Staying on the Right Spiritual Path

If you have ever been driving and gotten lost you know that you usually do not recognize that you are on the wrong road until you have driven far down that path.  You usually all of sudden think “This isn’t right.  How did I get here?”  

So too it is with walking the spiritual path.  So many of us do not realize that we are walking where we shouldn't until we were either so far away from God or at the very least not sure how to get back onto the right path.

We could spend our time here today thinking about getting back onto the right spiritual path when we get off of it, but I think there is a better plan for the moment - HOW TO STAY ON THE RIGHT SPIRITUAL PATH.

In Zephaniah 3:1-7, Judah was under assault by the Syrians and Ephraim but instead of seeking God’s face, they called for the Assyrians to send an army and drive off invaders.  This “agreement” would ultimately lead to Judah’s downfall both practically and spiritually.  They had gone down the wrong road but could it have been prevented?  

God had put “roadsigns” along the road for Judah and they had ignored them and so let’s take just a few moments to consider these signs that if obeyed will keep us on the right spiritual path.

1. Obey - In verse 2 God said of Judah “she obeyed not the voice.”  Obedience is for every believer not just those in positions of leadership. It is the central theme of all the Word of God, both New and Old Testaments.  In Judah, God had sent many prophets which had told Judah to listen to the Lord and they chose to ignore that voice.  Today, we have the Word of God and there are more opportunities to listen for His voice than ever before as we have access 24/7 to radio, television, internet, and printed materials like never before. (Now mind you not everything you have access to is sound doctrine, but is a study for another time.)  But in simple terms are we obeying the voice of God?
2. Honor - Also in verse 2 Judah “received not correction.”  God had been trying to get their attention through judgment and they were ignoring it. They refused to repent when their sin was pointed out to them and they refused to return to God when hardships, clearly sent as judgment from God.  Jeremiah 5:3 describes it this way, “O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.”  The chastening hand of God is not pleasant but it is necessary.  Do you get angry when trials come or do you seek to allow God to strength you through them?  Do you draw closer to God when things are tough or do you withdraw?  John 15 says that God purges EVERY branch that brings forth fruit so it can bring forth more fruit.  Honor God and His correction.
3. Believe - Faith was not what Judah was looking for according to verse 2 in Zephaniah 3.  God said “she (Judah) trusted not in the Lord.”  The nation that had seen God’s blessing down through the centuries had gotten to the place that they would rather trust a pagan nation (Assyria) then God Himself.  How sad that anyone would reject faith in God but instead put their confidence in men (Psalm 118:8).  Faith is believing in that which we cannot see and God is pleased in that kind of faith.  The world in which we dwell says “I will not believe unless I see.”  But our God says “Believe and then I will show you.”  Have confidence in God and you will stay on the right spiritual path.
4. Worship - “She drew not near her God.”  These are really the saddest words in Zephaniah 3:1-17 as they show the real heart of Judah’s journey down the wrong path.  Instead of growing closer to God (James 4:8a), they walked further down the path away from God.  The further away from God you get, the harder it is to retrace your steps.  Draw near to God in worship and let Him keep you on the right spiritual path.

In closing let me direct you to Genesis 45:24, where Joseph says to his brothers who are going to get their father and the rest of the family members. His brothers had sold him into slavery, but he knew that God had a higher plan and accepted that was to save much people alive.  Jospeh then wants to protect his entire family by bringing to where the blessing of God was and so he sends them away with this admonition, “See that ye fall not out by the way.”  In other words, Joseph said, “Don’t get sidetracked. Stay on the path there and then on the way back.”  God is saying the same to you and me today…”Stay in the right path.”