When we Lose our Way How do we Find our Way Back—R Fritz
In the last week I have heard the term “losing our way.” They were talking about losing their way with Jesus. It is the loss of a relationship with God. It happens because of our choices, doing things our way or with men without God being in our decisions. It is going back to our past knowing it was not good but thinking it could be worse so accepting the results. 2 Peter 2:20-22 says “For if after they escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” It is us thinking we know what that is best that gets us into trouble.
We all go through things in our life. Life happens. Sin happens. Inherited sin from all the way back from Adam and Eve. We need to keep pushing closer to God through the Holy Spirit which requires us to listen and obey God. I have had times where it was hard to do what God has asked me to do. I always had a conversation with the Holy Spirit why I was not able to do what God expected. That conversation always resulted in my hesitation or fear being changed to faith and love through the Holy Spirit. That happens because God is love and God’s love changes our thinking. When Satan gets into our head, he tries to take us back to our past thinking and some of the things we might have liked doing. These things did not line up with our new life as well as some of the people we knew.
We must remember if we have found out we have lost our way we have or are in the process of knowing the truth because before us believing we have lost our way Satan was telling us we were doing well, or we are going down the right road. To know that process of Satan telling us what we want to hear verses telling us the truth we are not going down that narrow path but are on the wide road. We are listening to thoughts that seem to be from God but some of the thoughts we know better. We need to discern the thoughts we have and ask ourselves and the Holy Spirit what is the truth. The truth comes when we are looking for the truth in everything we do. If we are building on our relationship with the Holy Spirit, we will overcome and see when fear or some other spirit attacks us through our thoughts, feelings, or from other people. When we are attacked, we want to get to familiar territory or something that makes us feel good, possibly food or spending money. Everybody has a place to go when things are not going well. God wants us to trust him and find that place to spend with him and not by ourselves away from him. Joshua 1:9 says “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord, thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” The Holy Spirit is with us no matter where we go, it is part of us, we need to remember that. We are never alone. We forget the Holy Spirit lives in us. God wants to help us. We just need to let him do what God knows is best for us.
We believe we know what is best for ourselves. God knows what is best because he knows our whole life and what is to come, we know what is happening when it happens. Our decisions should bring God into our lives expecting the best because only God knows for sure. We lose our way because we follow man and accept excuses or take advice from man, men that do not have a relationship with God and do not have the wisdom to give the answers we need. I ask men many questions and listen to the answers, the difference is the questions that are important are brought back to the Holy Spirit for God’s wisdom to confirm what God’s truth is; lies or somebody’s opinion.
Everybody has an opinion on everything, that is what we think based on our knowledge, experiences or what somebody told us. We rely too much on what other people think, yes, I listen to people, but there is my spirit that weighs in on what people say. My spirit includes the Holy Spirit, and that Spirit lets me know when something is not quite right. It is that Spirit that keeps us safe, the Holy Spirit speaks to us through our thoughts. When we have not heard about something we need an answer for we go to praying, that prayer is a petition (request) to God for an answer. We need to pray and keep praying. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Too many people do not spend enough time praying until God answers. Our answer is God did not answer my prayer. A lot of times we expect a particular answer and are not listening. In my case my answers come from me looking for something else in the Bible and finding my answer. We are expecting a spoken answer, God uses everything in our lives to answer us, it could be another book, it could be a bumper sticker on the back of a car, we need to think differently, that is what the Holy Spirit gives us, it is thinking out of the box. To find our way back involves bringing the Holy Spirit into all our decisions, praying without ceasing and waiting on the Lord. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
The Lord will go before us so we should wait on him, nor will he forsake us. God does not forsake us, we forsake him, once we know that, we can get our lives in order. The answer to all our issues comes from us giving up on God. It comes with our timing and not God’s timing. Now those who have lost their way should rush to find their way back. God Bless.
