I Must Needs Be Go Another Way.

This Message was prepared for our "Praying Over our City" meeting, 

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It is Best to Obey God

I must needs be - - go another way.

My friend was sharing about getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.  The normal way was to go straight from the bedroom to the bath, but she was prompted to go through the kitchen which was the long way.  The next morning she could see that the Lord had caused her to avoid stepping into some cat vomit if she had gone the usual way.  

In the Bible there are different ones who went another way as they were directed by dreams, angels, prophets, or simply knowing in their heart.  God's reasons are best.

The wise men were warned in a dream to return home by another way instead of going back to tell the King about the baby Jesus.

On one occasion, Jesus sent his disciples to prepare the way for him and to go through Samaria, but the people there did not receive him.  James and John said to Jesus, "Lord shall we call down fire from heaven like Elijah did and consume them?  Jesus told them, 'You don't know what spirit  you are harboring, as I did not come to destroy men but to save them.  And they went another way through a different village.

I was reminded of the Old testament story in 1 Kings 13, of a Prophet who was sent to prophesy against the altar at Bethel as Jeroboam burnt incense there.

    

 And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus says the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon you shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.

And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be torn, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

Now when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, telling his servants to Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.

 The altar also was torn, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.

 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.

 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

And the man of God said unto the king, If thou will give me half your house, I will not go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that you came.   So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

There are times we are desirous to do certain works for God, and even plan how to manipulate God to answer our requests, but God says, go another way.  

God's way might seem the long way around, or in some cases God's way may be the quickest way.   Always it is best to seek God and ask for guidance before making decisions to change our path.

The story of the man of God who prophesied at Bethel did not end there because as he began to go another way - - obeying to the word of the Lord, - - he was distracted.  An old prophet heard about him and saddled his donkey and caught up with him and said, are you the man who came from Judah?  And he said, I am. 

Then the old prophet said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

But he said, I may not return with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place:   For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, You shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou came.

 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as you are; and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.  But he lied unto him.   So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. 

There may be times in your life that a respected minister of God will give you a "Word" or a prophesy, but it does not agree with what God is showing you in your heart.  We are to Judge Prophesy, and in a case like this it would be good to wait and seek God. 

 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back:  And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus says the Lord, Forasmuch as you have disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded you;  But you came back, and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place, disobeying the Lords commandment to you; your carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers.

And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that the old prophet saddled for the man of God, the donkey, for his journey.   And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass.

 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke unto him.

 And he spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle me the donkey for I must go after him.  And he went and found his body cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the body:  And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, and laid it upon the donkey, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.   And he laid his carcass in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

After this thing Jeroboam did not repent from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and the  King became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.

In the days ahead, our Pastor will again institute Wednesday nights as a time to prepare and become equipped to minister.  It would be profitable to take advantage of all that is offered.  Take time to perhaps go another way than you once thought and consider going deeper into the truths that God has prepared for you. 

In life, if you have been on a path that leads to destruction, perhaps it would be wise to consider taking another way - - - Take the path that Leads to Jesus, for He is the Way.