Walking Backward

“. . . Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” (Jeremiah 7:23)

But it was not well with God’s people. They would not listen, refused to be taught, and rejected His words. Truth had vanished from them. Because they kept living the way they wanted, stubbornly following their evil desires, they went backward instead of forward. Jeremiah warned them, but God told him not to expect His wayward people to listen (vs. 24–29).

Jeremiah delivered this message thousands of years ago, but God’s truth stays the same: Obey Him, live according to His instructions, and it will be well with you. If it seems you are not going forward in your walk with the Lord, evaluate yourself. In your findings, have you rejected God by not listening to Him, refusing to be taught His Word? Have you dismissed what you heard? Is truth crucial in your life? Or is it vague and masked in shades of gray, or has it disappeared? Are you stubbornly following your desires rather than God’s commands (the Bible) and counsel? If the Holy Spirit convicted you as you read these questions, you are walking backward; doing so is unsafe for both your physical and spiritual well-being. Resolve to step forward. Seek God’s forgiveness and live according to His commands that it may be well with you.

But it was not well with God’s people. They would not listen, refused to be taught, and rejected His words. Truth had vanished from them. Because they kept living the way they wanted, stubbornly following their own evil desires, they went backward instead of forward. Jeremiah warned them, but God told him not to expect His wayward people to listen (vs. 24–29).

Though it was thousands of years ago that Jeremiah delivered this message, God’s truth remains the same today: Obey Him, live according to His instructions, and it will be well with you. If you are going backward instead of forward in your walk with the Lord, evaluate what you observe about yourself. In your findings have you rejected God by not listening to Him, refusing to be taught His Word? Have you dismissed what you heard? Is truth crucial in your life; is it vague and masked in shades of gray, or has it disappeared? Are you stubbornly following your own desires rather than God’s commands (the Bible) and counsel? If the Holy Spirit convicted you as you read these questions, you are going in the wrong direction.

Walking backward is dangerous, for both your physical and spiritual well-being. Resolve to step forward. Seek God’s forgiveness and live according to His commands that it may be well with you.