every time I think about the ‘sufferation’ Jesus endured for our ungrateful sakes, it makes me feel sick inside. 

Can you imagine the lashes of that maniacal whip slashing across His back, creating untold and irreparable scars; the crown of thorns pressed down on His holy and sinless head; the spitting and jeering that He was forced to undergo, then carrying that heavy wooden cross through the streets of Jerusalem to Calvary? It’s a good thing the Father saw His sorry state and sent Simon the Cyrene to help carry His cross and give Him a much needed break. And do you think the nails fiendishly pounded into His hands and feet or the gaping javelin wound in His side were a pretty sight and fun to bear. 

And just imagine the shame of being nailed up on that cross, between two thieves, totally naked for all to see and jeer, then the added insult of casting lots for his garments, while poor Mary His mother stood there her heart just breaking into fine particles, knowing that that was His destiny, but still wishing that her first born son would not have to undergo such agony for people who couldn’t care less about Him. And now, we want to go to heaven but don’t want to live the godly life it calls for and help others to come to Him for salvation. 

Chuh man! What a bunch of ungodly ingrates we are! And we have the gall to be ashamed of Jesus! But look at how He handled all the ‘sufferation’ and shame. The author of Hebrews tells us: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3) 

Now that’s how Jesus handled all the sad and disgraceful stuff He went through, because of the joy of sitting at the Father’s right hand that would come afterwards. Now why can’t we do likewise and put up with some difficulties when we are guaranteed the joy of heaven for eternity eh? Because we’re so full of heifer dust! We talk a good talk but lack the parts to walk that talk. But we want to go to heaven! Hn! Yuh think the Lord lets any and anybody into heaven? 

Remember what Jesus said about separating the sheep from the goats? Many of us who think we’re going to heaven will be sadly disappointed because we didn’t do the things that Jesus considers worthy of heaven, like sincerely helping others and not being ashamed of Him and spreading His word sincerely, etc. etc. As He said: ‘When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 

Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee and hungred (hungry), and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then he shall say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.’ (Matt. 25:31-41) Yes friends, that’s what’s going to happen. And those on the left hand shall ask the same questions as the righteous did, but get the unfortunate reply: ‘Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.’ (Matt. 25:45-46) 

Now I think it’s important that we should hear the scholars take on the subject. They say: ‘The judgement of the nations concludes our Lord’s prophetic discourse. This judgement of all nations must be distinguished from the Great White Throne judgement at the end of the Millenium. The nations are those peoples living through the Great Tribulation on earth at the time of Christ’s return. This is a judgement of separation: sheep on his right – goats on the left. At this judgement all nations (better, “all Gentiles”) stand before Christ who then separates the sheep (the saved) from the goats (the lost) in a manner reminiscent of the wheat and tares parable. 

Note that these are living nations, whereas the Great White Throne judgement is one of the wicked dead whose bodies are resurrected to face the final judgement of the lost. Thus the saved are invited to come into and share the blessings of His kingdom. Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom. The basis of their acceptance seems to be their treatment of the least of these my brethren, the saved of the Great Tribulation.’ 

Yes friends, it’s heavy and plentiful, but it’s time we begin eating some meat and potatoes of the scriptures rather than simply drinking milk all the time. We cannot grow unless we get down to the nitty gritty of the word. And it takes time and energy to do that. So if we want to grow in the word, then we need to spend the necessary time and energy it calls for. Now let’s go home letting the world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, as we declare (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail. 

In full voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And just to remind us that if we endure right down to the end with Jesus, that that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. Much LOVE!

…obedience and humility…that’s what Jesus is seeking from His followers… 

P.S. Brother is it ever long, and I completely forgot about continuing where we left off yesterday talking about money. I only remembered it halfway through this discourse. But don’t worry, there are methods to mine and God’s madness. (smile) Much LOVE! 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ