The Critical Path Pt. 4

Good evening. Welcome to Voice in the Wilderness. I'm Don

Noble of Pure Heart Ministries, and I welcome you today

with exceedingly abundantly and overflowing joy. Well, I am so

excited to be with you this evening. I hope you

feel the same. And before I get started, I just

want to mention my Bible study, which meets on Wednesdays

six pm six to eight pm. It is at currently

we're at Top Hat Pools and Stoves, which is twenty

two fifty eight Main Street, Wheeling. That's twenty two fifty

eight Main Street, Wheeling. So I'm teaching on the Book

of Romans. We just barely scrapped. Man, We're still early

in chapter one. So I would love for you to

come and join us. It's a relaxed atmosphere. You'll have fun,

you'll learn a lot, and this this is an important

book for your Christian walk. So I would encourage you

to come learn some things I bet you did not know.

Paul has a lot to tell us, a whole lot

to tell us in the Book of Romans. Amen, So

come and be with us. Wednesday, six pm, Top Had,

Pools and Stoves. Tonight is part four of the critical path.

One of the most iconic features of our American seacoasts

is the lighthouse. Lighthouses dot the landscape of Maine and Massachusetts.

The Boston Light, perched on Boston Harbor's Little Brewster Island,

was the first lighthouse built in the United States, and

it is three hundred and eight years old. It has

always been manned by a human and most recently by

a woman who lived there for fifteen years. The lady

who took care of this famous lighthouse recently retired last December.

She at times endured white out blizzards and fierce storms

that pounded the little two acre piece of land with

twenty foot waves. An era has ended. I could tell

you personally that that would be very difficult for me.

Could I could not endure that sense of isolation and

loneliness and then just that difficult weather that they have

up there in Boston. I mean, winters are brutal there.

I just can't imagine. But it's funny because when they

interviewed her, she said, I think I have salt water

in my veins. And you know, for someone who you know,

the people that grow up there, they they are used

to that. I mean they're seafaring kind of folks, and

they like the ocean and the salt water, and you

know it's in their DNA, So maybe it's because it's

just not in my DNA anyway. Although this lighthouse, the

Boston Light, was fully automated in nineteen ninety eight, congressional

laws stipulated that the landmark remain manned until a new

steward is found. The Coastguard will continue the upkeep. The

transformation of our coasts with regard to lighthouses has been

unfolding for decades. Though lighthouses remain essential navigational aids for boaters,

they no longer require live in keepers who tended the

lamps and rowed to aid boaters caught in deadly squalls.

I love to see lighthouses. One of the most beautiful

lighthouses that I have visited is the Yaquina And I

don't know if I'm saying that right. Yaquina Yaquina Bay

Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon, on the Pacific Coast. It was

built in eighteen seventy one and it is Oregon's tallest

lighthouse at ninety three feet tall. These iconic structures were

designed to assist sea captains and folks on a vacation

adventure on a ship or a small sailing vessel to

come into a safe harbor without harm to the passengers

or the ship. It is a signal that lets them

know they are close to shore. It tells the captain

in a raging storm with high waves that they are

on the right path. It's a comfort to know that

they have not been blown off course. I have never

had such an experience. Lighthouses typically mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals, reefs, rocks,

and safe entries into harbor. You know, God's word is

an example of a spiritual lighthouse. We know that life

on planet Earth can be dangerous. There are hazardous situations

and places to avoid, and there are experiences in our families, communities,

workplaces that can make us feel unsafe, a rocky road

sort of experience. And I think that you know, if

you've lived long enough, you've had at least one or

two rocky road experiences. Now, violence, drugs, and alcohol tend

to add fuel to the fire. Can I tell you

that you can change directions, you can take a different path.

You sure can. I heard the testimony today of a

man who started attending our church just a while back,

and his family live in the projects, and our church

came on a Saturday and did a outreach preaching to

the people and praying for them, and he said he

had lost hope. He said both he and his wife

had lost their jobs. They did not have a vehicle.

He thought, in his mind, I really would like to

come back to church, but you know, I can't get there.

And he had really lost hope until our church came

and the outreach team preached and prayed for the people,

and so he said, things have just started turning around,

and he's so happy, and he's so happy to have

his family in church. And I tell you, you see, it

can all change. You can be going down the darkest road, imaginable,

the darkest our. Pastor even showed something on Instagram a

story of a woman that he just encountered not too

too long ago. This woman was into Satanic worship and

the photographs of her were the most frightening things I

think I've ever seen. And this woman began to listen

to my pastor on YouTube preaching and just like NonStop

listening to him. She actually came out of Satanism. She

all by herself. She didn't have anybody lay hands on her.

I mean, and to look at her today versus those creepy, dark,

ugly pictures of her in the past, you would think

it's not the same person. It's not possible. But it

is possible because God's word is powerful and it can

change the direction of any life. Psalm one nineteen one

oh five says, your word is a lamp unto my

feet and a light unto my path. I say that

scripture often. I love that scripture. Your word is a

lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path. So

the word of God gives direction in our life. It

sets the path, it creates the journey. God's word is

the marker, the defining action we must take when danger

looms ahead. You see, God's word never fails. Never, there's

a built in fail safe with God's word. It's a

shield to the arrows that fly by day, and a

shield to the arrows that fly by night. In Isaiah

chapter fifty four, verse seventeen, scripture says this no weapon

formed against you will prevail, and you will refute every

tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the saints.

Of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,

says the Lord. Boy, oh boy, I like that scripture

a whole lot. So weapons will be formed against us,

but they will not prevail. They will not prevail. And

anybody who accuses you, you will refute that tongue because

that's our heritage, the Lord says, it's the heritage of

the saints, and it's our vindication from him. Hallelujah. Crooked

path get us in trouble. And I'll tell you what

a crooked path will get you in trouble. Every time

a crooked path is one that deviates from God's instruction.

So just go do something against what the Bible says

to do. And every time you oppose God's word, every

time you impose God, oppose God's instruction, there are going

to be not so nice consequences and you're going to

get in trouble. So why do you know some people

just they I don't know, it's just like they want

to get in trouble. They want to keep continuing. There's

something in them. It must be demonic that wants to

keep them on this crooked path. Psalm twenty five to

four says this show me your ways, Oh Lord, teach

me your paths, lead me in your truth, and teach me.

For you are the God of my salvation. Oh Lord,

you I wait on all day. The Psalmist has a

definite request to help him. He says, teach me, Lord,

teach me the path I should take. The Psalma says,

lead me in your truth. See, there is a specific path,

and this specific path in this set, in this scripture

is the path of truth. Now, God's word is truth. Period.

So when you're reading God's word and you're studying God's word,

you're on and in a specific path called the path

of truth. Now, why would David have faith that this

is a good path to follow? Why would he have

faith in that? Because he says you. He says, you

are the God of my salvation. In other words, you

are the God of my redemption. You are the God

of my healing. You are the God of my deliverance.

You are the God of my help. So David, you know,

keeps saying the same thing to the Lord, show me

your way, teach me your path, lead me in your truth,

and teach me show teach lead. You're the God of

my salvation. On you, I wait all day. I'm gonna

wait on you, Lord. If it takes all day, I'm

gonna wait on you, Lord. Because this is a definite

request that David brings to the Lord to help him.

So he's got to be in some kind of difficulty

or difficult situation, or in a tough place, because he's

he's really crying out to the Lord. Show me your ways,

O Lord. That should be your cry. That should be

my cry. Show me your way's, Lord, teach me your paths.

You should pray that to the Lord. You should speak

that to him. Show me your ways, Lord, teach me

your paths. Lord, lead me in your truth. Lord. Why

because you're the God of my salvation, right you are

the God of my redemption, my healing, my deliverance, my help.

David has a complete confidence that this God will provide

protection for him when he says this in Psalm twice seven,

verse five, he says, for in the time of trouble,

he shall hide me in his pavilion, in the secret

place of his tabernacle, he shall hide me. He shall

set me high upon a rock. And then he says,

in verse eleven of Psalm twenty seven, teach me your way,

O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path because

of my enemies. H in a smooth path. We don't

want a rocky path. We don't want a difficult path. No, no,

David wants a smooth path because of his enemies. Because enemies,

the enemy of our soul, the enemy of our life,

Satan and his co war. They do everything they can

to make our path crooked. They want our path to

be crooked, to make our path full of rocks, difficult, hard.

But David says, in the time of trouble, you should

say that to yourself. In the time of trouble, Lord,

you will hide me in the secret place of your tabernacle.

You will hide me, you will set me high upon

a rock. Yeah. So again here we go with David.

Teach me your way and lead me in a smooth,

smooth path because of my enemies. David has a constant theme,

as we see in Psalm twenty five, verses four and five.

He says, show me your ways of Lord, teach me

your paths, lead me in your truth, and teach me

see what this is. David keeps saying this well because

he means it, but it also shows us something important

about David. It shows there is great humility and we

do have to humble ourselves to ask the Lord show

me your ways, Lord, because I don't know the way.

I don't know the way to do this. I don't

know the way that. I don't know the way to

handle this marriage. I don't know how to handle this relationship.

I don't know how to handle this business deal. I

don't know how. Show me your ways, teach me your paths,

lead me in your truth. David is acknowledging that he

doesn't know the right path. He's humble. He wants the

Lord to teach him what is right. David doesn't want

to make a mistake and cause more problems, and he

doesn't want to be led in error. Now, I would

think that you and I would have the same desires, right,

I don't want to make a mistake. I don't want

to cause more problems. I don't want to be led

into error, and I won't be if the Lord leads

me in his truth. Amen. So David keeps saying, lead

me in your truths. And David is definitely committed to

not going his own way. You have to be committed

to not going your own way. You know that Stubbornness

is pride. If you're stubborn and you just have it

in your head that you're going your own way, you're

very prideful. Humility, humbleness says no, I need God, I

need to know his way. I need to be led

by him. I need to be led in his truth.

So we can see a lot about David by the

decisions he's making and the things he's asking of God.

But see, it also speaks to us as believers, because

we need to rely on the Lord to guide us

and choose the right path for us. Don't think you're

so smart that you know the right path. Don't think

it for one second. Don't think because you're you know,

God's given you a great brain, and you're really bright,

and you're really smart, and you're really successful, that you

know the right way. Oh my goodness, don't go there

because you'll get caught in a snare. Humble yourself under

the mighty hand of God. Amen. Now. In this same

Psalm twenty five, David writes in verse nine and ten,

he says, and the humble he teaches his way, he

is capitalized. His is capitalized. So, in other words, what

this says is and the humble person, God will teach

in God's way. So it just boils down to that,

be humble and guess what He'll teach you in his ways.

And it says all the paths of the Lord are

mercy and truth. So if you plan to walk the

Lord's way, you will have to walk in mercy and truth.

And that might be difficult for you, especially the mercy part.

So you're going to have to do some talking to

the Lord. You're going to have to do some changing

about you and your ways. And because the Lord's path

is mercy and truth. In fact, it says all the

paths of the Lord are mercy and truth. So if

you're going to follow the Lord, period, you're going to

have to walk in mercy and truth. Amen. In Psalm sixteen,

David writes, in verse eleven, you will show me the

path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy,

and at your right hand are pleasures Forevermore so, we

know that God's way, God's path is the path of life.

We're choosing life. But if I take you to Isaiah

fifty nine, you're going to see a very different path.

So Isaiah fifty nine one through fifteen here's what it says.

I'm reading out of the NLT New Living Translation. Listen,

the Lord's army is not too weak to save you,

nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.

It's your sins that have cut you off from God.

Because of your sins, he has turned away and will

not listen anymore. Your hands are the hands of murderers,

and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are

full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption. No one

cares about being fair and honest. The people's lawsuits are

based on lies. They conceive evil deeds and then give

birth to sin. They hatch deadly snakes and weave spiders webs.

Whoever eats their eggs will die, and whoever cracks them

will hatch a viper. Their webs cannot be made into clothing,

and nothing they do is productive. All their activity is

filled with sin, and violence is their trademark. Their feet

run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder.

They think only about sinning. Misery and destruction always follows them.

They do not know where to find peace or whatever

it means to be just and good. They have mapped

out crooked roads, and no one who follows them knows

a moment's peace. Wow Wow, wow wow. So that's the

path of the wicked. That's a whole, you know, that's

a person that's just gonna I'm gonna sin, and I'm

gonna keep on sinning, and I'm gonna do what I want,

and I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna rush to do evil.

They've mapped out a crooked road, and they don't know

a moment's peace, and that is the truth. They don't.

Now look at Proverbs chapter three, and we're gonna look

at verses one through twenty six if I have time

to get that far, it says, my child, never forget

the things I have taught you. Store my commands in

your heart. If you do this, you will live many years,

and your life will be satisfying. Sounds a little different

from what you just heard in Isaiah fifty nine. Never

let loyalty and kindness leave you. Tie them around your

neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

Then you will find favor with both God and people,

and you will earn a good reputation. Trust in the

Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your

own understanding, Seek his will and all you do, and

he will show you which path to take. Don't be

impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and

turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for

your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord

with your wealth and with the best part of everything

you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain,

and your vats will overflow with good wine. My child,

don't reject the Lord's discipline, and don't be upset when

he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves,

just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom and the one

who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profit than silver,

and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more

precious than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with her.

She offers you long life in her right hand and

riches in honor in her left. She will guide you

down delightful paths. All her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is

a tree of life to those who embrace her. Happy

are those who hold her tightly by wisdom. The Lord

founded the earth by understanding. He created the heavens by

his knowledge, the deep fountains of the earth burst forth,

and dew settles beneath the night sky. My child, don't

lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,

for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels

on a necklace. They keep you safe on your way,

and your feet will not stumble. You can go to

bed without fear. You will lie down and sleep soundly.

You will. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster

or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, For the

Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from

being caught in a trap. Just a distinctly different lifestyle,

a distinctly different path. This path is a delightful path,

it says, the Lord will lead you in a delightful path.

But that other path, the wicked path, wo wow, not good.

So just as a lighthouse provides direction and safety for

the sailor, the word of God does the same for

you and me. Amen, Well, this is don Noble. You

can go to www. Dop yourheart dot today and listen

to this podcast again. You can download the iHeartRadio, go

to Pure Heart Ministries and a podcast and you can

listen twenty four to seven. You can email me at

Dawn at pure heart dot today. That's all lowercase letters,

all one word, Don Dawn at pureheart dot today, And

please keep praying. Prayer is important. Prayer changes things. I

believe in prayer. I hope you do. And would you

please consider helping to support this ministry. You can send

a check to Pure Heart Ministries PO Box eighty five,

Valley Grove, West Virginia, two six zero six zero. That's

Pure Heart Ministries, PO Box eighty five, Vallei Grove, West Virginia,

two six zero six zero. Well, this is Don Noble.

I look forward to being with you again next week.

Shall shalloam peace be unto you