Steps On His Path
I.
In life you WALK the PATH
God has prepared for you by taking STEPS of faith
A. Ephesians2:10(KJ,AMP)-God’s plan for your life is a path; Ordained-To prepare before– That’s the plan; Walk In Them-That’s the path – He prepared
something for us ahead of time to walk in and it’s a path
1.
Proverbs 4:18-The path (Road, way, traveller, passing of
life, highway) of the just is as the shining light that shines more and more
unto the perfect day
2.
Psalm 119:105-Thy word is
a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto MY path
3.
Psalm 16:11-You will show
me the path of life
4.
Psalm 77:19-20-Thy way is
in the sea, and thy path in the
great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. You lead your people like a
flock (He’s leading His people on His path)
5.
Psalm 119:35-Make me to
go in the path of your commandments
6.
Joel 2:8-They shall walk
everyone in his path
B. We walk down that path in steps
of faith/obedience-(Romans 16:26-Obedience of faith)
1.
Romans 4:12-But who also walk in the steps of faith of our Father Abraham
2.
Psalm 37:23-The steps of a good man are ordered of the
Lord
3.
1 Peter 2:21-Because
Christ has suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow in his
steps
4.
1 John 2:6-He that says
he abides in him ought himself also so to walk,
even as he walked
5.
2 Corinthians 5:7-We walk by faith, not by sight
C. Psalm 37:23-God orders
your life in steps (Stride, march,
goings); Not leaps, not bounds, but steps
1.
God
doesn’t give you the whole plan for your life at once, He gives it to you in
steps
2.
God
has prepared steps for you to take and he directs you when to take those steps
a. Ordered-Direct, make ready, prepared, arranged, set up
b. YLT-From Jehovah are the steps of a man, They have been
prepared, And his way he desireth
D. So much of hearing and
seeing and getting the next step depends on what you do with and how you treat
the step you are on
1.
God
ordered Abraham’s life in steps-Romans 4:12 – (1)Abraham’s family worshipped other gods so
it the first step of faith was to worship God-Joshua 24:2 (2) Leave your family
(3) Refusing to get in strife with Lot (4) Save Lot (5) Blood Covenant (6)
Circumcise (7) Sodom & Gomorrah (8) Sacrifice Isaac
a. Had Abraham had not taken
the first step he would have never got to the step of sacrificing his only son
b. To get Jesus here and
make good on his promise in Genesis 12 God had to have a man that would give
Him his only son, but this wasn’t the first thing Abraham heard because he
wasn’t ready for it-There was no sense in him having Isaac until he was willing
to sacrifice him – The 25 years of “waiting” was really preparation
2.
God
has a destiny for Abraham to reach, revealed in Genesis 12:1-4, but how did
Abraham get there? By taking steps of faith
3.
Each step faith was
building and climbing and growing endeavoring to reach this place where Abraham
could offer Isaac – There’s no scriptural evidence that Abraham struggled
with this; In our minds we think well he must have,
but that’s because our faith has been very much carnal and we haven’t
understood real faith like Abraham’s. Hebrews 11:18 tell us Abraham’s thought
and mentality in regards to this. God has been preparing Abraham for his moment
for some 40 years (If Isaac was offered at 15) and he has Abraham ready because
Abraham kept taking steps. God had
Abraham ready and that’s why there was no fussing and crying and bawling and
unbelief. This is the climax; this is the moment God had in his mind 40 years
ago. How ready did God have Abraham? So ready that he believed that God would
just raise him from the dead (which there was no record of before this so where
did Abraham get that thought). Just because your faith is small and weak don’t
make Abraham’s that way. Don’t look
at Abraham’s faith through your eyes of unbelief. Abraham’s not unprepared and he’s not having to deal with this, pray about this or get
ready, he’s ready because God got him ready because Abraham kept taking
steps. In our minds we’ve said,
“This must have been hard,” hold it! God didn’t come up with sacrificing Isaac
the day before he told Abraham about it.
This has been on God’s mind since the foundation of the world and He
knew how to work with Abraham and He knew the steps Abraham needed to take so
that Abraham and his faith would be ready for this moment.
E. The way that you would
experience all that God has planned for you is to take the steps He orders and
walk down His path
1.
Psalm
77:19-God told them He had the promised land for them (Exodus 3,4); He has a
path for them to get there and the way they are going to get there and the way
they are going to get where God wants them to be is by taking steps of faith
– Their unwillingness to take steps of faith kept them from experiencing
the fullness of God’s plan – You can get the fullness of His plan, but
you have to take the steps that he has ordered
2.
You
can’t ignore the steps God has told you to take and still travel down the path
He has for your life; When you stop taking steps you stop – You NEVER
stop taking steps (no matter how old)
3.
Unwillingness
where the plan/path of God is concerned is a killer – If you WON’T you’re
STUCK
F. We walk down that path in steps
of faith; They are steps of faith because it takes faith to obey-Romans 4:12,
16:26
1.
Hebrews
11:7,8-So many of these steps can be described as not seeing, not knowing, not
understanding
2.
To
walk this path faith in God is a requirement, NOT an option – We walk by
faith – No faith and you can’t walk-2 Corinthians 5:7
3.
When
your faith is small or weak it limits the steps you can take
II.
It’s vital that YOU ACKNOWLEDGE
the REALITY that God has a plan for YOUR life, a path for YOU to walk down in
steps and it’s SPECIFIC for you and INDIVIDUAL to your life
A. Ephesians 2:10-God
prepared a plan, a path for your life long before you were ever born and He
created you to fulfill that plan, to walk that path and to be occupied with it
all the days of your life – This path is supposed be THE THING that
occupies your life
1.
The
thing that is occupying your life is these good works that God ordained for you
to walk in
a. Works-That which any one is occupied, that which one undertakes to
do, thing done, business, employment; Walk-Progress,
To make due use of opportunities, Be occupied, live; Good-Useful, excellent, honorable, upright, pleasant, joyful,
happy; Ordained-To prepare before,
to make ready beforehand, get everything ready before-Jeremiah 1:5
2.
“That
we should walk in them” – God didn’t create a you and create a plan for
your life so that you could ignore it and ignore Him – He created you to
walk in it; He created you for His plan and His plan for you
B. God has a plan for you,
God has a place for you – Something He’s called you to do, somewhere He’s
called you to be-Jer29:11,1Cor12:18
1.
Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)-For I
know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm, plans to give
you a hope and a future
2.
God
has a place he’s picked for you, things he’s called you to do in that place, things
he’s called you to receive in that place
3.
He
set-place the members as it pleased
him and your prosperity pleases Him; The place he has for you is your blessed
place-Ps 35:27
C. God has given you gifts,
graces, abilities, anointings to fulfill His plan-Romans 12:4-6, 1 Peter 4:10-11
1.
1
Peter 4:10-Every man has received gifts, graces, abilities, anointings from God
– Romans 12:6-Having gifts
a. 10-The manifold Grace of
God (Various sorts); There are different gifts, but it’s the same spirit, the
same grace-1Cor12:4
b. 11-If any many minister
(serve) do it by the ability that God supplies – If God hasn’t supplied
you with the ability you shouldn’t be trying to do it; You minister according
to the gift you have received – The type of ministry is determined by the
kind of gift
c. 11-When you minister by
the ability that God supplies God gets the glory
d. 10-We are to be good
stewards of the anointing on our lives (Overseer, manager, Entrusted to watch
over this)
2.
Romans
12-You’re gift/anointing is connected to your assignment because anointing is
for assignment
a. 4-Everybody doesn’t have
the same office (business to under take) – The gifts differ because the
offices differ
b. 6-The gifts are according
the grace and the grace is according to the place
c. 6-The level of ministry
is according to your faith; As you increase in faith, the strength of that gift
increases
D. There is the potential
for kingdom greatness available in the life of every believer, God built it
into His plan
1.
God
doesn’t do anything average – If it’s HIS plan, HIS grace, HIS place, HIS
gift then the potential is there to be great
E. If you don’t ACKNOWLEDGE
the REALITY that GOD has a PLAN for YOUR LIFE, you won’t pursue it
1.
If
the path is real the walking is real, if the walking is real the steps are real
and you’re either really take steps and walking down that path or you’re not
– There’s a real path you’re supposed to be walking down and real steps
you’re supposed to be taking
a. Say It: God has a REAL plan for my life, REAL path I’m
supposed to be walking down, REAL steps I’m supposed to be taking – This
is not a game, this is not fantasy, this is reality
b. Just b/c you’re saved
doesn’t mean you’re walking this path – Salvation puts you at the
beginning of the path
2.
When
you acknowledge that God has a plan for your life there is a sense of
responsibility that comes with the acknowledgement of that reality – Without
the acknowledgement of the reality of it, there will be no hunger or sense of
responsibility to pursue it
a. Your creator is expecting
you to walk this path and you’re to answer him regarding it and in that day
being a “good” person and living a “good” life won’t be enough (God might say,
“How come you wouldn’t take that step? Why did you quit taking steps?”)
b. It hasn’t been real
enough to some that God expects you to be walking down this path and to be in
your place and there is no ACCEPTABLE reason for not being – There isn’t
two right places; People like to pretend like God doesn’t care as long as I’m
saved and going to church somewhere – God doesn’t give options, He gives
order-James 4:7-8