Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo's Blog: THERE IS A WAY

‘’There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death’’ - Proverbs 16:25 (AMP)

Appearance or outward looks can be deceptive or misleading. For instance, a glass of poison, placed next to a glass of clear water may fool the eye; although these two items may look exactly alike, they are not truly the same. One has death in it, the other has life in it. Not everything that glitters is gold; something that looks good or valuable on the surface may not be so in reality. This brings to fore the need to be extremely cautious in our judgments and decisions in the journey of life.

In 1 Samuel 16, God re-echoed this salient truth while unveiling His coronation agenda for the next king of Israel. The prophet had almost been deceived by the impressive appearance of Eliab in the house of Jesse before God cautioned him. God told Samuel not to use appearance or height but the condition of their hearts as criteria in choosing the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:7). That is, the true worth of a man is not in his appearance only. A person may look good, knowledgeable, calm and serene outwardly but may be completely unreliable, cold-hearted, short tempered and disgraceful etc in his/her dispositions.

“When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, and thought, “Surely the Lord has appointed this person standing here before him.”But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t look at how handsome Eliab is or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NCV)

Friends, please note that there are many handsome and tall Eliabs in the house of Jesse today. They look like a potential king but they are not. Some of these people look like good wives or husband materials but they are not. Yes, there are still many poisons in the bottles of crystal clear water all around us. Please beware! Not every route is a good route that you can go through. Not everything that glitters is actually gold. You stand a huge risk of drinking poison instead of water if you continue to make decisions based on appearance alone. A word is enough for the wise.

The hymn below summarizes the scripture in Proverbs 16:25:

THERE IS A WAY

There is a way that seems so right,

A path that calls to our own might,

But endeth not in peace and grace,

But leads to a forsaken place.

We choose our course with eager haste,

Our own desires, we make no waste,

To follow what we think is true,

Ignoring paths that God sees through.

But Lord, Your wisdom guides our way,

Not by our strength, but by Your sway,

Your path may bend, may twist, and turn,

Yet leads to joy, a heart that burns.

So lead us Lord, we humbly pray,

Through winding paths, come what may,

Your path is true, Your love is vast,

May we trust You, until the last.

My prayer is that, you and I will never end our journeys in the forsaken place. We shall receive grace to follow the narrow path at all times even when it may appear a bit bent or twisted. And may we never choose poison (Eliab) instead of crystal clear water (David) in Jesus name.

On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord, Pastor E. A. Adeboye, I will like to invite you to the April 2025 Holy Ghost Service. Theme: GLORIOUS TOMORROW. Date: 4th April, 2025. Venue: The Redemption City of God, Mowe, Ogun State. Time: 6pm (WAT).