The sign on the back of a trailer read “If I’m not headed west, stop me and turn me around.” William Barclay wrote, “However far you go, it is not much use if it is not in the right direction.” Some people go a long way in the wrong direction! Isaiah 30:21 states, “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.” You may not know the way, but if you know the Guide, He will show you the way. John 16:13 …he will guide you into all truth. John 17:17 …thy word is truth. There is an old proverb that says “It is better to ask the way ten times than to take the wrong road once.”

A certain Christian traveler was packing his suitcase, about to proceed on a journey. He remarked to a friend: “There is still a little corner left open in which I desire to pack a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, a telescope, a book of poems, a number of biographies, a bundle of old letters, a hymnbook, a sharp sword, a small library,– all these articles must occupy a space of about three by two inches.” “How are you going to manage that?” asked his friend. The reply was, “Very easily; for the Bible contains all these things.” David said in Psalm 73 that God would guide him with His counsel.

When one tries to increase his knowledge by doing mental gymnastics over books without waiting upon God and looking to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, his soul is plainly in full swing. This will deplete his spiritual life. Because the fall of man was occasioned by seeking knowledge, God uses the foolishness of the cross to “destroy the wisdom of the wise.” Watchman Nee

There are four things important so as not to forsake the Guide!

Genesis 24:27 “…I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
DON’T FORSAKE HIS WAY.

Proverbs 3:6 “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
DON’T FORSAKE HIS WISDOM.

Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
DON’T FORSAKE HIS WORD.

James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…”
DON’T FORSAKE PRAYER.

Spurgeon wrote, “Meek spirits are in high favour with the Father of the meek and lowly Jesus, for he sees in them the image of his only begotten Son. They know their need of guidance, and are willing to submit their own understandings to the divine will, and therefore the Lord condescends to be their guide.”

It has been said “Never substitute the peace of circumstance for the peace of God.” The peace of circumstance is a real peace, but it is not like the peace of God because it completely depends on the circumstances. There seems to be a real lack of circumstantial peace today. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth…” This is inner peace.

I love Thy Word, O God: For comfort freely given;
For inner peace that keeps my soul, And gives me thoughts of heaven.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding…” Philippians 4:7. What an amazing statement! Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace…” That is the comfort of the Scriptures. Psalms 29:11, “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” Peace is a blessing. It is defined as freedom from agitation or disturbance by the passions, as from fear, terror, anger, anxiety or the like; quietness of mind; tranquility; calmness; quiet of conscience. Isaiah 32:17, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” J. Oswald Sanders said that peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God. You cannot have the peace of God unless you have made peace with God.

“Jesus was a man of peace; He came into our world, and was worshipped at His nativity as the Prince of Peace: He lived to make peace “by the blood of his cross”: He died to complete it. When He was going out of the world, He said to His disciples, “Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth…” When He was risen from the dead,…and made His first appearance to His disciples, He said to them, “Peace be unto you”: He is the peacemaker: the Holy Ghost is the peace bringer: His gospel is the gospel of peace:”
Samuel Pierce

The reason Jesus came into this world and died in our place, for our sins, was so that we could make peace with a holy God. You can read about this in Ephesians chapter 2. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through of Lord Jesus Christ:” If you have never made peace with God, you may do that right now by receiving His Son Jesus as your Savior. “He that hath the Son hath life.” “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Pray and ask God to forgive you and receive Jesus as your Savior.

Romans 15:13 states, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Make peace with God and then you will enjoy the peace of God.

David said in Psalm 51:6, “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:..” Have you ever heard anyone say, “What’s gotten into you?” II Timothy 5:5 describes a group of people that only have “a form of godliness,..” Something is missing on the inside…in the heart! In the message of Jesus in Matthew 23 to the “religious” leaders of the day, He said in verse 27, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” What’s on the inside is important. God spoke to the Prophet Ezekiel in chapter 33:31,32, “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” “And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.” A mother repeatedly told her little boy to sit down. The boy continued to stand, disobeying his mother. Finally, the mother went to him, and plopped him down in a chair. Fuming, the boy said, “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing on the inside.”

How do you get the Bible from the outside to the inside? How do you get the truth of God from the outside to the inside? I Thessalonians 2:13, “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” Woodrow Wilson said, “I am sorry for men who do not read the Bible every day. I wonder why they deprive themselves of the strength and the pleasure.” “Unto you which believe he is precious:..” I Peter 2:7. The Bible speaks of precious promises, precious faith and the precious blood of Christ. Why is it precious? It got on the inside…by faith, by believing. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” John 1:12.

When Holman Hunt had finished painting “The Light of the World”, he invited a fellow artist into his studio and asked his opinion of it. The artist looked long and carefully at the painting and his experienced eye noted the wonderful expression of tenderness and patience on the face of the Savior, the light shed by the lamp He carried, and the tangle of thorns about the doorway. “It is almost perfect”, he said, “but you have forgotten one thing – a handle on the door.” “Ah!” said Hunt, “you have missed the significance of my picture; the handle is on the inside!

Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

I Timothy 6:2 tells us that as believers we are …partakers of the benefit. The psalmist says “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” Hebrews tells us that we are “partakers of the heavenly calling,…” A partaker is one who has or takes a part, share or portion in common with others; a sharer; a participator; usually, followed by of. Christians are partakers of the divine nature. II Peter 1:4. This is our heritage, our inheritance.

There is a story about a man named Fred who inherited $10 million, but the will provided that he had to accept it either in Chile or Brazil. He chose Brazil. Unhappily it turned out that in Chile he would have received his inheritance in land on which uranium, gold and silver had just been discovered. Once in Brazil he had to choose between receiving his inheritance in coffee or nuts. He chose nuts. Too bad! The bottom fell out of that market, and coffee went up significantly. Poor Fred lost everything he had to his name. He went out and sold his solid gold watch for the money needed to fly home. It seems that he had enough for a ticket to either New York or Boston. He chose Boston. When the plane for New York taxied up he noticed it was a brand-new super 747 jet with red carpets. The plane for Boston arrived. It was a 1928 Ford trimotor with a sway back and it took a full day to get off the ground. It was filled with crying children and tethered goats. Over the Andes, one of the engines fell off. Our man Fred made his way up to the captain and said, “I’m a jinx on this plane. Let me out if you want to save your lives. Give me a parachute.” The pilot agreed, but added, “On this plane, anybody who bails out must wear two chutes.” So Fred jumped out of the planes, and as he fell dizzily through the air he tried to make up his mind which ripcord to pull. Finally he chose the one on the left. It was rusty and the wire pulled loose. So he then pulled the other handle. This chute opened, but its shroud lines snapped. In desperation, the poor fellow cried out, “St. Francis, save me!” A great hand from heaven reached down and seized the poor fellow by the wrist and let him dangle in midair. Then a gentle but inquisitive voice asked, “St. Francis Xavier of St. Francis of Assisi?”

Thank the Lord, our “inheritance”, our “heritage”, our “benefits”, are as sure as the promises of God. We are “partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.” Ephesians 3:6. “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:” Colossians 1:12. Today we enjoy the blessings and benefits of an abundant life in Christ. In eternity, we will enjoy pleasures forevermore. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,” I Peter 1:3-4. Rest in His promise today.

For many today, there is real confusion and anxiety about what is true and whom to follow. Politics is described by one as a combination of two words. “Poly” – a many sided figure and “tick” – a blood sucking insect. Some information we receive is human error, but it seems the vast majority are blatant lies. The Bible states that “if the blind lead the blind, they both shall fall into a ditch”. Jesus said in Matthew 4:19 and 16:24, “Follow me”. But following God is not always the easy road and herein lies the problem. Many would choose to be comforted rather than to be a comforter. Nothing keeps people from following God like comfort does. Proverbs 20:4, “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold;…” There is certainly a spiritual application to this text. A.B. Simpson wrote, “If we would be enlarged, we must accept all that God sends us to develop and expand our spiritual life. We are so content to abide at the old level that God often has to compel us to rise higher by bringing us face to face with situations that we cannot meet without much greater measures of His grace. It is as though He had to send a tidal wave to flood the lowlands where we dwell to compel us to move into the hills beyond. God, like the mother bird, sometimes has to break up the comfortable, downy nest, letting us drop into empty space. There we must either learn to use an entirely new and higher method of support or sink into failure and loss. We must do or die, fly or fall to our destruction.”

Joseph was sent into Egypt…to save much people alive because no one else in Egypt would care for the Jews. Paul was sent to prison in Phillippi…because no one else in jail would care for the prisoners. Esther was sent before the king at the risk of her life…because no one else could plead for their deliverance. We know there are many, even those very close to us, who would persuade or hinder us from following the Lord. When I was ordained to the ministry in 1980, one of the songs that we sang was “I have decided to follow Jesus”.

I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus,

I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.

The cross before me, the world behind me…

Though no one join me, still I will follow…

When Napoleon was engaged in the great and momentous battle of Waterloo, among those taken prisoner was a Highland piper. Napoleon, impressed by the man’s strange mountain garb and determined air, struck up a conversation with the captured but unvanquished foe. Seeing that he had his instrument with him, Napoleon asked him to play a tune. The highlander obliged. “Now play a march,” said Napoleon. Once again, the Scotchman did as he was told. Finally the Emperor said, “Play a retreat.” “Nay, nay,” said the highlander, that I cannot do. I never learned to play one.”

I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back, no turning back!