God’s Word Is Our Road Map

By Angie Lewis

Have you ever taken a vacation with your family in the car? You drive into a new city that you’re not familiar with and usually end up buying a street map for that city. Road maps are crucial when we are traveling to new places because they guide us flawlessly to our destination. Road maps show us the right way to go so we don’t waste precious time and get lost.

The word of God is the same way. God’s Word is our road map for Christian living, without God’s comprehensive map of principles guiding the way we’d get lost. Whenever we feel confused about where we are going and what we are doing, God expects us to use His road map and seek the right way to go and the right thing to do. Are you seeking God’s road map when you are lost?

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
Psalm 119:9

Have you ever been late driving to a certain address because you got lost? That’s because we already think we know the way. Out of pride we think we know the way to almost anywhere and we’ll never get lost. We don’t want to even admit we are lost, let alone buy a map. But what happens? We end up wasting so much time and gas just searching for the address that we end up arriving at our destination late and usually feeling frustrated because of it.

Before I accepted Christ into my life I often traveled on the wrong roads. How did I know I was on the wrong roads? Because my life was not getting any better. I was often confused about my purpose in life and I felt like I was traveling on too many roads and never finding satisfaction on any of them. I often could not make up my mind which road to go on and I lived my life in a flustered and wishy-washy kind of an existence – I was lost! I was not traveling using God’s road map but my own road map. What a chaotic way to live!

As Christians we absolutely need to remember that our life belongs to God and that means we should be traveling on His roads using His map. God’s road map takes us on a spiritual journey with Him where we learn about ourselves so we can love others in the Lord appropriately. That is what Christian living is all about. God wants us to put His word to work in our life. When we travel on the wrong roads what good is Christianity to others?

The wrong roads lead us to places that often seem right at the time, but after awhile we see how we took the wrong turn. We go astray because we let temptation get the best of us, either from peer pressure, society pressure, parental pressure, or whatever kind of pressure. But on God’s roads there is no such pressure because He is the One leading us.

God’s road map helps us during times of temptation. How many times have you let your own desires take precedent over God’s will for your life? We do it all the time, but when we apply God’s word and use it in times of temptation we can overcome those desires! Do you remember what Jesus did when satan tempted him in the desert. That is our example to follow.

If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:3-4

What’s so neat about God’s road map is it’s not wishy-washy. God’s Word does not change - it only stays the same. God’s truths never transform themselves like the fads and trends of society do. It is reliable for everyday Christian living forever. Trusting in God’s Word to take us to the right destination is an absolute. Do you know where you are going? If you’re not sure where you’re going, why not? Grab onto God’s road map and follow it.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Matthew 24:35

Indecisiveness is why we cave in under pressure during times of temptation. This is why we need to put to work the word of God in our lives. Simply knowing the word is not enough, we must put the word to work in our lives every single day and it helps us in dealing with temptation. The word of God is not just for information but is for our transformation. Are you letting the word of God transform you?

The faith and love that spring from hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.
Colossians 1:5-6