The Broad and Narrow Way of Life

By: Kimberly Jackson
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:25:31
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Matthew 7:13 and 14: Enter through the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Imagine a gate before you. Once you enter through this gate, the way is either broad or narrow. God says in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed (descendants) may live.”

You, the individual have the ability to make a conscious decision on which path to travel on. Remember, there are only two ways, the broad, the narrow and none other. You can choose to either travel on the strait and narrow, or veer to the left onto the wide and broad path. You choose between right and wrong, good and evil, holiness and sin. The choice you make will either lead you to heaven or hell. God loves us so much that He clearly explains in Deuteronomy 28 the consequences to pay for taking the broad path which brings about curses upon your life. He also explains the beneficial rewards of traveling on the narrow path which leads to blessings. 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shall hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. 15th But it shall come to pass, if thou will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. After taking the time to read Deuteronomy 28 in its entirety take your pick. Make your choice. Enter the strait and narrow now before the gate becomes shut. Seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near and while the gate is still open. Failure to acknowledge and serve God leads to death eternity. Take a look at America and surrounding countries. Do you ever wonder why so much is going on? If you sow evil, you reap evil. If you fail to obey God’s blueprint for living, then you open the door for evil to cause havoc. Whatever decision you make will determine your outcome.

The Broad Path

The broad path is what many travel on today. The term broad means wide, spacious, tolerant, open and unrestrained. It offers a wide spectrum of paths within itself. It is enticing, diverse and has many deceptive things to offer. This path is not strict, but very lenient, instead. You can do anything you want to do and live however you want on this path and in vain say Lord, Lord. On this path people are lead to believe that they are on the right path to God when they are not. The devil doesn’t care who he uses to mislead people. People are tricked into thinking they can live the life of sin and still go to heaven. They assume that Jesus Christ is their Lord and personal Savior while they continue to live a Hollywood lifestyle of sin.

On this path there are many philosophies, myths, traditions and doctrines of devils. They don’t eat the whole roll of the Word of God, instead they dip and dab. They take out what they want to believe to suit their lifestyle. If you encounter a religion whose viewpoints, or mindsets are contrary to the doctrines of the Bible, then that religion is false. They dispute the Bible having departed from the faith. They deny the deity of Christ and the works of the cross. They say Jesus is not the son of God. They distort the infallibility of the Bible, final judgment, and eternal life in heaven. They are in denial of everlasting punishment. They say there is no such thing as sin. They say there is no Supreme Being. They say there is no devil. They say the devil is something conjured up in the mind. They say hell is a figment of one’s imagination. They even say heaven is an illusion. Instead of saying, I am a god: they say I am God. Some say there is no God.

On this path, bump the fact that in the beginning God created, instead they credit Darwin’s theory of evolution. They even say that we no longer have to uphold the Ten Commandments. On this path comes the formation of a universal one world religion where all religions come together under one umbrella and embrace one another’s beliefs. This is the gathering together of the apostate church.

The broad path is the road of compromise and many religious people travel there upon. They walk not in integrity and honesty and yet do wickedly and call themselves ministers of God. Many of them sit in Moses’ seat pretending to be who God didn’t call them to be. They eat, drink, and rise up to play church. Some of them eat from the table of satan and the table of the Lord at the same time. There is a lot of flesh activity going on on this path. The flesh has not completely died out as the old man still lingers on. There are many who walk this path inflated with pride. They walk around with their head lifted up and their chest stuck out with no Spirit and no power, just a lot of education. Titles and positions of authority have completely gone to their head. A title, license, or degree does not qualify one to preach or teach the gospel. The anointing qualifies you.

The devil is the leader on this broad path, but they can’t even discern him. They can’t discern the spirit of error from the spirit of truth. The spirit of truth is false to them. The reason being is because they don’t want the truth. They will turn around and ask you, do you belong to a cult or are you sure you’re saved? John the Baptist preached repentance and they said he had a devil. They said Jesus cast out devils by Beelzebub, crediting the Spirit’s work to satan. As you can see, there is much ignorance along this path.

The spirit of error comes to them in sheep clothing. It appears righteous on the outside, but on the inside it is false. False prophets, false teachers, false apostles, you name it, travel along this path. Out of their mouth they say Lord, Lord, but not everyone who says Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of the Father will enter in. Misleading people is not doing the will of the Father. It is getting you a Woe in front of your name.

On this path, people consume false information dished out by false leaders, and as the Bible so plainly puts it, they give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. When presented with truth, they will label it as a strange doctrine and will question your role as a Christian. On this path, right is wrong and wrong is right. People accept anything offered along this path to keep from having to live by God’s standards.

The broad way finally meets its end in eternal damnation and everlasting destruction. And the thought that many travel this path and where it leads to should make anyone not want to walk it. Luke 13:24 says, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. Don’t be among the many who couldn’t enter in. Choose the strait and narrow way of life.

The Narrow Path

Apart from the broad path is the narrow path. Strait means passage, avenue, or route. The term narrow means thin, tight, restricted, or tapered. The narrow way is too strict for some people. You see, on the narrow path you can’t do what you want to do and call yourself a child of God. On this path God’s word is the final authority. His Word sticks and supersedes any human or earthly wisdom, debates, thoughts and opinions. God is in control. A royal priesthood of kings and priests travel along this path. They are humble, loyal and submitted to God. They uphold God’s standards and obey His commandments. God has set guidelines for His children to live by. Is He asking much? No.

On this narrow path you will find the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And some people don’t want that, especially religious folk. They tend to neutralize God and keep Him in a box. On the narrow path, satan is eulogized and God gets the glory in testimonies. On the broad path, religious folk tend to keep satan alive. They credit him for every wrong that is going on in their life, instead of recognizing what God wants them to get out of their discomforting situation and then praising Him in advance for victory.

The narrow path is the way of holiness. On the narrow path, the old nature, or the old man (flesh) has died out. There is no self praise, self glory, or self exaltation. God does the exalting in due season. Traditions, rituals and customs are done away with and replaced with God’s Spirit, power and divine order. On this path you’ll find true love, true joy, true peace, true happiness and true freedom, whereas on the broad path it is imitation only. On this path lies temptation, but you have the power to resist it. For God promised to make a way of escape for you in the hour of temptation. And this, my friend, is not the rapture.

On the narrow path there is much tribulation and affliction. Gird up the loins of your mind because you’ll be called everything but a child of God. The sad thing about it is that the persecution is coming from your own kind, namely, kinfolk, friends and church folk. A man’s foes shall be they of his own household. Matthew 10:36. You may suffer criticism, slander, false accusation, defamation of character, and et cetera. Hereby, you know you are on the right track. Matthew 5:10-12 states, “Blessed are ye when men persecute you and say all manner of evil against you.” Rejoice.

The narrow path leads to life through Jesus Christ. Jesus expressed in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one cometh to the Father, but by me.” No one comes to the Father but by whom? Jesus. He says in John 11:25, “I (Jesus) am the resurrection and the life.” When you die physically, you shall live on spiritually and eternally because of your belief in Jesus. The narrow path will lead you to every promise God has given in His Word. The benefits that come with the cross includes: security, peace, healing, prosperity, comfort, deliverance, power, success, spiritual gifts, and eternal life—just to name a few. Hey, God has a lot to offer! I can’t list them all.

Let’s take a minute and go back to the broad way. Begin to picture Hollywood and the term “Broadway.” Here you have the glitter, the glamour, extravagant and diverse lifestyles, divers lusts, excessive appetite for worldly pleasures, different religions and beliefs, heinous sin, fancy cars, mansions, contracts/deals, entertainment, sexual immorality, deception and just plain ole deceptive fun. All the excitement is temporal and at some point leads to unhappiness, depression, drugs, murder, and suicide. The truth is that it leads to destruction and eternal damnation.

It is one thing to be rich and famous and living a godly life. And it is another thing to be rich and famous and not covered under the blood of Jesus Christ. Being rich without Jesus in your life will destroy you. People are trying to take alternative routes to God. There are no alternative routes to God. Since you can’t read my lips, please read my writing: JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD. Don’t fight the truth! There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. I Timothy 2:5

Man has created unto himself many paths, but God has only set before us one gate and two paths to choose from once we get to that gate. Simple and plain, God has set before us the way of life and the way of death. The broad way leads to curses and death and the narrow way leads to blessings and life. All paths do not lead to God. There is only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ. To sum it all up, according to Ephesians 4:5, there is only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

What path are you on today? Is it the path to life or the path to destruction? Remember, you stand to lose a lot traveling the broad path. You stand to gain more than you can ever imagine traveling on the narrow. Choose ye this day, heaven or hell, the blessing or the cursing. My word of wisdom to you is: PICK the strait and narrow and be well on your way to life eternity. Remember there are many in number who travel the wide and broad path and only a few who travel on the strait and narrow. Don’t be liken unto the foolish virgins who knocked and the door was shut and in response to their plea to open up, the bridegroom said, “I know you not.” Be ye counted among the few so that the peace and grace of God may follow you all the days of your life. Choose ye the strait and narrow way of life.

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