01/05/03 - "My Way or the High Way" - by Pastor Mike Baker

Jeremiah 29:11
Ro 12:1-2

• There are choices we can make
  • v.2 - Good, acceptable and perfect will of God, determined by our choices
    • dependent on how we act v.1
      • reasonable service, spiritual act of worship
      • making our whole life a sacrifice
    • acceptable - just enough to get into heaven
    • good - get hold of the plans
    • perfect - spend time with God and act on it
    • 30, 60, 100 fold return - Mk 4:20

Ps 32:8

• God's ways (plural)
  • characteristics, attributes, precepts, holiness
• way's (singular)
  • course of life or mode of action
  • still our choice, not forced
• He knew what He placed in us
• He knew the course of our life
• Absolutes in our lives
  • be born again
  • we are to be holy
  • conform to Word of God
  • all of the "be's"...
• Subjectives
  • who we are going to marry
  • what job we are going to chose
  • where we should live
• The seed for what will happen in the future us already in us.
• Seems hard to follow & know what He wants
  • He did not put it in black & white
    • because it is our choice
    • God wants it to come from our devotion and time spent with God

Only when we are walking in His High Way will we experience full fruitfulness, fulfillment & blessing in our life.

Joshua 3:1-5

• way we are supposed to be walking, same for everyone
  • back to the "absolutes"
• plan for our families
• plan for our careers - vocation
• plan for our church lives
  • each person has an individual mission
  • leaders lift up Word of God and we are supposed to follow
    • leaders lifted up ark and people followed
• Go after presence of God and allow God to minister to us
• v.4 - need presence of God because we have not passed this way before
• v.5 - sanctify yourselves
  • set yourself apart
    • give your life totally to God, it puts in a position for God's blessings to be bestowed on our lives and those around us.

Ps 37:1-5, 23-25

• "Give you the desires of your heart"
  • Does He give us what we desire or what to desire?
    • As we pursue God, the desires of God will rise up in us
      • Other desires we thought we wanted will fade
• v.5 - commit = roll over, to remove
  • eg. heavy weight on a camel - camel would get down, lean over and load would roll off
  • when we biblically commit our ways to the Lord, we are rolling away our desires and taking on His.
• v.23 - order
  • steps ordered by the Lord
    • established, already planned out
  • ordered also means cadence
    • step at a time - left, right, left, right
    • vocal communication so we know what to do
  • He delights in His way, he knows what we are going to reap/experience
    • Gets excited for us
• v. 25 - path for victory and provision

Ps 37:1-5, 23-25

• There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death

Ps 32:1-11

• v.3 - failing to confess sins and walk in our own way is disobedience
  • disobedience makes our bones grow old
• if we do what He wants us to do, we get v.7
• v.8 - not only is He going to tell us what to do, but He watches us do it
• v.10 - word wicked, see II Chronicles 7:14
  • If my people will humble themselves, pray and turn from their wicked ways
    • anything not according to the dictates of God
      • wicked as even a slight turn

Never too spiritually mature to make a mistake or follow wrong path.

See first nine chapters of Proverbs

1. Every decision we make, we hear voice of folly and wisdom and have to make a choice
   • always good to have people around us to discern voice of God and share it with them
2. Always need to remember, we have not arrived yet

God has a path for us to walk and He wants us to succeed!