May 17, 2019
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I was with a group of young people who had the enlightening experience of going on a Trust Walk. They got into pairs, one was blindfolded, and the other got to lead that person wherever they wanted and however they wanted for five minutes. Then they reversed roles and the one who had been led got to be the leader, while their former leader got to be the blindfolded follower. I'm actually glad we videoed it, it was really something to watch. Some led their partner by the arm, others with the follower's hands on the leader's shoulders, and some just lead with their voice. And some led very carefully and considerately. They told them exactly when to step up or down, maybe there was a curb or some stairs. But then there were those who couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation, like Matt, he led his partner into a picnic table, over the picnic table, right into a tree, and right into a toy truck on the ground. You should have heard our discussion afterwards as people were talking about how they felt about being led and how they felt about the person who led them!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Personal Trust Walk."
Those who had a "good leader" said their leader kept them from tripping over anything and running into anything. Then I told them what I'm about to tell you, that the invitation of Jesus Christ is expressed in two words, "Follow Me." And He's asking you to go with Him on a Trust Walk for the rest of your life.
Listen to His promise in Isaiah 48:17, our word for today from the Word of God. "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." That is a great promise. In fact, it's even worth memorizing! The fact is we don't know what is best for us. We really need the leadership of a Lord who can see the whole picture. We may know the way we'd like to go, but we don't know the way we should go. We need God's guiding hand.
And the exciting thing about following Jesus is that He will never lead you where you're going to trip or you're going to run into something that would be bad for you. His ways are, according to Romans 12:2, "good, pleasing, and perfect." The problem is you might be following someone else's leading right now and guess what? They are blindfolded, too! Or you may be thinking that the only safe way to go is for you to lead yourself, but you're blindfolded! The only One who can see everything ahead of you is Jesus.
One of our "Trust Walkers" said that she felt like she had no control when she was following her partner. Well, you know what, it is that control thing that might be keeping you from experiencing all that Jesus Christ wants to lead you into. You refuse to relinquish control, even to the God who made you. As a result, you're going to keep tripping and running into things and doing it the hard way. And since when are we in control anyway? It's the illusion of control. I don't even decide if I take my next breath. So much of our life is totally out of our control! What we're trying to protect is actually the illusion of being in control.
You may have been battling God over some places He's trying to lead you. That's a battle you just can't win. It's a blueprint for unnecessary scars and wasted years. It's time to take His hand and let Him lead you into the very best places you could possibly go. You will have to trust Him; He'll usually only let you know the next step, not the whole road ahead. But you can only take one step at a time. That's all you need to know.
You see, this man Jesus loved you enough to come and sacrifice His life on a cross to pay for your sin, to tear down the wall between you and God and to make it possible for you to spend eternity in heaven with Him. It could be you've never gotten behind this loving leader, Jesus Christ. You've never put all your trust in Him. You may know Him as an example; you might know Him as a belief. But do you know Him as your Savior and your Rescuer from your sin? Today would be a great day to say "Jesus, I'm yours. I hear you calling, 'Follow Me.' And I want to for the rest of my life. You died for me, for my sin and I am yours from this day on."
Our website would be a great place for you to go this very day to make sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com - please go there.
Anyone who loves you enough to die for you will never do you wrong.