Forge Ahead to See Him

Matthew 27:21-26
21 The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!" 22 Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!" 23 Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!" 24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it." 25 And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children." 26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.   NKJV

Two futures, one will die! Yes, the people chose Barabbas. The question is what shall we do with Jesus who is called Christ?

Proverbs 16:10-15
10 Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
11 Honest weights and scales are the LORD's;
All the weights in the bag are His work.
12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For a throne is established by righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.
14 As messengers of death is the king's wrath,
But a wise man will appease it.
15 In the light of the king's face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.
NKJV

Perverting justice is a terrible thing! And it brings harm to those who make it a practice to pervert truth. Speaking right things like in verse 13, is that which speaks like God would speak. It is the right standing with God with no sin. Those who practice lawlessness (sin) will not stand before the Lord.
You can have someone in authority, like the governor, asked what they wanted to do with Christ.
Certainly wisdom is found in the wise man. In dealing in truth the wise will appease those angry. Finding favor with the wise would be beneficial. Yet, this ruler was ruled by those who delighted in getting rid of Jesus the Christ.

We are told to enter by the narrow gate...yeah, the way which is the "difficult'.

Matthew 7:13-29

13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. 

15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 

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. 22 Many 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?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' 

24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." 28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.   NKJV

Entering by the narrow I always think of something the size of a tooth paste tube. And if you think about any weight gain, that tube will look really small. It is also listed as "the gate narrow and difficult which leads to life".

Just live with a spouse and you can see how it can become "the difficult". Seriously though marriage is work and life is too. It takes a commitment to live both in the love of God and by the care of His Word in and for it.

Those choosing the wide road may be those looking for the easier and that which looks like having some kind of recognition. Hey yeah any recognition.  But anyone can take the wide road, that high road to destruction. Many will travel that way. Many have already lost their lives on that road. After their life is ended, then one can read in the obituary of the life that went like a shooting star. Or you might read about how they attended such and such CHURCH for thirty years. They attended, but did they really know Jesus?

Knowing that path to walk must be known. It must be the way we know is in truth, the wisdom of God that brings that peace that guards our heart and mind. And following a leader who teaches truth we must understand who teaches truth and who is out just for some wool!

We must always be on the lookout for the false teacher, that false prophet who has no good fruit. They may can spit out pages of scripture but so did satan in the wilderness. Read Luke 4:1-13.

A good tree (individual) bearing good fruit is known. 

The good is slow to anger, they show love in words that encourage and bless. But there are people who have the craft to mix up some truth with a lot of poison. They are speaker of many words, and their hearts are never known. Ever been in a service and you were looking for the anointed Word to release something and instead you got the kiss of Judas Iscariot. His kiss brought death to Jesus.

Titus 1:10-16
10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. 15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.   NKJV

We see them like in Titus, yes those dressed in sheep's clothing as both idle talkers and deceivers. They teach things for dishonest gain.  Their works deny God. They are abominable, disobedient and disqualified for every good work.

In Proverbs 6:12-15 we find someone who is wicked. They walk with the perverse mouth. They sow discord.

Proverbs 6:12-15

12 A worthless person, a wicked man,

Walks with a perverse mouth; 

13 He winks with his eyes,

He shuffles his feet,

He points with his fingers; 

14 Perversity is in his heart,

He devises evil continually,

He sows discord. 

15 Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly;

Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy. NKJV

Then looking further in Proverbs 6 we find this:

Proverbs 6:16-19

16 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.  NKJV

Yes, Jesus walked the Via Dolorosa. It was the walk from the place of Pontius Pilate, who sentenced HIM to Golgotha. Jesus was on the path the "way of sorrows". It was not a peace walk nor was it a walk without mockery and loud voices of discontent. No, Jesus walked that final walk with a Cross on His shoulder always thinking of us. In agony and blood draining from His body He thought of those who would follow the way..........down the.....narrow....the difficult way!
Meaning of ....Difficult: not easy to manage..........very stubborn, the unreasonable AND requiring much skill and work

Well, that might leave some folks out of the "life thing". Again, seriously anything worth doing or living for is going to take some effort and we must muster the courage to forge ahead. That is as the woman or man of any marriage and as individuals, we must make a concentrated effort to continue. Quitting should never be an "option". NO, any stopping should not be considered. One cannot make their way through by bluffing. You would be known.

Those in wolves clothing who seek to come eat you for their lunch, are those who will take advantage of the one who believe's every word they speak. Their words are to separate you from your family, from your money and your final destination with God. Their wickedness is tied up in them making a name for themselves. They invest time and much money to find ways to create smokin' mirrors and tricks to do as sleight of hand and make you think they are "great".

But great men or women are established in righteousness. They speak truth. They will not harm nor try to kill you. They desire to only to deliver to you truth, deliver a good product and a good service. We are to be wise and discern that which is to harm another.

Those who want their kingdom and rule in harsh ways will give the kiss of death. They are not "light" but are of the darkness and their father is the father of lies.

But those who love God are of the "light". And they declare light to others. They bring life, and liberty in the words that are God's . They are the words that will heal, make strong and cause you to walk, yes forge ahead to see a better tomorrow.

If you stay by the side of the road, you might find yourself among some "campers" who have come to camp alongside you. And starting again with God might take some extra effort because not everyone wants to go with God, know God or be known by God. But if you keep moving, you can be an encouragement  to another as to keep your walk on that "difficult narrow walk".  Walk with encouragement today, stand tall and kiss yesterday good-bye. Today is a new day. And God has His best for you.

Open the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to breath life into you today. Allow the Holy Spirit to comfort those wounds from those difficult places and remind yourself that the Lord is MIGHTY, HE is the Wonderful, He is the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Our Lord is a wonderful teacher and gives us wisdom. (Isaiah 28:29 TLB) He will give you wisdom and direct your way.........however difficult it may be, the wonderful Teacher He is ....will show you what to do.

I like what Oswald Chambers wrote..... MY Utmost for His Highest...

If we have never had the experience of taking our commonplace religious shoes off our commonplace religious feet, and getting ride of all the undue familiarity with which we approach God, it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His Presence. The people who are flippant and familiar are those who have never yet been introduced to Jesus Christ. After the amazing delight and liberty of realizing what Jesus Christ does, come the impenetrable darkness of realizing WHO HE IS.

I pray that if you do not know Him, that you would be introduced to Him, for He is my Savior, my Peace and my Healer. He is life to me and to those who desire to live long in Him. He is not a harsh taskmaster. I believe He enjoys life, and breaths His life into us every time we open our mouths to praise and speak His words of life. Truly may you be directed into His love and His life today. May you live strong, walk free and love like there is no tomorrow. Forge Ahead! The best is yet to be. And may you be found, well pass the narrow way and into His loving arms for an eternity. God be with you all who love HIM!

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Notice:

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Faith Without Borders: The Experience of Our Faith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTwdUFLmWic

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