god sets our course

Man is a unique creature because he occupies two realms simultaneously.  Man is a spirit and he lives in a body, so he has access to the spirit realm and the natural realm.  Man has been given a free will so he can live in either realm as he chooses.  God wants man to abide in the spirit realm where He Himself lives; the devil prefers man live in the natural realm where he can deceive him.  We can’t see or touch God nor the devil, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  Not all men realize this, but we need God to set our course!
 
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
 
We always refer to this Proverb when we raise our children, but we must not overlook the fact that we are God’s children.  God is raising us up in the way we should go so that when we reach maturity, we will hold fast our course.  But when maturity comes, so does our independence.  We want to take our education and strike out on our own.  Independence means you get to choose your own course; you can remain on the course God has set or you can follow the “feelings” of your flesh.  Many have opted out of God’s plan, going the way of the world and after many disappointments they try to find their way back to God.
 
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do.

The devil has nobody, so he entices men to fulfil his lusts.  When a man sins he is acting out the fantasy of the devil.  If sin is permitted to run its course, it will lead the perpetrator to share the devil’s rewards.  The course of the devil is very easy to follow, there is little or no resistance.  The problem with this course is that you really don’t know where it’s taken you until you get there.  God’s way is not a secret, it is a land that flows with milk and honey, in other words, a place of prosperity.  So, the devil has a course for us that promises to cater to every lust of our flesh with no “guilt”.  The devil doesn’t believe he will ever be tormented in hell because he doesn’t believe God will ever send Jesus and end this world.  The devil has raised up teachers in the body of Christ that teach Jesus is not coming back.
 
Acts 20:23-24 I know that arrests and afflictions wait for me.  But none of these things move me neither do I count my life dear to myself, so I may finish my course with joy.
 
The Apostle Paul found the course the Lord prepared for him.  He knew there would be hardships but it was worth every drop of blood, sweat and tears.  He knew the rewards of obedience would be far beyond every difficulty.  Paul was focused on the end of the trail not the trail itself.  Paul would have been spiritually miserable if he had been anywhere other than on the course the Lord put him on.  When a man is not on the right course things don’t go well for him.  He must deal with confusion, no self-confidence and a barrage of setbacks.  What?  Do we not trust God to know what’s best for us?  I think some folks believe that God throws us to the devil for entertainment!  As I have always said, the more you get to know your Lord the more you will trust Him.  Find your course and stay on it.

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