Following The Steps Jesus Left For You (Pt.2) (333) - January 17 2026

When we follow the steps of Jesus, we are not walking in our own strength. Jesus went before us and prepared a way. This way we just follow Jesus and do not have to figure things out.
 
Jesus is the Door to Life. Short cuts will not help you get to Jesus. There are no other paths, but the narrow path to walk in the footsteps of the Lord. John chapter 10 verses 9 to 10 (Jesus’ speaking): 9 I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
 11 I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep.
 
When we come to the Lord it is because we are searching to walk the right way in life. When you decide to choose Jesus you choose Life.
 
The topics this week include:
 - Following Jesus as Lord
 - Why do believers follow Jesus rather than men?
 - Discipleship is necessary through following Jesus
 - Be Disciplined and Listen to Instruction
 
This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): John 10:9-11, Matthew 7:13-14, 1 Peter 2:21, Psalms 37:23, Acts 5:29, Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 16:1-3, Proverbs 16:9, Psalms 119:133, Psalms 34:14-22, Proverbs 14:14, Philippians 4:8-9, Matthew 16:24, Luke 14:27, John 12:26, Proverbs 3:5-8, Proverbs 19:20, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalms 119:104-106, Proverbs 23:12, Romans 2:18, Proverbs 8:32-36, Proverbs 14:10-27, Job 23:10-11.

Transcript

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(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) And welcome back to yet another episode of Touch of God. My name is Catrice and I'll be bringing the message to you for this week. For those of you who'd like to follow along in the Bible, we use the amplified classic version. This week we'll be doing part two of following the steps Jesus left for you. Last week on following the steps Jesus left for you, we did part one of the episode. This week we'll be following up with part two. In part one, we discussed it is up to you to choose this day whom you serve. No one can make a person want to live righteously and holy if they don't want to. If the word says don't steal, then don't steal. If the word says don't lay down with a man until married, do what it says. These instructions the Lord left us are to keep us safe. They are to keep us from making bad decisions that last a lifetime. You either obey and follow the instructions Jesus left, or you live under the consequences you created for yourself. Today, we can have a brand new day for those who choose to live right, do right according to the word of the Bible. Last week's topics were why should we follow Jesus? Jesus has already overcome the world. Jesus paid a price for you. Jesus was left with instructions on how you can be set free and set others free. How do we know how to follow Jesus? Jesus is the word of life, so read your Bible day and night. What choices do we have for our life? Who is responsible for our life choices and direction? This week on following the steps Jesus left for you, part two, we were discussing the steps that Jesus left for you to take. The Lord Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life for those who choose Jesus and follow him and do what he says. We live in a world where shortcuts to everything are taken. The definition of a shortcut is a method or means of doing something more directly and quickly and often not so thoroughly as by ordinary procedure. In some cases, they lead in the same direction. The shortcuts lead in the same direction, but skip the important information you need in order to get to the next point. Those who take shortcuts end up missing everything they need in order to do well in the new area they are seeking. Shortcuts are short, but they cut off the vital steps you need in order to have a solid foundation and effective directions that work. When you follow each step given to you, you will be lacking in nothing because you did not skip a step. A mindset on skipping steps, seeking shortcuts is not the way of the Lord. The way of the Lord leads to life. In John 10.10, in the kingdom of God, when a person tries to cheat, go around, get access to Jesus by ungodly means, the result is not the path of righteousness, but of the devil. Why? Because the devil is referred to as the thief in John 10.10. In John 10.10, this is Jesus speaking. I am the door. Anyone who enters in through me will be saved, will live. He will come in and he will go out freely and will find a pastor. The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd risks and lays down his own life for the sheep. So we can see the path that Jesus takes versus the path the devil takes in order to gain access. The devil will try to have you taking shortcuts, have you taking the wrong way. So when you get to the final doorway to enter, you don't have access because you don't have all the right things because you took a shortcut and you missed out on important information. Let's look at Matthew 7.14. Enter through the narrow gate for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction. And many are those who are entering through it. Verse 14, but the gate is narrow, contracted by pressure and the way is straightened and compressed that leads away to life and few are those who find it. This is a repeated scripture for the last couple of weeks because there's a distinct difference between taking a wide road, which seems like it appears as if it has many options. But when you get to the end of the wide road, you've gone in so many different directions that nothing is exact. Nothing is coming up with answers and it leads to chaos and confusion at times. But when you take the narrow path, which is the way that leads to life, it's literally leading to life and you're prospering because you're able to move forward because it is leading to life. If you are looking for Jesus, John 10.10 says that Jesus is the door. When we seek another way and not through Jesus, that means you are not entering the way of Jesus. If you are not entering the way of Jesus, yet trying to get access to the things of the kingdom, John 10.10 says that a thief comes to steal. Stealing is taking something through the wrong means of obtaining it without permission from the owner. If a person does not go through Jesus the right way, they will not be saved or enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows. This is according to John 10.10. We want to take the way through Jesus in order to walk in his steps. Let's look at this week's topics. Following Jesus as Lord. Why do believers follow Jesus rather than men? Discipleship is necessary through following Jesus. Be disciplined and listen to instruction. So let's start with following Jesus as Lord. Let's go to 1 Peter 2.21. For Christ also suffered for you, leaving you his personal example, so that you should follow in his footsteps. If we are coming to Jesus and asking for his help, we must make him Lord of our life. It's like going to a place asking to work. Once you are under that job, you must do the things their way in order to achieve the results you were looking for or the results they are looking for. We have tried things our way and it did not work. For this reason, we know that the answer to what we are seeking is not within our reach, our own knowledge. When we come to the conclusion that we do not have the answers and what we seek is only through Jesus, we need to make a choice. That choice is to let go of the path we have chosen and follow Jesus. When we follow Jesus, he now has become our Lord and Savior. Let's look at Psalms 37.23. The steps of a good man are directed and established by the Lord. When he delights in his way and he busies himself with his every step, though he falls, he shall not utterly be cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him. So we're understanding that when we turn our ways into the ways of Jesus, there's a support system that Jesus provides when we make Jesus as Lord. And to emphasize, when you don't make Jesus your Lord as someone who is supposed to believe, then that means Jesus is not your Lord. Or if you serve many gods, that means Jesus is not your God, a capital G. Jesus is one of the many gods, which this refers to the wide gate that we were talking about in the previous scriptures. When there's many and multiple ways, it leads to confusion because you'll never accomplish what you're looking for because you're trying to take many ways that don't work. There's only one way to Jesus, one way to the Father, and that's through Jesus Christ. So let's look at why do believers follow Jesus rather than men. In Acts 5.29, Peter and the disciples were told not to teach. Then Peter, a disciple of Jesus, and the apostles replied, we must obey God rather than men. Let's look at Proverbs 21.2. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs and tries the hearts. We can look at ourselves and say, OK, everything that we're doing is right. It seems like it's right to me. But when you make Jesus as Lord of your life, then you're going according to God's ways because he sees rightly and he can see everything. If you ever looked at an ant pile or insects and you're standing over them, those insects can't see a mile away from where they are. But you, if you're standing over an insect or a bug, you can see far off into the trees. You can see water coming. You can see if anything is going to come near them and hurt them. And this is how God is able to look at us. Only God supernaturally is able to weigh and try what's actually in our hearts and what's our heart motive. Let's look at Proverbs 14.12. There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death. For this example, I like to think about if you've ever driven a car, a car has side mirrors that you can look through to try to see behind you. But in every car, there's this spot and it's called a blind spot. And that's the area that you can't see with your eyes because you're driving and you're facing forward. The mirrors don't cover it because the mirrors don't go in enough. So it's a spot where cars can come up on you. And that means you can't see every area. It's a blind spot. We cannot see every area. We need to depend on a higher power to see more than we can see, to understand more than we can understand, to have more wisdom and knowledge than we could ever comprehend. We are depending on a greater individual, which is Jesus Christ. Let's look at Proverbs 16.1-3. The plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to a man. So this is saying a man makes plans and orderly thinking. But from the Lord comes the wise answer of the tongue. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits and the thoughts and intents of the heart. So God is examining each person and weighing us according to the intentions of our heart. Let's look at verse 3. Roll your works upon the Lord, commit and trust them wholly to him. He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to his will, and so shall your plans be established and succeed. When you line up with God's will and you make Jesus Lord, then God is going to help you line up with his will, with his thinking, so that you're going to get understanding. And it says, so shall your plans be established and succeed. This is a sign that when you're with Jesus and you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, your plans will be established and succeed. Let's look at Proverbs 16.9. A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. So how many times have you, let's say, been working with someone and they didn't explain things right, or they're not helping you to navigate through everything? Well, Jesus helps us to navigate through everything and he makes our steps sure. So when we're with Jesus, we're confident in what we're doing. Let's look at some of the benefits of following Jesus and God rather than man. Psalms 119.133. Establish my steps and direct them by means of your word. Let not any iniquity have dominion over me. This is just a prayer asking the Lord to establish their steps and to not let iniquity, which is evil, have dominion, have power over them. Let's look at Psalms 34.15. Depart from evil and do good. Seek, inquire for, and crave peace, and pursue, go after it. The eyes of the Lord are towards the uncompromisingly righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. When you are uncompromisingly righteous, which means you're in Christ, you're doing what he told you to do. You're living according to his word. God's ears are open to your cry when you need help. Let's look at Psalms 34.16. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil. To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Verse 17. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their distress and troubles. Amen. So when you are righteous, when you're uncompromisingly righteous, God hears your cry and he delivers you out of all your distress and troubles. Amen. Sounds like a good plan to me. Verse 18. The Lord is close to those who are brokenhearted and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent. Verse 19. Many evils confront the consistently righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. So this means when you're consistently righteous, it doesn't mean that you're not going to have trouble, but it means that the Lord is going to be with you and deliver you out of them all. Amen. Verse 20. He keeps all his bones. Not one of them is broken. Evil shall cause the death of the wicked and they who hate the just and righteous shall be held guilty and shall be condemned. Verse 22. The Lord redeems the lives of his servants and none of those who take refuge and trust in him shall be condemned or held guilty. Wow, that's really good. When you trust in the Lord, you're not going to be condemned or held guilty because the Lord is going to make everything right to work all those things out for good. Let's look at Proverbs 14, 14. The backslider in heart from God and from fearing God shall be filled with the fruit of his own ways and a good man shall be satisfied with the fruit of his ways, with the holy thoughts and actions, which his heart prompts and in which he delights. So that means when you do evil and you delight in evil, the fruit, which is what you produce out of your life, shall be evil. But when you produce actions that are holy and the holiness is coming from the promptings in your heart to want to do good in your heart, then your life is going to be holy and you're going to be guided by the Lord because the Lord delights in those who are uncompromisingly righteous and he can direct your footsteps. Let's look at what else God does for man as man is walking through this life, trying to make decisions. Let's look at Philippians 4, verse 8 to 9. This is Jesus speaking. For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemingly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious. If there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things. Fix your minds on them. Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Jesus speaking and model your way of living on it and the God of peace of untroubled, undisturbed well-being will be with you. God is trying to tell us that as we follow Jesus, we are to put into practice all the things that Jesus told us. So in Philippians 4, which is the verses that we just read, verses 8 to 9 ends with Jesus saying, practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in him, which is Jesus speaking and model your way of living on it. So model your way of living. How do we live? How does God direct our paths? Why do we choose Jesus over man? Because Jesus is showing us how to model our way of living on what he has shown us. Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in Jesus and model your way of living on it. When we practice what Jesus has shown us, we are being discipled by him. What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ? Disciple definition, one who embraces and assist in spreading the teachings of another. So in this case, you would be a disciple of Jesus and you would spread the teachings of Jesus. This means it's no longer our decisions, our way, our truth, our understanding. Coming to Jesus and following him means that in your life, in all things, Jesus is Lord. This means Jesus is Lord over all your decisions, choices, directions, wants, needs. From the point you decide to become saved, Jesus becomes the way you live, the truth you should live by and the life you now imitate. This is a choice. You must choose this day whom you serve. If you choose Jesus, then you are following Jesus and you are a disciple of Christ. Sometimes people become saved. They say some words and they think that that is it. But you want to become a disciple of Christ and learn all that Jesus did so then you could be like Jesus because as Jesus is, so are we in this world. Let's look at Matthew 16, 24. Then Jesus said to his disciples, if anyone desires to be my disciple, let him deny himself, disregard, lose sight of and forget himself and his own interests and take up his cross and follow me. Cleave steadfastly to me, conform wholly to my example in living and if need be in dying also. We saw an example of how Jesus lived when we were reading Philippians 4 verses 8 to 9. Let's look at Luke 14, 27. Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after, follow me, cannot be my disciple. Jesus is saying if you're not following him, you can't be his disciple. That just simply means if you take a class in a school or university, if you don't follow what the teacher says and do what the teacher says, you're not going to pass that class. The same thing as Jesus. If you're not following Jesus, doing what Jesus said, being obedient to the word, you won't pass in being a believer. That would be the bottom line. Let's look at John 12, verse 26. If anyone serves me, he must continue to follow me, to cleave steadfastly to me, conform wholly to my example in living and if need be in dying and wherever I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the father will honor him. Proverbs 3, 5-8, lean on, trust in and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways, know, recognize and acknowledge him which is the Lord Jesus and he will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn entirely from evil. It shall be health to your nerves and sinews and marrow and moistening to your bones. Amen. While we're on this journey and we're trying to serve Jesus, to be like Jesus, to be an imitator of Christ, we have to have discipline and we have to listen to the instruction of the Lord. Be disciplined and listen to instruction. Proverbs 19, 20, hear counsel, receive instruction and accept correction that you may be wise in the time to come. Hearing is completely different than listening. Listening, the definition of listening, to hear something with thoughtful attention, give consideration and then to receive that word that you're hearing, the instruction that the Lord is giving you. The definition for receiving is to permit to enter, to accept as an authoritative truth or accurate, to act as a receptacle or container for the information. So, for example, when you receive information from Jesus, you become a container for that information and hold it in yourself as it's valuable. That's how we're supposed to hold on to God's word. Why do we need to listen to and follow instruction and steps that Jesus left us? Let's look at 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 to 17. Every scripture is God breathed, given by his inspiration and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience and for training in righteousness, in holy living, in conformity to God's will, in thought, purpose and action, so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well-fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. When we are working for Jesus, God is making sure that we are complete, we are proficient and we are fitted and equipped to do every good work. Amen. Let's look at Psalms 119, 104 to 106. Through your precepts, I get understanding. So this is talking about through God's word and through God's teachings. I get understanding. Therefore, I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and have confirmed it, that I will keep your righteous ordinance, hearing, receiving, loving and obeying them. Amen. Amen. Proverbs 23, 12. Apply your mind to instruction and correction and your ears to words of knowledge. Let's look at Romans 2, 18. And know and understand his will and discerningly approve the better things and have a sense of what is vital because you are instructed by the law. Proverbs 8, 32, 36. But let's go back to being instructed by the law. Since Jesus came, we are instructed by Jesus. Let's look at Proverbs 8, verse 32 to 36. Noun. Therefore, listen to me, O you sons, for blessed, happy, fortunate to be envied are those who keep my ways. When you keep God's ways, when you're following after Jesus and you're doing everything that you're supposed to be doing, you are blessed, happy, fortunate to be envied. You're walking in this way and God is pleased with you and he blesses you. Verse 33. Hear instruction and be wise and do not refuse or neglect it. So not only do we receive instruction from Jesus, but it says do not refuse or neglect the instruction. So if Jesus tells us, let's say in order for that spirit to come out, we have to pray and fast. When he gives us this instruction, there's a reason why he's giving us the instruction. And when we pray and we fast, those people will be delivered because we're following his instructions because he's the way, he's the truth, and he's the life. Amen. God, you're so good to us. Let's look at this last verse, Job 23, 10 to 11. But he knows the way that I take. So this is talking about God knows the way that we take. When he has tried us, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps. I have kept his way and have not turned aside. Amen. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, God, that you say that we shall come out like gold, Lord, when we hold fast to your steps, Lord. Thank you, Lord, for just giving us strength and endurance to hold steadfast to your ways, to your saying, to your truth, to your life. There's none. There's none but you, God. There's none worthy but you, God. There's none worthy but you, God. We praise you. Jesus name. Amen.