Footsteps

1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

Some people have no problems with talking to you about almost any subject you can think of. They can ramble on and on and say thousands of words, and not really say anything of importance.

Three boys were bragging to one another about their fathers. One of them said, “My father is a professor. When he is talking about nuclear physics, there are only fifty other people in the world who can understand him.”

The second boy said, “My father is a world class brain surgeon. When he is talking about his surgery there are only 20 other people in the whole world who can understand him.”

The third boy said, “That’s nothing. My dad is a Church of God preacher. When he is preaching, nobody seems to understand him.”

Talking is a wonderful thing. It is one of the ways that God gave us to communicate and relate to one another, but there are many people who call themselves Christians who can talk the talk, but they can’t seem to walk the walk. Being a born-again Christian is more than just saying the right words. It’s more than doing good deeds, and coming to church, and talking about the Bible. The test of a true Christian comes in our everyday walk with Jesus.

There is an old saying that has grown from its infancy until today that goes like this: “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes”. Most accredit this old proverb to our Native Americans of yesteryear, but it is one proverb not directly in the Bible that we need to adhere to as we walk this path of life.

Jesus made some very distinct and definite footprints when He walked the earth. He blazed a trail that is easy for us to see, and, to walk worthy of Him, we must follow in His footsteps.

(1) Jesus said that there are two paths that we can walk on in this life:
Matthew 7:13, 14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

a. There is a strait gate that opens to a narrow way which leads to life, but few find it.
-It is the way of holiness.
-It is the way of righteousness.
-It is the way purchased with His blood.
-It is the way to heaven.
-It is the way of hope.
-It is the way of destiny.
-It is the way of eternal life.

b. There is a wide gate that opens to a broad way that leads to destruction, and many travel down that path.
-It is the way of despair.
-It is the way of darkness.
-It is the way of desperation.
-It is the way of spiritual death.
-It is the way of forgotten promises.
-It is the way of the fallen.

(2) Jesus desires us to follow in His footsteps.
-Because we choose to follow Him.
Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

-Because we love and know Him personally.
John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…”

(3) He wants our footsteps to be a path from someone who needs direction.
-With each step we take we establish a pathway for someone to follow.
Proverbs 4:25-27 “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”

-Each step we take influences those who come after us.
Isaiah 58:11, 12 “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”

-Our footsteps are directed by the Lord and we are glad.
Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

(4) Why are footsteps of a righteous man so important?
2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished…”

a. Because no temptation or trial that can overtake you is new. These things have been in existence even in previous generations.
-Temptation is initiated by the world around us-1 John 2:15-17
-Temptation is rooted in the desires of man’s nature-James 1:13-15
- Temptation is a struggle between man and Satan-1 Peter 5:8
-Temptation’s after effects are not confined to one place, or to one moment in time, or even to one person, but stretch out throughout much space and time and affect many people-Galatians 6:7, 8

It is no sin to be tempted. A temptation becomes sin full-blown when we give in and pursue after it. The temptations that we face are no different than what others before us faced and just like them we must decide for ourselves whether to yield to them or not.

b. Others have faced the same situations you face and have overcome them and set the example for you to follow.

-Our God will never let us down.
Lamentations 3:22-24 “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”

-Our God will never let us be pushed past our limit.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

a. You will not be tempted above your limit without God making a way of escape from it.
b. You will find strength in Jesus in areas that you don’t think you have within you when you are pushed to your limits of endurance.
c. Your ability to resist evil increases every time you humble yourself before the Lord.

-Our God will always be there to help us come through it.
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”