There is a way that seems right

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12

Awhile back I signed an email to a old friend of mine with a simple: “Be good.” My heartfelt thoughts of those two small words meant: “If you aren’t right with God, please get right. Listen to your conscience, Fear God and put Him above all else in your life, be strong and turn away from any temptations that would snare your soul.” Of course, she didn’t read all of that because, these were only my thoughts and I never put them down.  How many of you realize, there are some people who you cannot talk to that way. Her simple reply came back as, “Good is relative.”  I had to think about that one. 

Good as relative, means its interpretation is scaled as an individual matter of what they have accepted as good. This isn’t what the Bible says, but man.  Truthfully, we have all justified our own wants and lusts at times, as being good, because “it seems right to man.” Yes, this happens. We do it all of the time, sometimes without batting an eye. Without thinking. 

In a worldly sense, relative is opposed to any “absolutes.” In a Christians belief in the Word,  goodness is truly absolute, because true goodness and righteousness only comes from God.  The Body of Christ revels in the goodness of God and we experience His goodness in our lives daily. Absolutely we do!

First a small prayer:

Heavenly Father we ask that our teacher, The Holy Spirit would come and open up the eyes of those who need to be opened. Give them a deeper insight into your will and the strength to follow through to become the Overcomers we are all called to be. Precious Father give us discernment to understand the difference between true goodness and that which is not. Thank you Lord, in Jesus. Amen..

Disclaimer. I will probably be stepping on a few toes as you read, but please remember your toes are right next to my own crushed toes.

Here are 5 examples of what happens when we act upon that which seem right to us:

• Although married, she relented towards the attractive man’s continued flatteries because, “he makes her feel so good.”  After all, good feelings cannot be wrong, can they? Truth: She justified her wrong thinking as a good thing. But way deep down, she knows that is not good.

• He worked in the payroll department and had the opportunity to cheat on his own taxes because, in his thinking [justification]; the money would do more good in his hands than those who did not need it. Truth: His thoughts justified stealing and he worded it as good. 

• Dress. The Bible talks about how a godly woman should dress modestly. Yet, many in church justify what they wear as good, because it is fashionable, instead of what God prizes in a woman.  ~Modesty is the guardian of chastity.~ And, this should begin inside of The Body of Christ.  

• Eating. Haven’t we all said: “Oh this is “so good! I’ve just got to have another piece!” A borderline diabetic justified taking another piece because it, “tastes so good.” It may taste good, but we all know it isn’t good for us.

• Lying. “I won’t tell her the truth. Here comes the justification: “It would hurt her too much and that wouldn’t be good.” She just said that the truth is not good.  SO is it better to lie? Is lying good? Is that relative too?  Are we responsible to give the truth, where it is not wanted? No. But we are responsible to give the truth, where it is needed. Use the discernment God has given to you.

I could give endless examples of how the “ways that seem right to a man” opens the door for many spirits to come to your “good” party.  God does not want His children to be ignorant to the forces of darkness. We  experience good through the five fold senses in our flesh: our smell, our taste, our touch, our sight and our hearing. They are all God given for us to enjoy. Be alert! The enemy of our souls shouts “more is good!” They will use your five senses to vacuum your will into a world of addiction and bondage, if you allow it. One small nibble and you have accepted their bait.  You can be watching a “good” even great movie; until you see the nudity and hear God’s name being slandered. What is good in the world is not good to us. 

Do not compromise your walk in Christ. Set high standards of excellence in the Body of Christ and be that example you are called to be. Today, drawn that line in the sand and be determined not to be a borderline believer. 

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:31, 32

Shall we pray:

Heavenly Father,

We thrive upon your truth and we cherish your will in our lives. More than ever we desire to walk down that straight and narrow road. More than ever, we want to delight your heart and be obedient to what your word says. We desire to bless you in our lives. Father, we ask that your Spirit would break all unthinking worldly habits and addictions in our lives. Shed your light upon this truth, for us to see them for exactly what they are in our lives. Forgive us Father for dabbling into sins pleasures. Name them silently to yourselves: _______. We ask for future strength and power to resist any compromising situation that would be-front in our lives and kick us hard for us to wake up and see our sins through your lens. We put all of our trust in you. We choose your love over anything the world would try to offer us. By the power of the name of Jesus Christ we put down all twisted thinking, all sinful justification and all resistance to what is truly right in you and we Thank you Lord.  And, we pray in faith through Jesus, amen.