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September 29, 2005
"We Truly Have Nothing To Fear When We Are Walking God's Narrow Way For Our
Life."
By Joyce Ricciardelli
Visionary Advancement Strategies
www.vision2advance.com
email: Joyce@vision2advance.com
 There
is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Proverbs
14:12).
I found myself awake at 3:00 a.m. last night, and when I opened my journal, it
fell open to a verse which I had written down last year: "Unto the upright there
arises light in the darkness; He [the Lord] is gracious and full of compassion
and righteous." Another version reads, "When darkness overtakes the godly, light
will come bursting in. The Lord is generous, compassionate, and righteous,"
(Psalm 112:4).
As I turned to Psalms 112 in my Bible, verses five through ten go on to say that
when the righteous lend freely and conduct business fairly, they will never be
shaken. His good deeds will never be forgotten; he will not fear evil tidings or
bad news. He will have influence and honor; his heart is fixed [steadfast,
established, and secure]. Overall, he will not be afraid and can look
triumphantly upon his adversaries because he trusts in the Lord. The wicked will
see this, and it will infuriate them. They will grind their teeth in anger (have
bitter regret) and slink away; their hopes and plans thwarted.
The Valley of Vision
I then felt led to read Isaiah 22. This chapter refers to the city of Jerusalem
as "the valley of vision," because God reveals Himself to His people here. I
found it very interesting to find the words "valley" and "vision" in the same
sentence and began pondering how anyone could see anything from a valley, unless
the Lord revealed it. Think about it … most of us would not go to the lowest
place to see. But isn't this exactly the way the Lord works?
Consider how the Lord has revealed Himself to you during valleys in your own
life. He takes us to the valley to expose our heart motives to ourselves. He
exposes me -- to me. I am certain that you would agree that the most revealing
things show up in the valley. As someone wise once said, "It's not on the
mountain top, but in the valley, where everything grows."
In this chapter, Isaiah was prophesying judgment on Jerusalem. Jerusalem would
be attacked unless God's people returned to Him. Isaiah had warned the people
that if they did not repent, they would experience judgment. Isaiah goes on to
say that the leaders did what they could to prepare for war; they readied
weapons, inspected the walls, and stored water, but these things in themselves
-- though they were good -- weren't the responses God was looking for.
There will always be things required of us to do, but we must allow God to be
our guide in the work. The people weren't looking to God, asking what He would
have them do. They were using every other means possible to protect themselves,
choosing to trust more in their own ingenuity, weapons, and pagan neighbors (see
2 Chronicles 32), then trusting God.
The response God required was repentance, and it is evident that Judah did not
trust God or His promises because when they should have been repenting (Isaiah
22:12), they were found partying on the housetops (Isaiah 22:13). In essence,
the people had become so blinded by believing they could handle it (by taking
matters into their own hands); they demonstrated a state of hopelessness and
exhibited how deceived they actually were.
Hopelessness Countered by Trust
My Bible commentary states it like this: "When you face difficulties -- turn to
God. Today, we still see people giving up hope. There are two common responses
to hopelessness: despair and self-indulgence.
This life is not all there is; so, we are not
to act as if we have no hope. Our proper response should be to trust God and His
promise to include us in the perfect, new world that He will create."
Despair and self-indulgence seem to be bookends for hopelessness. I can see
myself and others, during difficult times, going toward one way or the other. We
either get in such deep misery we quit moving -- immobilizing others -- saying,
"I can't do anything right. So, why try?" Or we abandon all constraints -- with
excessive attitudes that are all about me, myself, and I -- saying, "I've got to
make it happen!" Neither response shows evidence of trusting God for our
circumstance.
If despair and self-indulgence are bookends for hopelessness, then belief and
obedience are the bookends for trust. We either believe His promises, or we
don't. End of story; there is no in-between. We either obey, responding to His
voice alone and believing He has our best interest at heart, or we walk in
willful disobedience, all the while moving toward hopelessness. The scriptures
tell us to trust God, believe in His promises, and obey. I have made Deuteronomy
13:4 one of my life's affirmations: "I choose to serve the Lord my God and fear
Him alone. I will obey His commands, listen to His voice, and cling to Him."
There is a Way … it is Called "The Narrow Way"
I believe the Lord was showing me, in the night hours, life and death, blessing
or cursing -- It is our choice. He has shown us the way. It states in Psalms
112, that as we go forward in Him, praying, loving, giving, and serving others
generously; (and) when darkness arises, He will shine forth His light upon those
attempting to thwart His plan for us. Sometimes that light is shining on us --
exposing our hearts. Then we see that we are the one who is sabotaging His plan.
Above all things, we can trust that He will
be our guide and that His promises are true. We truly have nothing to fear when
we are walking His narrow way for our life, but (like the people of Isaiah 22)
if we go our own merry way, not discerning or obeying His voice, we will be led
down a path of destruction, foolishly deceived into thinking the path we are on
is the way.
"There is a way
that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."
-- Proverbs 14:12; 16:25
"Every man's way is right in his own eyes, but the LORD
weighs the heart." -- Proverbs 21:2
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise
man is he who listens to counsel." -- Proverbs 12:15
Why did the Lord go to such great lengths to
tell us the same thing over and over again? Each verse says the same thing, yet
each one says something more. These are just a few of the many directional
verses in scripture with warning signs. When we see the WRONG WAY sign on
the road, we know to turn back. As you turn, keep these verses in mind. For
every wrong way, there is a right way.
 There
is a way that is right to a man, and its end is the way of life -- abundant life
through Christ -- this is the narrow way.
A man's way is right when he sees through the eyes of the Father, allowing Him
to expose his own heart's motives.
A man's way is right when he knows he only sees in part. So, he seeks godly
counsel for his life -- knowing that the Lord accomplishes much of His work
through His vessels.
Responding to Those Who Have Lost Their Way
Isaiah cared for his people; he was hurt by their punishment and mourned deeply
for them (Isaiah 22:4). With sight to see (vision) comes burden. We must be like
Isaiah and mourn deeply for others, standing in the gap for them, crying,
"Mercy!"
Sometimes people we care for ignore our
attempts to help, causing them to suffer, unnecessarily, the grief we are trying
to spare them from and causing us to grieve because of our concern. Because the
Lord has called us to love one another, suffering with them is a requirement
(burden) and comes with the territory.
Other times, God will ask us to get out of His way where another is concerned.
Have any spouses ever heard that from the Lord concerning their mate or parents,
concerning your children? I have, and it wasn't stated very nicely, either, I
might add!
In fact, for a while there, it happened so
often that I thought about starting a ministry called, "Get out of His Way
Ministries International." Of course, I only do as I see the Lord lead, but my
husband Robert and I use this old saying a lot in our home: If the shoe fits --
wear it!
Let us pray for our friends as Job did, releasing the blessing upon them and us.
But still, let's warn others as Isaiah did, grieving and mourning for them,
heavily laden with the message for those needing to be snatched back from the
flame. Lastly, let's not forsake the exposing of our own unrighteous hearts,
seeking repentance from our Father and restitution with our brothers and
sisters.
Father, we ask that You would reign supreme in our lives. Forgive us for not
looking to You for our hope and our salvation, for taking on too much
responsibility in some things, not taking enough in others, and for not looking
to You for guidance. We ask that You shield and protect us from those who seek
to harm us, and that You bring them, and us, into right standing with You, in
accordance to all Your ways. May You find us with clean hands and a pure heart,
in all that we say and do. Amen.
Joyce Ricciardelli
Visionary Advancement Strategies
www.vision2advance.com
email: Joyce@vision2advance.com
~~~~
The Ricciardelli's Upcoming Itinerary:
October 12-13, 2005
THE DAYS OF GRACE
Calling Christians to Come Together
in Their Own Cities, Towns and Communities
For a Time of Worship and Prayer
More Info
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"Gary's
story is very unusual, and I am sure that there are some who will find it
difficult to accept, but I was there when all these things happened to him. I
was standing there beside him in Volta Redonda, Brazil, when the initial
experience occurred.
"S.J.
Hill lays out the covenantal foundations of our relationship with God. These
shadows of eternity inflame the heart with love and empowers us for holy
consecration." - Lou Engle
"There
is revelation in this manuscript that will awaken and fuel our passions for
Jesus Christ." - Francis Frangipane
"You
will more fully understand the God of the New Testament as you fall in love with
the God of the Old Testament. Burning Desire will help you do just that in a
practical way." - Mike Bickle
S.J.
Hill is a teacher and speaker who has previously authored three books:
Enjoying God, Revival, and God's Covenant of Healing. He has
been on the faculty of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry, F.I.R.E.
School of Ministry, and Mike Bickle's Forerunner School of Ministry.
