*Inspired from a sermon by Lavenski Smith
“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” Psalm 25:10
My friend, there are no bad paths with God.
Every road we walk with Him is paved with His everlasting mercy, love, strength, and truth! When our heart is 100% surrendered to Him, even the hardest times of grief, loss, uncertainty, or failure—become paths of success and rejoicing. So when our peace and joy disappear, it’s a signal that we’ve drifted from God’s path.
Ah, we are all so easily diverted from God’s good path!
We get caught in the traffic of life and start following detours that seem reasonable at the moment. Maybe we’re walking down the path of worry, where our thoughts are consumed by “what-ifs” and worst-case scenarios. Or the path of pride, where we are stuck relying on our own knowledge instead of the wisdom of God’s Word. Sometimes it’s the path of guilt and regret, where we replay our failures and become uber-focused on ourselves when we should be serving others. And sometimes it’s the path of distraction, where busyness, entertainment, or social media slowly pull our focus away from Him.
Each diversion from God’s good path begins with a mere thought, and—that is why we must diligently be developing the attitudes and mind of Christ!
The “bad paths” are of human making and lead to exhaustion, emptiness, and confusion. But Psalm 25:10 reminds us that if we are walking with Him—no matter how steep or painful the climb—it’s still a good path. But this verse reminds us that the critical connection to walking God’s good path is “to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.”
What does this mean?
Well, first you must be born again and be made spiritually alive in Christ. A dead spirit cannot connect with a living God. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we enter into a covenant of grace—He gave His life for ours, and we give it back to Him. But at our new birth, we are spiritual babies born onto a battlefield, and thus, we must grow. So we must learn His Word and discipline ourselves to use it.
To “keep His testimonies” means to think, talk, and live according to the truth of His Word. It’s far more than rule-following; it’s a lifestyle that is motivated by love. The more we grow spiritually, the more we learn to think God’s thoughts about—Him, others, ourselves, and the rest of the world. We begin to live in the attitudes of Christ: humility instead of pride, forgiveness instead of bitterness, compassion instead of judgment, purity instead of compromise.
When we walk HIS way—letting His truth shape our thinking and His mercy shape our responses—we begin to experience a depth of relationship that nothing in this world can steal. Even on the most difficult paths, we have the light of His presence and see the greater opportunities to bring Him glory.
Look, no one in this world has a life without struggle.
The choice is whether we’re going to walk life WITH God leading us, or WITHOUT Him. Depression, betrayal, loss, financial pressure, health struggles—they come to all of us. But God, who created everything and sustains everything, is more than capable of navigating each obstacle. He does our life much better than we can! Life is always much DIFFERENT than we expected—but doing life God’s way makes it much BETTER than we planned. The Bible reminds us:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5–6
The measure of a good path is not how easy it is—but how close it keeps us to God. The hardest roads often draw us even nearer to Him.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” Psalm 37:23–24
In a world of endless opinions and shifting morals, the path of the Lord remains the same. When we live with the mind of Christ and walk in the attitudes of Christ, every circumstance becomes an opportunity to glorify Him.
“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
Reflection Question:
Are you facing today with anticipation, peace, and joy, or—are you experiencing dread, fear, boredom, listlessness, anger, bitterness, etc.? If any of the latter, remind yourself of God’s Divine purpose and ask Him to lead you in His will.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You that all Your paths are mercy and truth. When I wander into worry, pride, guilt, or distraction, show me what thoughts I need to take captive. Replace my thoughts with Your thoughts and show me Your way. Teach me to see every challenge as a chance to glorify You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
