Mapping Your Route with God

Thanks for tuning in to the Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a perfect way to point your day. Our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional and that you'll be equipped, empowered, and encouraged as a follower of Jesus to deepen your relationship with God. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.church slash daily drive. And now let's dive into today's devotional with one of our teaching pastors, Mike Brough. Hey everybody. Uh my name is Mike Bro, and I'm just privileged that you were kinda Join us today. In fact, each day for just a few minutes. We're just gonna kinda hang together and talk about hope, talk about God, talk about life together. And I'm just honored that you would uh that you would tune in here at the start of this new year. You know, one day I was uh sitting on a sidewalk bench waiting for my wife who was shopping. And when there's shopping going on, it's pretty much where you'll find me, on a bench somewhere. I mean, I could play three hours of basketball and not be as tired as fifteen minutes of shopping. Anybody with me on that? Anyway, as I'm sitting there watching all these people pass by. I couldn't help but notice how everybody had a different way of walking. I mean, some people took long strides, others kind of shuffled along, uh, some were walking fast, others kind of strolled along, some had a spring in their step as they were listening to music on their earbuds, some wiggled, some jiggled, some giggled as they walked with their friends. And I just kind of sat there, people watching. And as I sat there, an old rock song. popped in my head the guitar lick din I could hear Steven Tyler from Aerosmith singing, walk this away. And it just provided a soundtrack for the scene unfolding before me as I sat there on the sidewalk. And I thought to myself, hey, that's how we're gonna start the new year. Just talking about walking a different direction. So what we're gonna do, we're gonna begin the new year, just a few minutes every day, talking about walking, hearing God say to us, come on, walk this way. Because many people look to a new year as a chance to start doing things in a new way. Maybe that's you. Whether it's a goal like to get in shape physically or to change some kind of habit or heal some emotional or relational wound. Most of us feel renewed energy toward doing something new as the new calendar year begins. And I was thinking how you're trying to achieve, you know, whether it's a a physical goal or some health related goal, whether you're trying to lose some weight or rehab an injury or get your heart in shape, whatever it is, whether you're like walking, jogging, or running, it's much more effective. If you do four things. And those are the four things we're going to talk about this month. First of all, you got to map your route ahead of time. You got to know your desired direction and your destination. Secondly, you need to download a new playlist, something to inspire you along the way. Third, you got to find a partner, somebody to walk with, somebody to work out with. And fourth, just keep a steady pace. Don't try to set world records right away. Just stay consistent, stay at it in a in a kind of steady pace. So that's going to be our game plan for walking with God as we start the new year together. And this week, just every day, just for a few minutes, we're going to talk about mapping our route. Now I know that many of you have heard or seen this before, but I've always loved uh Portia Nelson's autobiography and five short paragraphs. In fact, I read it every year at the beginning of the new year. It goes like this. Paragraph number one. I walk down the street. There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I'm lost. I'm helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. Paragraph two. I walk down the street. There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. Can't believe I'm in the same place. But it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. Paragraph three. I walk down the street. There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It's a habit, but my eyes are open. I know where I am, and it is my fault. And I get out immediately. Paragraph four. I walk down the street. There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. Paragraph five. I walk down a different street. If you want to change, you can't just keep walking down the same street. You have to get on a different path, a better path, one that will lead you toward freedom and transformation. The Bible is full of scriptures that talk about walking with God. And I want to give you a great one to get us started in this new year. This is a map your route kind of verse that we're going to just hang in all week long. It's found in Jeremiah chapter six, verse sixteen, from the old testament section of the Bible. Says this is what the Lord says. Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old godly way and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. Now this is one of my life verses, and maybe you can make it one of yours. And I found it really helpful to kind of break scripture down into little chunks, kind of bite-sized pieces. And did you hear how it starts with God just saying, Stop. Stop. If you're like me You like go. And I'm guessing during the last few weeks you've been going hard and fast. I mean Christmas shopping, family gatherings, putting toys together, returning those size thirty-two waist pants for thirty-six, right? Lots of activity. So the word for today. It's stop. Stop before we take off flying into a new year, before we take another step in the wrong direction, God says stop. And not just a rolling stop. Not just a casual pause, but come to a complete stop. Stop before you just put it on cruise control. And go the same old direction, doing the same old things day after day, year after year stop. and realise there actually is another choice. There is another way, a better way, a new way to walk. So we're just gonna hang in this little verse for the next uh all was all this week just for a few minutes. And man, I hope you will join us every single day. But for today, can I just pray for you? As we start this new year together. Father, thank you so much for everyone that's joined us today. I I pray that this new year we would listen to you and hear you say, Come on, walk this way. Thank you so much, God, for slowing us down today. And I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You guys have a great day. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our Church Online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. For more information, visit lakepoint.church slash daily drive.