God’s will for our lives is likened to a well worn path which our heavenly Father has marked out for us. As we live in obedience to God’s Word and to the Holy Spirit, we stay on the path and fulfill God’s plan for our lives.

Notice some important qualities about the Lord’s path:

1. He has gone before us, so the path is sure and safe.

Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.
Psalm 85:13

You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip.
Psalm 18:36

2. He is not only “the Way”; His path is also “the Life.” Following His path leads to maximum life.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.
(Psalm 65:11)

In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death.
Proverbs 12:28

3. God’s path is time- tested (not trendy) and clearly marked (not obscure or mystical).

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. (Jeremiah 6:16)

Commit today to walking in the path of the Lord. One day you’ll look back and realize His path has produced a life filled with satisfaction, joy, fulfillment and kingdom impact!

We often get into trouble by turning the normal decisions of life into a pursuit of a mystical experience or a supernatural encounter. As a result, we may get side-tracked and seduced into wrong conclusions.

We need to bring balance into our search for God’s guidance by learning to separate the ordinary from the extraordinary, the constant from the occasional, the rule from the exception.

I find it interesting that when I read the Bible, those who experienced a dream, a vision, a prophetic word or even a visit from an angel, were not seeking this experience. They were busy living their lives as God’s covenant people and He interrupted their “normal” day to supernaturally reveal something that He was doing.

While we believe God still speaks in supernatural ways today, the caution is this: Don’t live your life as if every moment requires an extraordinary form of communication from God. Remember the signs and wonders follow those who believe (Mark 16:17). In other words, choose to live a a very natural life of loving, faith-filled pursuit of God and His will and He will bring confirmation or fresh direction as you are moving along the path of obedience.

I believe God has a better plan. We’ll talk about it in the next blog.

As we shared in the last blog, if you want the right information, you need to go to the right person with the right question. The same is true with discovering God’s will for our lives. Let’s begin with the right person. To whom do we turn to discover the purpose for our life?

The Bible tells us that the will of God is found in a Person. Jesus made this bold claim: “I am THE WAY…” (John 14:6) To discover our purpose, we need to have a relationship with Jesus. When we come to know Christ, He doesn’t hand us a detailed map. Instead, he invites us to follow Him. He wants our simple, child-like obedience.

Consider the example of Abram:

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1,2)

God told Abram to “go.” He had no idea where he was going, but God did. Abraham had to begin by taking the first step in child-like obedience. As he walked with God, he was given more and more detail.

The same is true for us. Jesus is our way. If we are out of touch with Him, we’ll eventually be off track.

Why does God limit the details of His guidance? For one simple reason. He values the relationship more than the destination. He wants us to stay close to Him. Walk with Jesus in simple obedience and faith and He will lead you each step of the way. At the end of your days, you’ll be able to look back and realize you have been in the center of God’s purposes for your life.