“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein and ye shall find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16 Holy Bible KJV)
“This is what the LORD says: Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!” (Jeremiah 6:16 Holy Bible NLT).
If there is any time in the history of men when this Divine instruction is more relevant than ever before, it is NOW! These are the days foretold by the holy prophets of God when “the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people.” These are the days of great world-wide confusion both in the secular and religious world. These are the days when everyone is doing that which seems right in their own eyes. If there is any generation that is intellectually enlightened but greatly confused at the same time, it’s this generation. New ways are being manufactured every day, leaving people more confused than ever before. Believe me, people are confused; they are confused globally! But in the midst of this dark and dismal situation comes this divine yet timely instruction to “Stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls”.
Stand In The Ways And See…
There are countless ways of doing things in this generation especially with the advent of information technology. Take for instance the issue of getting a child. There are many ways to getting a child today: in the beginning, marriage seemed to be the only legitimate way of having children. But today, you can get a child by marriage, by adoption, surrogacy, in-vitro vitalization. These are the days of many ways… It is before these many ways you are commanded to stand and see how things are being done or happening. The Word of the Lord commands you to stand and see how results (in academic, marriage, profession, research, government, and religion) are being obtained in this present generation. Stand and see the condition of things generally. That men are achieving results via a particular way does not necessarily mean it is a good way. God had been used to saying to them, “Stand in the ways and see.” He would have them to consider, not to proceed rashly in any way, but to do as travelers in the road, who are careful and deliberate to find the right way that will bring them to their desired destinations and will therefore pause and enquire for the right way. And the main reason why you have to stand in the ways and see is that the world, under the influence of Satan has deconstructed religion, race, gender roles, tradition, marriage, religion, and life in general. What have we left ourselves with? A generation of lost and confused individuals with no cut-out direction and identity in life. Stand in the ways and see…
Ask For The Old Godly Way…
In the face of many ways, there is The Way, the good old way. It is the ancient path, the path that the patriarchs traveled in before you. Amidst the many-ways-confusion of this present generation, there is a way, the good old way. This way predates human existence, hence, it’s not designed or fashioned by men. It is the way defined and prescribed by the Law of God.
“Ask for the old, godly way.” The good way must be asked for because it is a less-traveled road; few there be that find it. “…and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it.” Finding the good old way requires diligent search; it’s why the instruction to “Stand in the ways and see and ask ‘Where is the good old way…” But, when we ask for the old paths, it is only in order to find out the good way, the highway of the upright. Note, the way of religion and godliness is a good old way, the way that all the saints in all ages have walked in.
A man called Thomas once came to a point in his life when he asked Jesus Christ “Lord…how can we know the way?” The answer he got is the answer for the world today!
JESUS CHRIST IS THE WAY!
“And Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no comes to the Father but by me John 14:6
This is one of the most basic and important passages in the Scripture. How can we know the way to God? Only through Jesus. Jesus says He is the only Way to God the Father. Some people may argue that this is too narrow. In reality, it is wide enough for the whole world, if the world chooses to accept it. Instead of worrying about how limited it sounds to have only one way, we should be saying, “Thank you, God, for providing a sure Way to get to You!”
Christ is the way, the highway spoken of: “There will be a highway called the Holy Road. No one rude or rebellious is permitted on this road. It’s for GOD’s people exclusively — impossible to get lost on this road. Not even fools can get lost on it.” (Isa 35:8). Christ is not one of many ways available today, He is the Way! This is the Way that leads to rest, the good old way. He is the true way to life, the only true way; other ways may seem right, but the end of them is the way of death. John 14:4-11. The disciples followed him, and Christ tells them that they followed the road, and, while they continued following him, they would never be out of their way. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life: He is the Beginning, the Middle, and the End. In Him, we must set out, go on, and finish. As the Truth, he is the Guide of our way; as the Life, He is the End of it. He is the true and living way (Heb 10:20); there are truth and life in the way, as well as at the end of it. He is the True Way to life, the only true way; other ways may seem right, but the end of them is the way of death.
HERE IS MY COUNSEL!
Seek God by yourself! DO NOT rely on what ANYBODY, including general overseers or prophets, or writers like me, are telling you about Christ. Seek Jesus with all your heart. Primarily, God has placed the responsibility for knowing Him on YOU. And He has specially ANOINTED you for this purpose. That is precisely what 1 John 2:20, 27 tell us: “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge…. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and YOU HAVE NO NEED THAT ANYONE SHOULD TEACH YOU. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie – just as it has taught you, abide in him.” This passage will be opened to you on the last day so that NOBODY will have ANY EXCUSE that s/he was deceived by any general overseer or prophet or pastor. It is your duty to seek Christ with all your heart.
If you seek Christ, you will find Him. He is the Way of life. He is the Way of peace. He is the Way of righteousness. He is the Way of integrity. He is the way of rest. He is the Way of Light-those who walk in Him will never be in darkness, but they shall have the Light of life as their Guide. The Holy Spirit has been nudging you, hoping to talk to you about Christ and to open your eyes to the deceit around you. But you may have been shunning Him, and running off to Church! Through carelessness, ROT has been allowed to creep into the Church, and it is flourishing abundantly today. Please, DO NOT be a victim of this rot. God’s rewards are NOT for victims. Rewards are for overcomers.
Become desperate in seeking God, and find Him. We must NOT abandon going to Church, but going to Church is NOT the primary thing. A church is not God!!! If your church is not helping you to grow rapidly, abandon that church, and find a better one! Looking for a good church? If you keep crying to God for a good Church, He will DEFINITELY lead you to one in due course. Stay at home FOR A SHORT WHILE, if you have to. It is a desperate route that many are taking today to re-discover God and to re-ignite their salvation. But, please note that, as a believer, you MUST belong to a Church.
Brothers and sisters, please do not joke with your soul and your eternal destiny. The end may come when we least expect it – either through the imminent second coming of Jesus or through the Owner of your soul recalling it. This is why you cannot afford to be indecisive about your salvation. Jesus already made it clear that the road to life is narrow, and FEW will be found in it (Matthew 7:14). YOU can be one of the few. God’s grace is freely available to support you all the way. Christ is FULLY there for you – waiting for you to come to Him. Take that step today!