Before I knew it, I was in a place I didn’t recognize, but I suddenly knew I wasn’t supposed to be there and had to escape at all costs.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

As soon as I became a follower of Christ, this promise applied to me. It didn’t matter where I went or what I did; God was always with me. I wish I knew then what I know now because being a rebel without a clue or cause led me down some very painful roads.

There are basically two paths in life:

The straight and narrow, which brings glory and honor to the Father and the path of destruction, a wrong turn spiraling downward to a place attempting to separate us from the eternal love of God.

Every choice we make in life is a fork in the road:

The good choices keep us on the righteous path, but the bad ones cause us to shift lanes until we take an exit leading to pain and torment. Our human nature and our moral reasoning are constantly at war with our character and integrity, while trying to meet the demands of reality. The deception comes when one small decision leads to another bad one and another until we arrive in a place we can’t get out of quick enough.

The amazing thing about our heavenly Father is all we have to do is call out His name and He will save us. Not only is He always with us, but He is also for us and each new day, He pours out enough strength, mercy and grace to walk through any adversity we might face. If you are lost, God is waiting for you to call out His name and He will save you. If you are on the righteous path, praise God, but always be on the lookout for those who are headed the wrong way and always remember where God has brought you from and the price He paid to do so.

Sometimes, it takes a wrong turn to put us back on course with God’s best for our life; what we must recognize is God’s grace is bigger than any of our faults or past failures and He has a plan and purpose for our lives! The more messed up we are, the more God can use us to reach the lost and hurting people who are stuck where we used to be.