Narrow Is The Path: Choose Your Path And Passengers Carefully.
There will always be MANY that will want to lead you down the WIDE road, but if you want to see Jesus in peace; follow the FEW who are focused on staying safe on the NARROW road! Think twice before accepting a friendship ride! You do not want to travel with anyone who will be detrimental to your destination here on earth or thereafter! 
Matthew 7:14-15, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.” (AMP)
Personally, I have never hitchhiked before, but I have seen many hitchhikers along the road, and I have certainly seen them in movies (especially scary ones). But the one thing that is almost always certain is, you will find them usually holding a sign. And often, the sign is usually crudely lettered and does not have the name or the license plate of the car they want to ride in. No, but what it normally does have on it is the name of a place they want to go. Believe it or not, but in most places, hitchhiking is a way of life. One woman shared her hitchhiking experience when she said she asked only one question before she got in a car. She did not care about the make of the car, the driver’s IQ, or where the driver was from. She had one question only, “Where are you headed? “
You see, hitchhikers have a simple basis for deciding who they will travel with and it is this: “Is this person going where I want to end up?” And that is exactly the question we all should have in mind when we are deciding who we are going to travel with.
This is why Proverbs 13:20 is a great admonishment to all of us. It is God’s counsel concerning the people we hang out with, people we spend time with, make friends with people we start business ventures with people we date, people we marry. And it says this: “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Check out a few other translations:
“He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise, But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.” (AMP).
“Walk with wise people and become wise; befriend fools and get in trouble.” (CEB).
“Wise friends make you wise, but you hurt yourself by going around with fools.” (CEV).
“Whoever walks with wise people will be wise, but whoever associates with fools will suffer.” (GWT).
“Keep company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined.” (GNT).
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the one who walks with fools will be destroyed.” (NLV).
“Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.” (MSG)
I do not know about you, but after reading all of that, I am ready to re-exam every friend attached to my life! And my simple response will be to keep the wise and kick to the curb the fools! Why? Because the wrong foolish friends, according to the Bible, will cause you to “experience harm; get into trouble; hurt yourself; suffer; be ruined; be destroyed and have your life fall to pieces”! Says the Scripture! Now you tell me, are foolish friends worth all of that? I think NOT!
Furthermore, you tend to become like the people you spend time with. Like a hitchhiker, you end up where the people you are traveling with end up. This is why God loves us so much that He reinforces this point in 1 Corinthians 15:33. He just simply says, “Do not be misled. “Bad company corrupts good character.” (NIV) Yet another Scripture we need to look at a bit closer:
“Do not let anyone fool you. Bad people can make those who want to live good become bad.” (NLV).
“Don’t be fooled by those who say such things. If you listen to them, you will start acting like them.” (TLB)
Once again, we are faced with the challenge of re-examining our friendships. Are we in good or bad company? Because bad friends will “destroy you; ruin your good habits and morals; and will encourage you to do and be just as bad.” Not to mention, if we hang with bad friends “we’ll start to act just like them”! Which brings about the question, that only you can ask and answer: With the friends I have in my life, would I be encouraged or embarrassed to reflect their thoughts, speech, actions, habits, and lifestyle? Do I have friends who I would want to emulate? Do I have friends that help me turn my good habits into bad ones, or cause my morals to come up MIA?
Listen, if you are going to make good decisions about who to travel with at your school, at your workplace, in your social life, in business, at church, or even who you will date and marry, you first need to decide what kind of person you want to become; what kind of goals you want to achieve. And I for one certainly hope you want to end up being a positive person, and not a negative one. After all, who needs any more of those? You probably want to end up being caring, not self-centered, encouraging, not tearing people down, living for what really matters instead of just some attractive, meaningless junk.
Decide what kind of person you want to be; what kind of attitudes you want to have. And then look for some people who have the same “destination sign” as you do. Now, when it comes to driving, the purpose of “destination signs” is “to direct travelers to their destinations by the best route.” And before you befriend anyone else, you need to hold up the destination sign of where it is you are going to others who want you to hop in and take a ride with them will know, you already know your destination and you will not be detoured! People need to know, in advance, where you are heading, and likewise, you need to know, in advance, where they are heading. And if you find that you are heading to pleasing God, then you do not ride with those heading to play with God. If you are heading to use your talent, you do not ride with those heading to hide their talent. If you are heading to be used by God, you do not ride with those who only want to use God. If you are heading to a monogamous relationship, you do not ride with those who already have a backseat full of passengers to play with. If you are heading to becoming debt-free, you do not ride with those who have no financial discipline. If you are heading to becoming physically fit, you do not ride with those who just left McDonald's, at Applebee’s now, and heading to Red Lobster next.
Are you getting this?
As soon as they pull up, they should already know where you are heading because you have already clearly displayed your destination sign, in advance! And before you hop into the ride, you need to likewise ask, “where you heading to?” And if you are heading to holiness, righteousness, godliness, peace, joy, love, happiness, and the like, then you know already you cannot ride with someone who is unholy, unrighteous, ungodly, chaotic, miserable, hateful, and sad!
Note: Why would two people ride in the same car going in two different directions?
2 Corinthians 6:14-18, “Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That is not partnership; that’s war. Are light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God’s holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God Himself put it this way: “I’ll live in them, move into them; I’ll be their God and they’ll be my people. So, leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good,” says God. “Don’t link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for Myself. I’ll be a Father to you; you’ll be sons and daughters to Me.” The Word of the Master, God.” (MSG)
I reiterate, why would two people ride in the same car going in two different directions?
Like it or not, you must take time to re-exam your friendships. Are you traveling with the right people? Are you heading in the same direction? Do you share the same vision, purpose, aim, and goals? Because if not, you could be heading in a direction God never set as your destination! Or building from blueprints that have nothing to do with who you are to become! And what is the danger of that?
1 Corinthians 3:9-15, “For we are God’s fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God’s cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God’s building. According to the [remarkable] grace of God which was given to me [to prepare me for my task], like a skillful master builder I laid a foundation, and now another is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work. If any person’s work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward. But if any person’s work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss [of his reward]; yet he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has barely escaped] through fire.” (AMP)
Do you really want to take the risk of bad friendships?! Remember, you are not just working here, but one day there will be an inspection of your work. Do you really want to find out that after a lifetime of building for God, you were using the wrong blueprints all along? Listen: Whether it is marriage, business, or church, you need to make sure that the people you are traveling with are driving you towards your destiny and not away from it. You need people in your life who are working on the same building and driving in the same direction!
Your selection of friends, associates, romantic prospects may well be one of the most important choices you will ever make because you will probably end up on the same road as they do. If you are with people who are spiritually careless or just do not care, you will probably end up there, too. If you are with people who just simply settle for mediocrity as a Christian, you will live that grey life like they do. But if you relate to some people who are going in the “make a difference” direction, the “live to help other people” direction, the “live for Jesus” direction, chances are that is where you are going to end up – going in the direction where your life can mean the most and matter the most and count for something lasting.
You can ask any hitchhiker; it really does matter who you decide to travel with. You do not decide who you are going to go with based on how cool they are, or how well-connected they are, or how exciting their lifestyle looks – or even how they treat you. You ask that all-important, deciding question about who you are going to spend your time around, “Where are you headed?”
You only travel with someone who is going to a destination that you are not ever going to regret!
Now, something else to keep in mind is this. You can hold your sign up with your intended destination on it and have someone pull over and offer you a ride. However, sometimes they will say, “I’m only going as far as….so I can get you at least close to where you’re going.” NOPE! Do not You Dare Settle for Satisfactory! Do not You Dare Settle for Less! Know where you are heading in God, and only travel with those heading to that same destination! Far too many people have already settled for getting close, only to find out that they will spend the rest of their lives just like that…they got close… Not where they are supposed to be, but close; almost there; near; just about; within reach and yet…that is all they get is close to where they were destined to end up!
Know where God is sending you and do not settle for traveling with people who will only get you close. In the end, no one wants to hear God say, “you almost made it in”! No, you want Heaven to be your home, you do not want to find out that you can live somewhere near Heaven as a neighbor! NO! I want to make it all the way IN! And that is how you must think about your talents, gifts, skills, ministry, calling, purpose, and life! I do not want to get within reach only to let it slip through my fingers! And that is precisely what happens when you travel with people who are not going in your direction!
Therefore, this is your challenge, Re-Exam Your Friendships!
Make sure they are not just attached but assigned!
Some people are only around you to get your attention, not give your assistance. Make sure you are not traveling with people that cause you to break out a map and compass because nothing about the journey looks anything like where God told you to go.
I’ll close with our opening text Matthew 7:14-15, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.” (AMP)
When traveling this Christian life, you have a choice between the wide and narrow gate. When you choose to travel with ‘wide’ friends, you choose to go down a road that is indeed broad and easy (and of course that is appealing to many), but that path is also the way to destruction and eternal loss, and MANY are on it! That is the danger of having a crowd of friends all going in the wrong direction, because you choose to travel with them, you end up at the same destination of destruction and eternal loss. And surely you have not lived this long to miss Heaven with such a short trip! Saints, you do not need a carload of people! You need ‘narrow’ friends with a ‘narrow’ mindset. They are the ones that keep you focused and on the right path because they know just how difficult traveling down the journey can be, especially with so many temptation signs trying to entice you to take a detour from destiny. But ‘narrow’ friends remind you of your everlasting life that you cannot afford to lose! And how many ‘narrow’ friends do you need? The bible reads, “…there are FEW who find it.” And that is all you need is a few ‘narrow’ focused friends who refuse to get distracted and thrown off track, so they keep you just as focused! They are the ones that remind you what God told you to do and where God told you to go. They do not go astray, and they do not let you go astray either. ‘Narrow’ friends keep you responsible and accountable. They are concerned about your salvation remaining intact. They are concerned that you are using the gifts God gave you the way God told you. They are concerned that you take no risks that cost you your life, calling, family, or purpose in God.
There will always be MANY that will want to lead you down the WIDE road, but if you want to see Jesus in peace; follow the FEW who are focused on staying safe on the NARROW road!
People of God, think twice before accepting a friendship ride! You do not want to travel with anyone who will be detrimental to your destination here on earth or thereafter!
“Keep your head and your heart going in the right direction, and you will not have to worry about your feet.” (Myles Munroe)
“If you don’t change the direction you are going, then you’re likely to end up where you’re heading.” (John C. Maxwell)
“It’s better to go slowly in the right direction than go speeding off in the wrong direction.” (Simon Sinek)
“Far too many people spend a lifetime headed in the wrong direction. They go not only from the cradle to the cubicle, but then to the casket, without uncovering their greatest talents and potential.” (Tom Roth)
“Rowing harder doesn’t help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction.” (Kenichi Ohmae)
“If you think down, you will go down. If you think up, you will go up. You’ll always travel in the direction of your thinking.” (T.D. Jakes)
Blessings
J.P. Olson
www.thewordwithjpolson.org
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