A Solid Path

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Psalm34:8 ESV

The Bible encourages us to taste and see that the Lord is good. But

tasting and eating are two different things. Knowledge that floats in

the head is not the same thing as victory that becomes an abiding truth

within our lives. There is a huge difference between tasting reality at

the start and experiencing that same reality as an ongoing experience.

There is no substitute for the essential element of growing in the

knowledge of Scripture. God’s Word, is to be studied

diligently. The directional markings in His Word lead us to freedom

from sin’s power over us. There is nothing sin fears more

than the Word of God, properly understood and believed.

The Scripture’s ultimate goal is to lead us into

the presence of the One who gives victory while the desire of the flesh is to

launch us out into the dark waters of self-reliance, in a boat with holes.

According to the Bible, the freedom that we have in Christ, has

already been procured. God has a process for our abiding deliverance

from the power of the flesh. He works in us, according to what He has

accomplished on the cross, and this mystery is not discovered quickly.

As a young boy I grew up on a farm owned by a man named Mr.

Sturm. Every summer Mr. Sturm would crank up his John Deere

tractor and head out into the field to cut hay. The process of his labor

was always the same. After cutting the alfalfa, he would allow it time

to dry in the field. Weeks later, he would return and process the dried

grass into bales. The hay bales would then have to be rolled in the field,

so that they would be completely dried out before being taken to the

barn. Stacking wet or damp hay in the barn would create mold and

waste his crop. Process matters.

Progressively discovering the truths of Scripture is the process of

spiritual growth, and these discoveries create a sequential order. But

how are we to understand these things?

Paul tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word

of God. (Romans 10:17) This verse involves a two-part equation.

First of all, faith comes by hearing. This hearing involves

listening with an open heart. This is beyond just an open ear. The

second half of the verse declares plainly that it is the Word of God,

which feeds faith. It is the substance of truth that nourishes faith. We are

to be open to receiving God’s Word.

This process alone keeps us steadily on the path to victory. The

nation of Israel crossed over the Jordan River at only one place when

entering the Promise Land. They did not pick and choose where they

wanted to cross. There is only one place of crossing. It is where He has accomplished His great work, pictured by the Ark of the Covenant. God’s only bridge

to enter the Promise Land is built on His Son and His work on the

Cross, as recorded in the Bible.