Isaiah 33:10-36:22 / Galatians 5:13-26 / Psalm 64 / Proverbs 23:23
Has any of you ever been afraid of scary monsters under the bed? I’ll admit I have been, and even though I know they aren’t real there are still times I hate looking under there! We all know that all we’ll find are some dust bunnies and maybe a forgotten pair of shoes. That said, I’m always reminded that not all dangers are those we can see. There are spiritual dangers all around, and the enemy is waiting to set a trap for us to fall into.
I believe God warns us of traps if we’ll listen. Sometimes that trap looks like sin that we willfully walk into instead of running the other way as we should. The enemy knows our weak areas and he knows how to push our buttons. He’s been working on these evil plans for years and he has developed a certain level of skill in terrorizing men, women, and children.
No need to fear or get discouraged though. There are safe places for us to walk both in the natural and in the Spirit.
Isaiah 35:8-10 NLT And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be found there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
How do we find this highway? It sounds like a wonderful road to travel on. The Way of Holiness is available only to those who enter through Jesus Christ. For everyone else, the entrance is hidden. Once you’ve begun on this highway, you can rest assured that only those who are part of your new family in God will be walking along with you. There may be imposters who will try to invade, but with discernment they will quickly be discovered and removed.
It’s interesting that this scripture says no lions will be found there. Which lion is our greatest threat except the enemy himself? How can the verse say he will not be there? Because everything the enemy says is a lie. He cannot derail or stop us, and he cannot remove us from the highway. He has no teeth and no power. We’ve talked about this before; his only power comes when we agree with him. Therefore, we must always disagree with his plan and lies.
Entering Zion speaks of our final destination, the end of our journey. Those on earth might call that death, but those of us who are in Christ understand that our final destination is not death but eternal life. We will enter our eternal reward and home with great joy and singing. Can you imagine!
Even if our journey has been hard, and all are in one way or another, the end of the journey will be the greatest rejoicing we’ve ever experienced. Our tears and sorrow will be gone. I don’t believe we will even remember the difficult times we walked through on earth because we will be face-to-face with the One who bought us back from the hands of evil and death.
Matthew 7:13-14 NLT “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Though the road may be difficult, we are safely there with the protection of our Savior to walk along with us.
