God is Faithful – The Faith Travels

HI Faith Travelers,

As we wrap up the 3rd quarter of the year, I believe the Lord has shifted the topic for this month to stress the importance of walking out this thing called life with Him and choosing Him over the ways of this world.

The scripture, Matthew 7:13-14 states, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.”

Let’s break this down…

There are 2 gates with 2 pathways, 2 destinations and 2 different groups of people who take them.

Let’s start with the gates and pathways…

The wide gate represents the easy, popular and least resistant approach to life. Because of the gate’s width you can take whatever you want through this gate because you are unrestricted. Its the gate that doesn’t require much growth or dying to your flesh. The gate the doesn’t require you to turn away from sin, come against fear or let go of pride. Its the gate that leads to living for you and only you.

The broad pathway through the wide gate makes this way unconstrained, full of the ways of the world that represent the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. ( See 1 John 2:16) This path is full of the desire for the sinful nature that Jesus Christ died for ( See 1Peter 2:24).

The small narrow gate represents the least popular, difficult and more intentional approach to life. This gate is narrow so you can’t take much with you. You have to shed the things that are not like God. This gate cost…because it requires you to live for something bigger than you. It requires you to live your life as a living sacrifice (See Romans 12:1).

The narrow pathway through the small narrow gate makes traveling this path difficult and full of enduring tests, trials and challenges that direct you to living in a way that is counter to the ways of the world. This way represents loving your neighbors & your enemies, forgiving those who wrong you and laying down idols to worship the true and Living God (See 1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Now lets take a look at the destinations of those gates and pathways…

The wide gate with the broad pathway leads the way to destruction and eternal loss. This represents ruin, spiritual death and a life apart from God (See John 15:5).

The small narrow gate with the narrow pathway, though difficult to travel, leads the way to everlasting life. This represents grace, redemption, abundance (See John 10:10), fulfillment and a forever intimate relationship with God.

Lastly, let’s examine the 2 different groups of people that enter these gates and pathways…

“Many” enter through the wide gate representing the majority of humanity who casually drift from the ways of God to take the easy and comfortable pathway with the crowd on the broad path to do whats popular versus what’s right and true in the eyes of God ( See 1Peter 3:12).

The “Few” who find everlasting life through the small narrow gate are the minority who are genuinely standing in faith, walking in obedience and following Jesus, even when its not popular nor easy (See Luke 9:23 & Mark 8:35).

Now this post is not to condemn anyone but an act of obedience to help open the eyes of understanding of those who don’t know or honestly don’t realize that their life may be drifting towards the wrong pathway.

God’s word in Matthew 20:16 and Matthew 22:14 says, “Many are called but few are chosen.” The Lord calls us all to live the abundant life with Him but few decide to actually choose Him. He doesn’t force us but just like a gentle loving Father, He gives us the option to choose what we want, even though He knows best. That is why He starts off Matthew 7:13-14 giving us the answer to the test before He breaks down the choices. We serve a God who is not slow about His promise, but who is extremely patient with us, not wishing for anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance (See 2Peter 3:9).

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If narrow is The Way then the answer is and will always be “Enter through the narrow gate”.

Until the next Faith Teaching…

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God is STILL…

Hi Faith Travelers!

Happy New Year & Happy Faith Friday!

It’s the last Friday of the first month of a new year and honestly speaking, midway through January, I felt like I was in the same very hard 2025 season, even with “the new year” having already started. It felt as if I was stuck in a new year but with old perspective, old disappointments and old trials and tribulations still weighing me down.

Have you ever been in a difficult space, season or circumstance that you felt like God wasn’t present in? You endured trial after trial, heartache after heartache, and disappointment after disappointment and yet you wondered, “Where are you God?!”…

God is Still With You

In the midst of those seasons, it can sometimes be difficult to pull your own self out of that pit. You find it hard to recall God’s promises in His Word. Promises like “…He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you (See Deuteronomy 31:8) or the promise that “…the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (See Joshua 1:9). Even one of Jesus’ names, Immanuel, means “God with us”(See Matthew 1:23). It’s right there in black and white, yet you still “feel like” God is not there.

God is Still Bigger Than Your Feelings

Notice the number of times I used the word “feel” or “felt” in the beginning of this blog, even from my own perspective. Feelings may be a current fact in that moment of toughness but it’s not the truth…Your Faith Is. Feelings can be defined as “an emotional state or reaction or an irrational belief”. Feelings are temporary and fickle emotions driven by the circumstance, yet Faith is enduring and active trust in God even when the circumstances seem contrary.

God is Still Working

There’s a message that I heard recently when I was still stuck in my “feelings” and the pastor said, “I can Trust God even when I can’t trace Him”. Think about that for a minute. I can put my reliance, my confidence and my dependence on God, His character and His promises even when there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of Him in my circumstance, based on my mere carnal understanding.

God is Still Faithful

Let’s take a look at the Book of Daniel in the Bible (See Daniel 3). In chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar had made a decree that whenever symphonic music played, everyone had to bow and worship the golden image of him and if they did not, they would be thrown in the fiery furnace. Well Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were Jews in service to the king, who only believed in and worshipped the true and living God, so they refused to bow and worship any other gods. The King was angered and set to throw them in the fiery furnace. He asked them “who is the God who will deliver you from my hands”. They said to the King,” If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”(See Daniel 3:17-18) Notice the “But if not“; they had full awareness of the situation they were in with no line of sight of how things would end, yet they still put full confidence and trust in the God they served even though they couldn’t trace HIM in that very moment of being sent to their death.

The story continues with Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego being bound and thrown in the fiery furnace. When the King looked in the furnace he saw four men loose, walking around in the midst of the fire, not hurt and with the form of a fourth man looking like the Son of God.(See Daniel 3:23-25)

God is Still A Promise Keeper

In moments like those we sometimes expect God to save us before the trouble starts. We often come up with ways of how we think God will or should bring us out of a fire when sometimes His Way (See Isaiah 55:8-9) of doing things is bringing us through the fire not smelling like the smoke we’ve been in, so that He and He alone can get the glory.

God is Still A Deliverer

The three men walked out of the fiery furnace with no evidence having been in a fire. King Nebuchadnezzar praised the true and living God and made a decree for all the people to worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego because “there is no other God who can deliver like this”. (See Daniel 3:26-30)

God is Still God and God is Still Good

I’ll leave you with a permission to shift your perspective moment. The next time you find yourself in your own fiery furnace circumstance or situation. Shut down the Feeling surrounding the circumstance and activate the Faith that is needed for you to remember and trust that God is God and He is Good. He is everlasting, omnipresent, has infinite supply, and can do immeasurably more than we can ask, think or imagine (See Ephesians 3:20). Most importantly He loves you and His plans (See Jeremiah 29:11 NLT) for you are always good.

Until the next Faith Message…

To be a part of the movement, share your own faith story Here!