Obedience – Page 2 – Pathway Journey

August 23, 2025August 23, 2025

Faith Over Fear: Pursuing God’s Calling

The calling of God’s work must be greater than our strength or it is only the work of a man. If it can be accomplished outside of God’s power, it is the mere work of man. The work of God’s kingdom is accomplished only by the strength and power of God.

Jesus said it very plainly in John 15:4-5 (NKJV). “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

When a person believes he has a God-given calling in His kingdom, he must see something beyond himself. With such a calling or dream, there are two possible outcomes. One, it is a miracle only God can do. Secondly, we look foolish. The fear of failure or looking foolish causes many to not pursue the work of God.

August 14, 2025August 13, 2025

Consequences of Rejection: What Jesus’ Tears Teach Us

Jesus descended from the Mount of Olives on a young donkey in 30 AD. This short journey would be called the Triumphal Entry. Jesus the Messiah entered the Holy City and entered the Temple Complex. As He drew near to the city, He began to cry. His cry turned into a prophetic pronouncement of the city’s destruction forty years later.

He used the words, “If you had known…” and “because you did not know the time of your visitation.” The ‘City of Peace’ as its name implies, would become a city doomed to destruction because of its rejection of the Messiah. The Roman general Titus destroyed the city and the Jewish Temple in 70 AD.

July 10, 2025July 9, 2025

What Road Are You On??

Are you lost on the wrong road? You are in a dead-spot and the GPS doesn’t work. Are you afraid to stop and ask directions? Maybe you are lost and don’t know it. Please keep reading.

Read, heed, and listen to the words of the Savior of Men. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. / Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV).

Narrow Way
The narrow gate has few who enter. It is not as obvious to men of flesh. One must walk contrary to the natural sway of man to choose this route. It is the difficult way or the way of discipline. It does not appeal to the flesh of man. The lust of the eye has no interest in the road. The lust of the flesh does not either. The pride of life is also uninterested.

June 27, 2025June 26, 2025

Understanding God’s Plan in a Troubling World

The randomness of life keeps many people on edge, indifferent, completely checked out of life, or deeply troubled. Life can be difficult, and those difficulties can send us looking for the answers to why. Problems cause us to deal with immediate needs and then the lasting aftermath of making sense of it all.

Some resign themselves to fatalism. This is a belief that whatever happens is predetermined. They think, so what’s the use to even try? This would be like someone getting a hurricane warning and taking no action either in preparation or evacuation.

Other folks are overcome by fear. This fear is coupled with hopelessness. They fall into the pit of despondency. This spoils any part of their lives that have moments of joy.

April 25, 2025April 24, 2025

Paul and Silas’ Response to Persecution

Join me in a little stroll through Acts chapter 16 as we journey with Paul and Silas.

We must minister to those God sends us and work with those God brings alongside us.
Paul on his second missionary journey was accompanied by Silas. Silas was not Paul’s first choice as a traveling partner. Barnabas was Paul’s first missionary partner on the first journey. While planning the second missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas had an argument about whether to take Mark who had abandoned them on the first trip. Paul did not want him to go, but Barnabas insisted. Unable to come to an agreement, they separated and went different ways.

March 6, 2025March 5, 2025

True Disciple: A Follower of Jesus

A disciple of Jesus is a follower of Jesus. Someone who merely acknowledges Jesus as a great religious leader is not a disciple. Many people have only a mental nod to who Jesus is.

The first step of becoming a true disciple is when an individual receives a spiritual revelation of the reality of who Jesus is and their own need for a Savior. The seed for this revelation is the Word of God when one hears the Gospel. This revelation creates a strong desire to follow the One, who has the words of eternal life.

January 14, 2025January 14, 2025

Spiritual Burden

As a child and young man growing up in church, I often heard people use the word “burden” quite often. Pastors would say they had a burden for their church. Friends would speak of “carrying a burden” for a family member. I don’t hear people use the term much anymore but I am very familiar with the term and the experience. I would define “burden” as a deep concern planted by the Holy Spirit to motivate us to prayer and action.

December 23, 2024December 23, 2024

Eternal Destiny Cloaked in an Unplanned Pregnancy

The village girl who had no worldly aspirations was chosen to be the earthly mother of a Heavenly Son. Her dream was to marry a common craftsman and fill his quiver with arrows called children. She saw not much more in her future than drawing water at a village well and baking flat bread. The faithful tasks of a wife and mother for the care of her family was her hope. She dreamed of moments of joy and fulfillment scattered among the mundane. This was her only view over the horizon.

November 14, 2024November 13, 2024

Fake Fruit on Dead Trees

“Fake fruit on a dead tree”, is a phrase my pastor, Bro. Bradley Petrey, recently used in a sermon. It describes the look some folks try to portray in Christian circles. I told him, “I do not like the condition it describes but I loved the phraseology.”

Jesus used something similar when He said, “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. / A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matt. 7:17-18 NKJV).

The fruit depends on the tree. Said another way, the tree determines the fruit.

November 6, 2024November 5, 2024

Saltiness of Christianity

Jesus used salt as an analogy to show the importance of being a true disciple. Salt performs two basic functions; it enhances taste, and it preserves. As Christians we bring flavor and meaning to a hopeless world. We also preserve society and order to a fallen world. How do we lose our salt factor?

Salt does not in itself deteriorate. Salt without its saltiness is contaminated salt. Salt is derived from the sea or from salt deposits in the earth. The substance we buy today is consistent and mostly free from contamination.

In the time of the New Testament it was not so pure. The water from the sea was evaporated leaving a residue of salt but the residue was not pure. It was often contaminated with other minerals and substances of the sea. If it became too contaminated, it lost its flavor or saltiness.