SCRIPTURE READING: PSALMS 23: 1-6
FOCUS: “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23: 3)
MEMORY VERSE: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” (Psalm 1: 1)
In our Focal Scripture, the psalmist speaks of how the Lord leads him in paths of righteousness. The Shepherd didn’t only lead the psalmist to green pastures; He did not only lead him beside still waters; He also led him to the paths of righteousness. By the psalmist’s assertion, righteousness has paths and the Shepherd led him therein. The leading of the Shepherd caused the psalmist to be led in the paths of righteousness.
Friend, as the Lord leads you, there are paths He intends to lead you through, and those paths are called paths of righteousness. Righteousness has paths. That also means that unrighteousness has paths. Righteousness has paths it will approve of and some paths it will disapprove of. Righteousness comes from the root word ‘right’. As the Lord leads you, He also intends that you be on the path of what is right, not what is wrong.
When you find yourself in pathways that lead you to unrighteousness, you may need to ask yourself if God is still leading you or your flesh has taken over. If you find yourself desiring what the Lord hates, check who is leading. If your appetite for what is right is waning and your appetite for what is wrong is growing, then maybe you are not being led by the Lord anymore, or perhaps you are not following His leading as before.
In 1 Corinthians 10 vs. 23, Apostle Paul rightly said, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not”. When the Lord leads you, you may have to deal with walking away from paths that are not even entirely ungodly, in order to preserve your consecration. When the Lord leads you, He literally redefines what is right for everyone and what is right for you based on His calling.
In 2 Timothy 2 vs. 19 (KJV), Apostle Paul wrote thus to Timothy: “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity”. If you have chosen to be led in the paths of righteousness, then also choose to depart from the paths of unrighteousness.
FURTHER READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 6, 10; PSALM 1
DECLARATION:
- I am led in the paths of righteousness, in Jesus’ name!