Paths (A Distant view of your life - Beginning to End - Walking with God - Guidance - Encouragement -Plans)

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him. And He shall direct your paths.

Paths in life

A life with God, A life that glorifies God, A life that still enjoys the good things of this world, yet refrains from that which separates us from God, a life that endures and experiences new pleasures of this world and of the next. Ponder the paths of your feet. Don’t make the end plans, as He is the light at your feet and will guide in His will; but it is still good to plan the intent of your heart, with God. Then see how He surprises you with His gifts.

Macro vs. Micro: This “Macro look at paths” is intended to cover a distant look at your life, from beginning to end (earth). The up close details will only be looked at in detail in a couple of areas.

It has been said when we first look at the kingdom of God through the Bible, on our first pass, we see the form of a tree and get a glimpse of the whole picture; and as we look further, we start to examine every branch and large trunk, then we examine every limb, and finally we look under every leaf. Let’s look at your life and its path as the whole tree.

My experience as a Christian is 5 years in the bible and 3 years born again. Paths given to me a while ago, yet now my discovery is how best to take the land. With this year’s study on back to the beginnings, and some personal study on my own, it seemed as though this presentation seemed to fit, and should be shared.

With Adam’s first generations which fell away and forgot God, and Noah’s generations which did the same at the towel of Babel, we are told in many places through-out the Bible, “that they all forget in their heart and fall away”. Heb 3:7-11,⁷Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,

⁸ Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

In the day of trial in the wilderness,

⁹ Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,

And saw My works forty years.

¹⁰ Therefore I was angry with that generation,

And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,

And they have not known My ways.’

¹¹ So I swore in My wrath,

‘They shall not enter My rest.’”

This then is written as a perspective on a Christian’s life from beginning to End of our human life and How to walk with God.

Consider your funeral and your family and friends considering your life. Would they say “that He walked with God?” The greatest thing said about a human’s life in the bible is that “He walked with God”.

Enoch walked with God and was not. Gen 5:22, 5:24

Noah walked with God. Gen 6:9

God walked in the Garden, but Adam hid himself Gen 3:6

Abraham and the prophets varying stories of Men and Women that walked with God at a time in their life.

Review Mike Finizio’s Paths of Mutual exclusivity. With or with-out (two spiritual paths) {End of this document}

Now that you have decided to follow Christ, lets consider what will it take to keep you on the straight and narrow with God.

God’s blessings and promises

Deuteronomy 29 and 30Deuteronomy 29: 1These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb.
2Now Moses called all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land—3the great trials which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders. 4Yet the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day. 5And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet. 6You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or similar drink, that you may know that I am the LORD your God. 7And when you came to this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us to battle, and we conquered them. 8We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh. 9Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
10“All of you stand today before the LORD your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, 11your little ones and your wives—also the stranger who is in your camp, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water—12that you may enter into covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath, which the LORD your God makes with you today, 13that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
14“I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone, 15but with him who stands here with us today before the LORD our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today 16(for you know that we dwelt in the land of Egypt and that we came through the nations which you passed by, 17and you saw their abominations and their idols which were among them—wood and stone and silver and gold); 18so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood; 19and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.
20“The LORD would not spare him; for then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this book would settle on him, and the LORD would blot out his name from under heaven. 21And the LORD would separate him from all the tribes of Israel for adversity, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this Book of the Law, 22so that the coming generation of your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, would say, when they see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses which the LORD has laid on it:
23‘The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger and His wrath.’ 24All nations would say, ‘Why has the LORD done so to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?’ 25Then people would say: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt; 26for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them. 27Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book. 28And the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.’
29“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 30:1"Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, 2and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. 4If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. 5Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

7"Also the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. 8And you will again obey the voice of the LORD and do all His commandments which I command you today. 9The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, 10if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

11"For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

15"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.

Psalm 1:33

He shall be like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper.

Eternity with God John 14:2 2In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Requirements of God:

Faith
Before Christ sinless? After Christ sinless? Looks at the condition of your heart.
Exodus 20 The ten commandments
Math 5 The beatitudes
All the Word of God, and what He personally gives to each person.

Abide in Him

· Pray. Psalm 5:3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;

In the morning I will direct it to You,

And I will look up.

· Church Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves.

Psalm5:7-8

But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;

In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.

⁸ Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;

Make Your way straight before my face.

· God’s will

Proverbs 2:2

¹ My son, if you receive my words,

And treasure my commands within you,

² So that you incline your ear to wisdom,

And apply your heart to understanding;

³ Yes, if you cry out for discernment,

And lift up your voice for understanding,

⁴ If you seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hidden treasures;

⁵ Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,

And find the knowledge of God.

⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;

⁸ He guards the paths of justice,

And preserves the way of His saints.

⁹ Then you will understand righteousness and justice,

Equity and every good path.

Proverbs 3:18 13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom,

And the man who gains understanding;

14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,

And her gain than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies,

And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

16 Length of days is in her right hand,

In her left hand riches and honor.

17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

And all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,

And happy are all who retain her.

Proverbs 8:11-21

12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

And find out knowledge and discretion.

13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;

Pride and arrogance and the evil way

And the perverse mouth I hate.

14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;

I am understanding, I have strength.

15 By me kings reign,

And rulers decree justice.

16 By me princes rule, and nobles,

All the judges of the earth.

17 I love those who love me,

And those who seek me diligently will find me.

18 Riches and honor are with me,

Enduring riches and righteousness.

19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,

And my revenue than choice silver.

20 I traverse the way of righteousness,

In the midst of the paths of justice,

21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,

That I may fill their treasuries.

· Keep my ways

Psalm 8:32-35

“Now therefore, listen to me, my children,

For blessed are those who keep my ways.

33 Hear instruction and be wise,

And do not disdain it.

34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

35 For whoever finds me finds life,

And obtains favor from the LORD;

Prov 11:25 Bless you As you water you will be watered. Your gladness will be greater than a farmer with a bumper crop. Psalm 4:7

· Peace, Joy, Rest, New Life, Years will be added

Prov9:10-11

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For by me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

Psalm 3:33 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

4 And so find favor and high esteem

In the sight of God and man.

Psalm 4:88 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Prov 3:1-2 My son, do not forget my law,

But let your heart keep my commands;

2 For length of days and long life

And peace they will add to you.

Prov 2:10-11

10 When wisdom enters your heart,

And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

11 Discretion will preserve you;

Understanding will keep you,

· Bear good fruit

· Give you riches here and in heaven for eternity

· Additional rewards in heaven

· Examples of those in the bible that followed but failed

· Keep your lamps full of oil

Mathew 25:

1"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6"And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11"Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13"Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

· Finish the race 2 Timothy 4

· Enter/Strive the narrow gate

· Use the gifts (Parable of the Talents, or coins)

· Be good examples (Let Your light shine before men)

· Teach those that are in our influence.

Prov 9:7

“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,

And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.

8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;

Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For by me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,

And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”

Prov 1:20-25,

20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;

She raises her voice in the open squares.

21 She cries out in the chief concourses,

At the openings of the gates in the city

She speaks her words:

22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

23 Turn at my rebuke;

Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused,

I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,

25 Because you disdained all my counsel,

And would have none of my rebuke,

Prov 8: 1-2

1 Does not wisdom cry out,

And understanding lift up her voice?

2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,

Beside the way, where the paths meet.

Separated Out

A new value system
A new innocence, Back to the Garden
A new awareness and of God and purpose in life.
New Compasion, New heart that loves

·        We have new hearing, and a counselor with wise instruction

·        Unequally Yoked, Agree quickly on the path, His yoke is easy, Don’t add additional burdens to your walk

·        Time: once you are separated out and blessed you have more time. You don’t have to deal with all the time consuming penalties of sin. You function more efficiently without the baggage to weigh you down. Conflicts decrease.

Prov 1:1919 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;

It takes away the life of its owners.

· Money. You will have more money once your priorities have changed

Planned adversity

· Did God promise just peace?

· Earth, man, competition, Work the Land, Desires of the heart, Desires of the flesh, Relationships with family and neighbors, kids growing up just like you. Uncovering your sin. Sin will cause hardship in your life and ultimately point you to God.

· But, God promises that we will come under the His grace and blessings and even these relationships will be blessed.

· All of this keeps us close to Him. Testing the anchor in the veil. Leaning on Him. Not to test God, but the more often you lean on Him, the greater your faith will be the next time you reach out to Him.

Persecution for His name’s sake, but His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Whatever is sacrificed for the kingdom of God shall be returned with the same honest measure, shaken pressed down and overflowing.

Psalm 2:1-3

1 Why do the nations rage,

And the people plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

And the rulers take counsel together,

Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces

And cast away Their cords from us.”

Restraining of evil in the world 2 Thes 2:7
We are but flesh and weakness Psalm 6
Sudden terror or trouble from the wicked when it comes;

Prov 3:25

25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror,

Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;

26 For the LORD will be your confidence,

And will keep your foot from being caught.

· Sometimes walking with God requires us to do nothing at all

Psalm 4:4-5

4 Be angry, and do not sin.

Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.

Selah

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And put your trust in the LORD.

· Be angry and do not sin, offer the sacrifice of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord – rather than striking out, which brings shame, with outbursts of wrath.

· Other times we are obligated to be our brother’s keeper Gen 4:9, You will be forced to make decisions on behavior with wife, kids, family, neighbors.

Pondering the paths of your feet:

Proverbs 4:26-27

²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet,

And let all your ways be established.

²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left;

Remove your foot from evil.

All things are lawful to me, but not all things edify 1 Cor10:23
Lamp unto my feet. Psalm 119:105
Consider your friends well
Many counselors

Proverbs 11:14

14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;

But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

· God ponders your paths:

Proverbs5:21-23 Ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and He ponders all His paths. Iniquities entrap in sin. Greatness of folly he shall go astray.

Folly: 1 Lack of good sense, judgment, 2 An act or an instance of foolishness, 3. an inordinately costly and often unprofitable undertaking. Webster’s dict.

· Seven things that God Hates

Proverbs 6:16-1916 These six things the LORD hates,

Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

17 A proud look,

A lying tongue,

Hands that shed innocent blood,

18 A heart that devises wicked plans,

Feet that are swift in running to evil,

19 A false witness who speaks lies,

And one who sows discord among brethren.

Building the wall (Making Great Plans, Nehemiah 2)

2:4 Pray to God
2:5 Ask
2:6 Set a time
2:7 Get what you need, Government papers, Permission from the King
2:8 Get materials, get a place to live, work
2:9 Go to the sub-rulers “The King will send captains of the army with you”
2:10 There will be opposition
2:11 Go anyways with protection
2:12 Rise early, Labor in secret, Alone if necessary, Make your plans.
2:18 I told them of the hand of God which had been strong upon me and also of the Kings words which had been spoken to me. They answered let us rise up and build. Then they set their hands to this good work.
2:19 They will mock you
2:20 God Himself will prosper us: therefore we his servants arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.
4:14 Remember your Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.
4:20 Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet: rally to us here. Our God will fight for us.
7:5 Then my God put it into my heart
8:10 Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord shall be your strength.
8:12 They understood the words that were declared to them.
9:6 And You preserve them all
9:20 You also gave your good Spirit to instruct them
Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him Gen 7:5
And God blessed Noah and his sons Gen 9:1

Be ready

· Pre-pared, In position, be still and calm, do what you can while waiting, Wait on Him and Don’t doubt.

· Failed to prepare His heart. “Listen” 2 Cron 12:14 vs. Ezra 7:10

Rehoboam Succeeded Solomon but “he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.”

· Listen too much, Distracted, and never get moving.

· Psalm 23 Sheep trust in the rod (Prov 10:13 backside devoid of understanding) and the staff (Hook saves, also used on your enemies).

· Remember old instruction, Don’t forget, Listen to instruction, Moses: “Smote the rock”

· Confirm those things given at least twice. Remember that Satan may appear as a Angel of light, to distract and confuse; but know God is in ultimate control and will only allow you to wonder for His end goals. Lessons? Faith? How does He speak? Doors Open?

· Where valuable resources are not at stake, trust and go on the first instruction. Especially those things which are already confirmed for us in the bible.

Paths that cross

In addition to your work, you will daily have opportunities to witness.
Glory of God seen through man. Don’t hide the light, but let your light shine before men.
Be good examples
Teach those that are in our influence.
Naturally we will be hanging out with co-workers, friends, run into old acquaintances, neighbors, strangers.
In all that you do glorify God.
Fore bearing in Love 1Peter:4:8

Straight and narrow

But, remember each opportunity for us to point the way to heaven is an opportunity for us to be tempted to follow their paths.
What is lawful for me? Trying to grasp that which causes me to stray, and that which is lawful for me to experience and enjoy, and avoid my weaknesses and avoid that in which I am prone to wonder. And ultimately avoid those things, which are warned about in the bible.
All things are lawful, but not all things edify

Who does the work?

His work.

Mathew 16:27 27For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Mark 13:34 34It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—36lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”
John 4:34 34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Ephesians 2:10 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Col 1:29 29To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
James 2:22 22Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
Rev 20:13 13The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Rev 22: 12 12“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

His power

Acts 1:8 8But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

His strength Prov 10:29 The way of the Lord is strength for the upright
His timing. Wait, Wait, Wait
Falling into works! Don’t fall into good works to try to appease. Humble yourself and repent. STOP and get back into your Father’s rest. What ever the reason: Sin, not following, the loss of direction often causes the still small voice to stop, to get you back to what is most important. FAIL to have patience, doubt, struggle, My prayer suffers, distracted, not at peace, can’t sit still, I take God off the throne and fail to trust. It’s all by His gift to you. He enjoys giving good things to His children therefore enjoy and relax and enter back into His peace, and give Him the praise and the glory that He desires. For He is a good God, mighty in wonders and lowly in heart. And He loves you all. There is a quick way back into His presence: Humble your heart.

Lazy, Cowardly, Man?

Does Christian mean wimpy. No, think of Sampson, and David, but Humility also. Jesus at no time bragged, but was humble in strength. Can we be aggressive at business, and things of this world?
Work Hard.
Rise up early, Stay late
Don’t forget balance. There are other requirements that come before service, God and family.

Proverbs 10:4-5

4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,

But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son;

He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

Prov 6:6

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard!

Consider her ways and be wise,

7 Which, having no captain,

Overseer or ruler,

8 Provides her supplies in the summer,

And gathers her food in the harvest.

9 How long will you slumber, O sluggard?

When will you rise from your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep—

11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,

And your need like an armed man.

Prov 19:15 15 Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,

And an idle person will suffer hunger.

Heels dug in?

Still on milk alone?
Walk with God, not “standing” with God, not “running” with God
Yet He will make you rise up and soar with Eagle’s wings
Walking away from God’s will Jonah went down to Tarshish, down in the boat, down in the water, down in the belly of the fish, before he came to his senses.
Prophet Balaam’s donkey wouldn’t move. Likewise what isn’t moving in your life? Are you fighting against God’s will? Numbers 22:24-36
Ultimately all things will be tried by fire to see if they stand.

Christ’s yoke

Math 11:29 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Redeem the time(Eph 5:16, Col 4:5), Light of this earth(Math 5:16 Let your light shine), walk humbly with thy God (Micah 6:8). The Kingdom, the Power, the Glory and all authority in Heaven and on Earth (Math 28:18 and 6:13, John14:11, John16:15)
He gives gifts as He sees fit. To those who do righteously with what he is given he will be given more.(Parables of the talents, and 1Cor 12 gifts)
There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end of it is death. Prov 14:12 Be sure you are on God’s plan.
Holy Spirit will give you the strength to embrace the things you are going through (Acts 1:8).

Finish the race

Hebrews 13:20-21 To make you complete in every good work, to do His will, working in you, what is well pleasing in His sight through Christ Jesus to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen
Luke 6:48 47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
A man and his work: Be sure that if God blesses you with success, that you do not create a false god from it. And allow this to crowd Him out, or your family, or your other responsibilities.
The Bible is filled with warnings of “wealth and success”. That indeed it is difficult for a wealthy man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Use His council always.
Work diligently and unto the Lord
Riches and wealth are not evil in themselves but create two possibilities:

1. The possibility of sin:

a. Draw you away from God.

b. Forsake your tithing and giving to the poor

c. Forsake other of God’s requirement’s, wife, kids

d. Extravagance

2. Potential for the furtherance of His work:

a. Starting a ministry

b. Supporting a ministry

c. Helping those in your direct contact

i. Family

ii. Brothers and Sisters in Christ

iii. Neighbors, co-workers etc.

Math 7:21 21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Encourage you to make plans with God.

Family, work, service, attitudes, play, leisure, sport, intellectual study,
Categorize, List all your wishes. Prioritize: Pick the Big Rocks, then the stones, then the pebbles (Your life as a bowl, and you are trying to fill it). Set time limits. What can you do: Now?, This month?, 6 months?, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years? God controls the size of the bowl. Make sure your will is lined up with His will.

Example of a list under spiritual goals (no time frame or preference shown)

Trust in Him

Patience like Him

Love Like Him

Be merciful to at least one in my control

Labor for His purposes

Speak with Him more and more

Learn continually: wisdom and justice from Him

Walk with Him

Friends here and now

Know Him more and more

Be obedient

Teach those around me

Pray diligently for: (list)

Walk upright, love mercy, love justice, walk humbly

Begin to write them down and then start walking…With God!

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3 and Proverbs 4 are very close to each other and summarize allot of what is covered above. Read them on your own. Often for a reminder.

Remember the glimmers of Hope, those things which God has allowed you to witness. These will help to carry you through the trying times.

Supporting Scriptures:

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path.

Psalm 139:3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

⁴ For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

⁵ You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

⁹ If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

¹⁰ Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

¹² Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Prov 2:8 He guards the paths of justice,

And preserves the way of His saints.

Prov 3:6 He guards the paths of justice,

And preserves the way of His saints.

Prov 3:17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

And all her paths are peace.

¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,

And happy are all who retain her.

Prov 4:11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in right paths.

¹² When you walk, your steps will not be hindered,

And when you run, you will not stumble.

¹³ Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;

Keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴ Do not enter the path of the wicked,

And do not walk in the way of evil.

¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

Prov 4:18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun,

That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

¹⁹ The way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know what makes them stumble.

²⁰ My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

²¹ Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

²² For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.

²³ Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.

²⁴ Put away from you a deceitful mouth,

And put perverse lips far from you.

²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead,

And your eyelids look right before you.

²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet,

And let all your ways be established.

²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left;

Remove your foot from evil.

Prov 5:6 Lest you ponder her path of life—

Her ways are unstable;

You do not know them.

Prov 5:21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD,

And He ponders all his paths.

²² His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,

And he is caught in the cords of his sin.

²³ He shall die for lack of instruction,

And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Prov 7:25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,

Do not stray into her paths;

²⁶ For she has cast down many wounded,

And all who were slain by her were strong men.

²⁷ Her house is the way to hell,

Descending to the chambers of death.

Prov 12:28 In the way of righteousness is life,

And in its pathway there is no death.

Isaiah 2:3 Many people shall come and say,

“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

To the house of the God of Jacob;

He will teach us His ways,

And we shall walk in His paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 42:16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;

I will lead them in paths they have not known.

I will make darkness light before them,

And crooked places straight.

These things I will do for them,

And not forsake them.

Isaiah 59:8 The way of peace they have not known,

And there is no justice in their ways;

They have made themselves crooked paths;

Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus says the LORD:

“Stand in the ways and see,

And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,

And walk in it;

Then you will find rest for your souls.

But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

¹⁷ Also, I set watchmen over you, saying,

‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’

But they said, ‘We will not listen.’

¹⁸ Therefore hear, you nations,

And know, O congregation, what is among them.

¹⁹ Hear, O earth!

Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people—

The fruit of their thoughts,

Because they have not heeded My words

Nor My law, but rejected it.

………²⁶ O daughter of my people,

Dress in sackcloth

And roll about in ashes!

Make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation;

For the plunderer will suddenly come upon us.

²⁷ “I have set you as an assayer and a fortress among My people,

That you may know and test their way.

²⁸ They are all stubborn rebels, walking as slanderers.

They are bronze and iron,

They are all corrupters;

²⁹ The bellows blow fiercely,

The lead is consumed by the fire;

The smelter refines in vain,

For the wicked are not drawn off.

³⁰ People will call them rejected silver,

Because the LORD has rejected them.”

Jeremiah 18:15 “Because My people have forgotten Me,

They have burned incense to worthless idols.

And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways,

From the ancient paths,

To walk in pathways and not on a highway,

¹⁶ To make their land desolate and a perpetual hissing;

Everyone who passes by it will be astonished

And shake his head.

Lamentations 3:9 He has blocked my ways with hewn stone;

He has made my paths crooked.

¹⁰ He has been to me a bear lying in wait,

Like a lion in ambush.

¹¹ He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces;

He has made me desolate.

¹² He has bent His bow

And set me up as a target for the arrow.

¹³ He has caused the arrows of His quiver

To pierce my loins.

¹⁴ I have become the ridicule of all my people—

Their taunting song all the day.

¹⁵ He has filled me with bitterness,

He has made me drink wormwood.

¹⁶ He has also broken my teeth with gravel,

And covered me with ashes.

¹⁷ You have moved my soul far from peace;

I have forgotten prosperity.

¹⁸ And I said, “My strength and my hope

Have perished from the LORD.”

¹⁹ Remember my affliction and roaming,

The wormwood and the gall.

²⁰ My soul still remembers

And sinks within me.

²¹ This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

²² Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

²³ They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

²⁴ “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”

²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

For the salvation of the LORD.

²⁷ It is good for a man to bear

The yoke in his youth.

Micah 4:2 Many nations shall come and say,

“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

To the house of the God of Jacob;

He will teach us His ways,

And we shall walk in His paths.”

For out of Zion the law shall go forth,

And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Math 3:3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

Make His paths straight.’”

Luke 3: 4 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

Make His paths straight.’”

Hebrews12:6 ¹¹Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

¹²Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, ¹³and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

¹⁴Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

1 Cor 10:23²³All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.1 Cor 12 gifts

Paths Mike Finizio - Notes

Restlessness drives toward sin, If peace no temptation for sin. Pleasure in sin only for a season

Eph 2 Jesus is our peace, As we draw closer there is a peace that comes in our hearts.

Has anyone ever chosen this path of their own volition? No our hearts are prone to wander.

Phil 2:13 Works in us to will and do of His good pleasure. What you are doing on Sunday, God put it in your heart. Then you have to realize you are going to make it.

Rom3:10-12 There is none righteous no not one. It is the Spirit Lovingly, continuously, drawing us to love Him and follow Him.

Verse 7 describes path of righteous, Verse 8-9 describes the path of the unrighteous

Romans 12:1 End goal ) I beseech you brethren to offer your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is reasonable

God’s judgment on those who travel this path. Those who think that they are better than others

Not preaching salvation by Good work. God the father completed the work of salvation by Jesus.

How do you get on the right path and into the company of those who do good deeds.

Stop turn and repent. Change your mind. Choose a different path all together. Rest in Christ. Be in the Word. Allow Jesus to lead; You’ll soon realize that Christ is right next to you. As you begin, darkness will be destroyed and a glimmer of glory, honor and immortality will start.