Chaos and confusion are poured and stirred together by the hand of Satan. His potent concoction of deceit has made generations after generations intoxicated. We can trace the introduction of his damnable elixir to the Garden of Eden, and even today, he is still offering it by the buckets to mankind.
Psalm 23:3 teaches that the Shepherd leads His sheep in the paths of righteousness.
We are taught in the Word of God what will not be found in the paths of righteousness and what will be found in the paths of righteousness.
(Place your cursor over verses in order to read them.)
Proverbs 8:8 There is nothing froward (morally torturous, twisted, deceitful, crafty, unsavory) or perverse found in the paths of righteousness.
Proverbs 11:19 Wickedness and perverseness will not be found in the paths of righteousness.
Isaiah 45:19 Wrong will never be found in the paths of righteousness, only that which is right. God only declares that which is right.
Romans 6:13 Those who yield themselves to UNrighteousness (sin) are not in the paths of righteousness. Sin is clearly the opposite of righteousness.
Romans 6:16 Serving sin places one in the path leading to death. Since physical death is appointed to all men, the death described in this verse is a spiritual one, an eternal separation from He Who is Righteous. Obeying God places one in the paths of righteousness.
Romans 6:19 Those who are in the paths of righteousness are being made holy. In this verse, Paul (by the Holy Spirit) is exhorting believers to yield (submit) themselves to being servants of righteousness. Obedience is required from a professed believer. Free will. Obedience is always a choice, and the Word of God promised that if a believer obeys the Lord, holiness will result. Examine the following verses and concentrate on the word holy or holiness each time: Ephesians 5:27, Colossians 1:22, 1:23, 1 Peter 1:15, 1:16, Romans 6:22, Ephesians 4:24, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:7, 1 Timothy 2:15, Hebrews 12:10, 12:14
Romans 6:20 Serving sin and serving righteousness cannot occur simultaneously. The two cannot coexist, for they are in stark contrast to one another.
Hebrews 1:9 Notice that, again, iniquity and righteousness are not allies. Does this sound strange that I would point this out? It should, but we are hearing more and more professed believers and professed teachers of the Gospel saying that "God understands that we are all sinners." "God knows my heart even if I am sinning." "God knows my flesh is weak. I look forward to heaven so that I won't give into my flesh there." When we are hearing those very distorted statements being spoken of by those who profess to be Christians, we then must actually spell out the fact that being a servant to sin and being a servant to righteousness will ultimately result in two definitive and separate outcomes: Those who are servants to sin will be eternally separated from God (Galatians 6:8, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 6:10, Ephesians 5:3, 5:4, 5:5, Galatians 5:19, 5:20, 5:21, Revelation 21:8). Those who are servants to righteousness will spend eternity with the Lord, Jesus Christ (Revelation 21:6, 21:7, 1 John 2:29, 1 Peter 5:8, 5:9, 5:10, James 1:12, James 1:21, Hebrews 12:11, Hebrews 5:9, Titus 2:11, 2:12, 2:13, 2:14, 2:15, John 15:1-10).
The perfect work of Christ within a believer will not throw a mask over sin and wickedness; No, He fully purges a believer who continues with Him through the process of sanctification. Jesus speaks of believers who dureth/believe for a while, but who fall away during temptations, trials, etc.(Luke 8:13, Hebrews 6:4, 6:5, 6:6, Hebrews 10:26, 10:27, 10:28, 10:29, 2 Peter 2:20, 2:22, 2:23). Don't be that past tense believer! I implore everyone who reads this. Stay. Remain. Abide in the Vine of Jesus Christ. As we follow the great Shepherd in the paths of righteousness, He will do a transforming work within us. We need only abide. But I don't say that lightly. The battles will be extremely intense. The enemy will use techniques to confuse you and to convince you to step off the paths of righteousness. If you rely on the Lord and wait for the Lord's voice, He will lead you to safety through the affliction/trial. IF. IF you rely on the Lord.
When you are being tempted to sin, you are not hearing the Shepherd's voice. You are hearing the voice of the stranger! I implore you again to try the spirits when temptation comes. Why am I saying what should be clearly understand by believers? Too many times over the years, I have heard & seen believers confuse the voice of the Shepherd with the voice of the stranger. How heartbreaking!
The Lord, Shepherd, will never ever lead His flock in the path of sin. Never.
Murder = path of sin. Suicide = path of sin. Adultery = path of sin. Lying = path of sin. Stealing = path of sin. Addiction = path of sin. Lust = path of sin. Homosexuality = path of sin. Gender Confusion = path of sin. Idolatry = path of sin. Anything against His Righteousness is never from the Lord. The Lord will never accept sin. He will never wink at your sin. He will never water down sin. He will never change His Righteous Standard.
Sin is utterly detestable to a Holy & Righteous God! As we are told in John chapter 1, in the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us: Jesus.Jesus was brutally persecuted by the masses, yet He endured all of that in order to abolish the power sin has over mankind. IN Christ Jesus, we can overcome our despicable fleshly desire to sin. Step by step in the paths of righteousness, the Lord will lead those who follow. On this journey, the Lord will cleanse His sheep, purify His sheep, and transform His sheep. Walking in the paths of righteousness is not simply a symbolic journey on land, but it truly represents a transformation that takes place in the hearts and in the external lives of believers who follow the voice of the Shepherd.
Friends, please know this: The Lord will only point followers to righteousness. In Hebrews 1:8 & 1:9, the Word teaches:
"But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;"
The sceptre described in verse 8 above is a ruling rod held by a king. In this case, it is The Ruling Rod held by The King. It is described as a rod of righteousness, for His kingdom is a Kingdom of Righteousness.
In the midst of your battle, no matter what it is, you must wait for the Shepherd to lead you with His rod of righteousness, and do not move until He has spoken and directed you. The path that leads to Him is righteous. May we never allow the stranger's voice to convince us that we can do that which is UNrighteous and still be following the Shepherd.
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Personal Testimony: The past 3 months have been filled with remarkable trials. The battles that have presented themselves to me have been like no other. Satan presented himself (his voice) in a very different manner than he had in the past, so dealing with him was slow going. There were times when I thought, "I didn't see that coming." He has truly sought to blindside me in several ways (sometimes all at once). His goal has been to stifle me and prevent me from being obedient to the Lord's calling. He truly seeks to stun people with confusion, but hallelujah for the Shepherd's voice! A few weeks ago, the Lord spoke the word "Mordecai" to me. Very distinctly. Two times. I opened the book of Esther and felt the Lord's presence at Esther 4:14:
Mordecai spoke these words: "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"This verse was so precise to a personal event that had occurred just days before the Lord spoke "Mordecai" to me. I read this verse, and I read Esther's response:
"Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,I have been very hesitant in sharing this testimony, and even as I type it, I wonder if I will just delete it.
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish."
It wasn't until the next day that I realized the Lord was calling me to an "Esther" fast. My spirit was willing, but Satan was all over my flesh. During the fast, I witnessed the powers of Hell rise up in opposition to the Lord's plans of revelation for me. Those 72 hours were 72 of the most difficult hours I have experienced in years. There were times that I said to my husband, do you see this? Do you see how against this fast Satan is? I knew down in my spirit, the Lord was surely going to move and speak and lead and guide me! During the fast, the Lord gave me very precise instructions and revelations. He revealed His Truth at different points of the fast. At the beginning, in the middle, at the end, and after the fast ended. God's revelations (grace) were so utterly precise that He silenced every snare Satan had thrown my way for the last 3 months! Every one of them. A few months ago, I even said, "Lord, will you speak to me on "this calling" you have given me in a way that you haven't in the past so that I won't back down no matter who or what opposes it?" God surely answered that prayer, so much so that when He spoke, I STOOD AT ATTENTION. I do not say that lightly. I am serious. He had my undivided attention! Like a soldier standing in line as the Captain gives orders, I heard Him. Let me be clear, there is no pride in typing that. He showed me the consequences of not obeying Him. The weight of that moment almost buckled my knees. I read a very short statement the other day: When He called His followers to carry their crosses, that involves the burden of dying to our flesh, but it also involves carrying the burden of the calling and the instructions He gives each believer, no matter the yells of "Crucify!". My allegiance must be to Him, and if I perish, I perish. In Christ, all things are possible! Praises to this Holy King with the Righteous Sceptre.
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