April 12, 2026

THE PATH OF LIFE: FOLLOWING THE GUIDE

April 12, 2026

Senior Pastor Jonathan Falwell

What a great Easter service we had last week, with almost two hundred people finding the Lord as Savior! The Lord said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few” (Matt. 9:37). Don’t let it be said of your church, “there are few laborers,” for today’s fields are ready. Has revival come to America? It may be too soon to tell, but the evidence is growing. Why? Perhaps because lifestyles have failed the younger people, who want something solid. These young adults have learned that celebrities, movies, lyrics with words that trash Biblical values, or addictions are not made for the tough times in life, for the moments a marriage breaks down, finances fail, children die, or your soul cries out for help. But God is there 24/7. He is with us, guiding us, loving us. Are they learning this? Today’s study gives these new believers a three-step way to find God and be saved: Find Him, Learn of Him, and Rely on His goodness.

Focal Passages:  Psalm 100:1-5, Psalm 16, Ephesians 3:14-19.

Finding your purpose requires Finding Your Source:

  • Read Psalm 16:1-4. Before you can seek God, you must decide if you believe that He exists, and if so, do you believe He is the Creator God that the Scripture testifies of? Has someone told you about Him? Read Romans 10:13-15. If you are just learning about God, write down the facts you know about Him, then make sure they align with the Bible. Read John 1:1-5, Col. 1:15-17, Hebrews 1:2. Is this the God you want to know?
  • Read John 3:16-17, and James 4:8. There is a huge difference between knowing about God and believing what the Bible teaches about Him. Some questions are basic: Do you believe He made you? Read Psalm 139:1-17 if you need a reminder. Do you want to be at peace with Him? Do you know that your sin separates you from Him?
  • Do you know He loves you? Do you know He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and will be with you at all times? Do you desire to know Him? Have you ever asked Him to please save you because of your sins and give you faith? Read 1 John 1:3, Col. 1:13-14. Are you ready to live by faith?
  • Read Prov. 3:5-8 and 2:1-5. Are you hungry enough for God that these verses fill your heart? Do you believe that turning your life over to Him will change your life? Read 2 Cor. 5:17. This is stated as a fact—you can believe it!
  • Are you willing to forego your messed-up life and any sinful lifestyles? Read 1 John 3:6.

Finding your purpose requires Seeing His Provision: 

  • Read Psa. 16:5-6. What are some of the blessings of God that you not only take for granted, but often forget are truly blessings? What would happen if God removed His hand from the world for even a moment?
  • What is in your life that you cling to, not willing to let go? Read Psalm 23:2-3,5-6. Does God give us what we need for a beautiful life with Him or what we ask for? Why would He not give us what we want?
  • Read John 10:10. Is God more concerned about your material possessions or your heart? Read Ephesians 3:14-19. Is this the life you look forward to as you grow in knowledge of God?

Finding your purpose requires Total Dependence on God:

  • Read Psa. 16:7-8. God does not leave you to your own path, but guides you as you follow Him. Read Prov. 3:5-6 and Jeremiah 29:11. Why does He provide help and counsel in the Bible, as you learn to navigate your path?
  • Read Isaiah 26:3 and Psa. 37:5. Why are verses like these so needed?
  • Read Rom. 8:28. No doubt you have heard someone quote this verse. Why would believers commit this verse—and the ones above—to memory? Why has God given them to people?
  • Read James 1:5. Do you always feel wise? God has promised wisdom, and promises not to “upbraid” you for asking! Why do verses that help to keep you on the right path overflow in Scripture?

Finding your purpose requires Discovering Who He Is:

  • As we think back upon the three steps, Finding God, Learning about Him, and Following Him through this life, what are the two ways we find out Who He is? Flee to Jesus, stay in His Word, and have conversations with Him constantly—which involves not only talking to Him, but listening for His response. You will soon learn to know His voice.
  • As you look for His guidance, you will learn how He leads. Don’t wait until you are old to learn how to follow Him, relying 100% on His best for you. You will never regret it.

Close: 

Perhaps a study aimed more at new believers than those who have grown mature in the faith seems like overkill if you are in the latter group. However, even those who have memorized most of the Bible can find it helpful to review what has become like comfortable clothing as they go about their daily business. And a good way to make sure no one is above helping these new Christ-followers is to be aware that generations today are growing up in a world that older people could not have imagined. Their problems are not the same as those of the last century. They have not had the years of knowing God that many have had.

Solomon admonished in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. Yet, few who were born in the first half of the 1900s—or possibly even the mid-1900s—ever thought they would see this nation shunning the Constitution, not allowing free speech, granting marriages between same-sex couples, or offenses, human trafficking, or Christian persecution that exists on a level today that stuns the hearts of many people. These new believers need to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God sits in the heavens, “holding it all together” (Col. 1:17). Let us who are older help them know their new Savior! We are never to look down upon anyone because they are just learning what has taken us decades to hold dearer than anything the world has to offer.

By Sandy Day

April 12, 2026

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