Staying on the Right Path

That night God came to Balaam and told him, “Since
these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell
you to do.” So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started
off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he
sent the angel of the LORD to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and
two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the LORD
standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the
road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. Then
the angel of the LORD stood at a place where the road narrowed between two
vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it tried to squeeze
by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again.
Then the angel of the LORD moved farther down the road and stood in a place too
narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time when the donkey saw the
angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again
with his staff. Then the LORD gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What
have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked
Balaam. “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a
sword with me, I would kill you!” “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all
your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”
“No,” Balaam admitted. Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel
of the LORD standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam
bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him. “Why did you beat
your donkey those three times?” the angel of the LORD demanded. “Look, I have
come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the
donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by
now and spared the donkey.” Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the LORD, “I
have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I
will return home if you are against my going.” Numbers 22:21-34 NLT

Staying on the right path requires:

 

Absolute obedience to God

 

Those
who follow the right path fear the LORD; those who take the wrong path despise
him. Proverbs 14:2 NLT

Stay on
the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live
long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Deuteronomy 5:33 NLT

Your
word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalms 119:105 NLT

What
did God say?

Challenging my desires

 

There is a
path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. Proverbs 14:12 NLT

They
live under God’s curse. They have wandered off the right road and followed the
footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. 2 Peter 2:14-15 NLT

Take delight in the LORD, and he
will give you your heart’s desires. Psalms
37:4 NLT

Paying attention to roadblocks

Point
out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting
life. Psalm 139:24 NLT

So humble yourselves under the
mighty power of God, and at the right
time he will lift you up in honor. 1
Peter 5:6 NLT

 

God has blocked my way so I cannot
move.

He has plunged my path into
darkness. Job 19:8 NLT

A lazy
person’s way is blocked with briers, but the path of the upright is an open
highway. Proverbs 15:19 NLT

Letting God redirect me

 

Lead me
in the right path, O LORD, or my enemies will conquer me.  Make your way plain for me to follow.  Psalm
5:8 NLT

The LORD is good and does what is
right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. Psalm 25:8 NLT

My Notes