But what if the road is rough?

Sometimes we need shoes made of iron.

We learned a very simple truth last week.

God prepares us for a task by providing us with the right kind of shoes.

We concentrated on one verse of Scripture, Deuteronomy 33:25

Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be

 But what if the road is rough?

Last week, we talked that God provides us shoes for the journey. But what if the road should be rough and steep?

While there is no promise that difficult, rough pieces of the road will vanish,

there is promise that your shoes are up for the task.

Tragedy. Hardship. Depression. Doubt. Anguish. Cost. Health. Cancer. Accidents. Death.

While there is no promise that difficult, rough pieces of the road will vanish, there is promise that your shoes are up for the task.

Let’s look at two passages of Scripture from the words of Jesus.

38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward” (Matthew 10:38-42 NIV).

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it (Matthew 16:24-25 NIV).

In these passages of Scripture, we are given three lessons that will help us when the road is rough. God uses the circumstances of your life to prepare you for the road ahead. Best-selling author Ravi Zacharias tells how God weaves together the events of life.  Remember, God has given you shoes that are up for the task.

The first lesson: Deny Yourself.

Webster lists five different definitions for the word “deny.” To deny yourself is usually interpreted to mean “restrain,” The diet denies him the food he loves. But what if the word hints at a different connotation from Webster? What if “deny” means “to declare untrue?” What has Satan declared about you that you need to understand as untrue? Remember, Satan is a liar. In fact, our first encounter with Satan in the Garden of Eden is filled with his lies.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:1-5 NIV).

Here are a handful of his biggest lies to us.

  1. God is not truthful.
  2. You (humans) are your own God.
  3. God is not loving.
  4. You (humans) can know the difference between good and evil.
  5. You already know the Scripture, so don’t read it.
  6. No one can really understand what God says, so don’t read it.
  7. The English Bible was not translated correctly, so don’t read it.
  8. God contradicts Himself, so don’t read it.
  9. Experts disagree on what God means, so don’t read it.
  10. You are so far beyond the teaching of the Bible, so don’t read it.

Remember, deny yourself may mean to declare untrue. Declare Satan’s lies as untrue. Back them with Scripture.

The second lesson: Take Up Your Cross.

When we read the verse with the instruction to take up our cross, we immediately picture Jesus dragging his cross to Calvary, stumbling at every step.

But this Passion prediction is not yet speaking of a cross; and before the cross ever became associated with Jesus, condemned criminals of all sorts in the Roman Empire had carried the cross bar to be used for their crucifixion to their place of execution. As discussed at 10:38, ‘place yourself on the firing line’, ‘put your neck in the noose,’ and ‘put your head on the chopping block’ would all be analogous to what is called for here. The call is so to behave that the anticipated outcome may naturally be the loss of one’s life.

Put to death self. Ever heard that before? Paul says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming (Colossians 3:5-6). The first two lessons go together, don’t they? Satan and the world has lied to you and made you believe that these things are normal and they will bring you pleasure. In fact, they pave the road to destruction. Don’t believe these lies.

The final lesson seems simple: Follow Jesus.

Understand you are walking the same road as Jesus. Not to death, but to life. Follow means movement – you are making progress; persistence – you are up for the task; and obedience – you are doing what you are told.

And when the road seems rough, look down at your shoes. God has given you a pair perfect for this road.