God's GPS for You

[Steve] On the road of life, where are you heading? With all the twists, turns, potholes around every corner, you can’t help but wonder: What exactly is the purpose of my life’s journey?

How can you know which way to go and what lies ahead?

Do you realize that God has given you the ultimate GPS? A spiritual one. He’s mapped out an amazing path for your life that reveals His plan. It’s through His plan that God provides the best direction for you.

He knows the biggest obstacles. He knows the construction zones. He knows the roadblocks and the best routing. In this journey of life, God’s GPS gives His direction with three guideposts you need to know.

Of course, I’m talking about the plan God lays out for you in the pages of your Bible. He provides these three guideposts to steer you on the drive of life. Do you know them and do you follow them?

It’s through the guidance of His GPS, you can not only know God’s plan for your future, but also the future of all mankind.

Stay tuned to Beyond Today as we discover the three vital guideposts for life found in “God’s GPS for You.”

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[Steve] Imagine that you’re thinking of taking an extensive trip. You know it would take planning. You’d have to decide when to leave, what to pack and maybe even where to stop along the way. But first, you’d have to figure out exactly where you are going.

Now once you’ve decided on the destination, you might pull out a roadmap or your GPS. Because you’d want to make sure that you plan the best trip.

Spiritually speaking, God has done just that. He has planned the best route for the journey of your life, and given you His spiritual GPS.

In the Bible, God has clearly mapped out His plan of salvation through the biblical festivals. The biblical festivals—Have you heard of them? What are they? Well they were first mentioned in the Old Testament and later, Jesus observed those same Feast Days. Even the apostles continued Jesus’ example in keeping these days. And God reveals in Scripture, that still today, these days are the days that Christians should observe—to worship Him and to honor Him. They are Holy Days that illustrate what He’s doing. They show the way that God will fulfill His purpose in bringing many sons to glory—bringing them into His family.

These Feast Days clearly show the coordinates to God’s true plan: GPS—God’s Plan of Salvation.

Did you know that God gives direction by three powerful signs that you need to know? These three major guideposts are described in the Bible as yearly commemorations.

Let’s notice them:

God directs all Christians: “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year” (Exodus 23:14).

Now these are guideposts for all of us—His Feast Days. He says, “keep a feast to Me.” Did you know that God wants you to observe special days to worship Him?

These guideposts are festival seasons—times during the year in which God has outlined and designated for worship and commemoration. Now the great thing about the route that God has planned is that it’s not complicated. There are just three guideposts that you need to understand and keep to follow His GPS and to honor God.

Now here’s something that most Christians don’t realize. This path is shown throughout the New Testament Church. So let’s check the GPS—God’s Plan of Salvation as we take a tour of the New Testament and the direction God gave His Church.

The first of these yearly guideposts, are Feast Days that God demonstrates the solution to sin. The first marker in GPS—God’s Plan of Salvation, is the fact that Christ is our Passover—the sacrifice for sin.

Now without it, no one completes the journey—All need the sacrifice of Christ to be saved. He is the only solution to sin by His sacrifice. And this is illustrated in our first guidepost—the New Testament Passover.

Remember the first recorded Passover in the Old Testament? Now that’s when lamb’s blood was put on the doorposts of the Israelites in Egypt. Each year following, it was celebrated as a memorial of God’s protection on that night. Now they didn’t realize it, but it was also picturing the future sacrifice that Jesus would make for all people!

After Christ’s sacrifice, the Passover became a memorial to Him  (Luke 22:14-20; John 13:15; 1 Corinthians 5:7). This memorial is so important for today, it’s mentioned 28 times in the New Testament!

But what is the New Testament Passover all about? Should a Christian stop on the way and consider its meaning? Absolutely. Passover is about the One who is so holy, so important, that without Him there is no solution—there is no sacrifice—no salvation, no hope. Passover is about Jesus Christ. So no wonder Christians should observe it today.

The apostle Paul wrote of this important observance: “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus Himself taught “‘...This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:25-26).

Christians today should recognize this important guidepost and observe the New Testament Passover. Now even though it may sound Jewish, it’s not. And it’s not about taking a little wafer and wine once a week or once a month at a church service. That does not follow Jesus’ guidance.

He taught, it’s a profound act of reverence and worship that occurs once a year as a unique memorial. We’re instructed: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28). We remember Jesus’ death—how He paid the price for sin and our commitment to live by every Word of God. By keeping this memorial, we can also better understand and appreciate how He has removed our sin. 

God’s Plan of Salvation—His GPS—begins by pointing us in the direction of how Jesus has given His life as a solution to sin. So what direction are you heading? Do you know your bearing and position? At times in life, we may get lost.

Like the time that I was traveling to a city I had never been to before. I was trying to navigate through the big city, and I faced unfamiliar streets. I was surrounded by huge buildings and of course, the traffic. I was supposed to turn left and somehow I got confused and I turned right. Now within a moment or two, my GPS called out instructions: “Make a U-turn if possible. Make a U-turn if possible.” Well, I happened to be on a one way street and at each intersection that I came to, there was a marking “No U-turn.” But boy, my GPS was adamant: “Make a U-turn if possible. Make a U-turn if possible.” Finally, I was able to make that U-turn and get back on track to finally make it to my ultimate destination.

Now my dilemma reminds me of a great spiritual lesson: We can make a wrong turn in life. Sin can send us on unwanted detours away from the right road—away from God’s purpose. But you can understand where you’re going and His purpose and get right on track. It’s through God’s GPS—His Plan of Salvation. Jesus was sacrificed for the wrong directions we’ve chosen in life. He leads us to make the U-turns that we need to negotiate through that traffic of life. His yearly guideposts, the biblical festivals—they show the way and illustrate His purpose. They designate the best road that you should travel for your life and God’s overall plan for everyone.

Now there’s more to this first guidepost—the solution for sin. And we’ll discover that in just a moment.

There’s so much more territory to cover on this journey—more than we can today. That’s why we’ve put God’s complete spiritual guide into our valuable free Bible study aid, God’s Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. This illustrated, easy-to-read study aid will guide your expedition through God’s annual cycle of festivals clearly described in Scripture.

To request your free copy of: God’s Holy Day Plan—The Promise of Hope for All Mankind simply call us toll free at: 1-888-886-8632. That’s 1-888-886-8632. Or, go online to BeyondToday.tv to read or download this highly-informative study aid. Or, you can write us at the address shown on your screen [Beyond Today, PO Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254]. Be assured that when you contact us, no one will call on you and your name will not be given to anyone.

The guideposts God gives to us all are His Feast Days. Remember what He said? “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year ” (Exodus 23:14). So all Christians are to observe special festivals that God directed. More than just days to worship and honor God, He reveals that these festivals outline His plan to bring human beings into His family—GPS—God’s Plan of Salvation.

The first guide that He posted is a solution to sin. Now immediately after the New Testament Passover, followers of Christ are steered to discover another aspect of this first guidepost—a time to focus on living sin-free.

Now this one may sound a bit odd, but Jesus’ New Testament Church was instructed to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In 1 Corinthians 5:8, the apostle Paul gives—even Christians today—our clear cut coordinates: “Therefore let us keep the Festival ” (NIV).

Originally, God gave His people these directions long ago. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a reminder to the Israelites that God delivered them from Pharaoh? Now, what does that have to do with you and me?

Well just as the Israelites were rescued from slavery in Egypt, God has rescued us from the slavery of sin. So for seven days, Christians are directed to avoid leaven. Now that’s what causes bread dough to rise—like yeast or baking soda. We are to remove them from our homes as an object lesson. Now during this Festival, leaven represents sin. So each year, we get it out of our homes during this time as a reminder to keep sin out of our lives.

Now you might wonder: “Why would God take me down that path? That seems kind of ‘Old Testament-y’, doesn’t it? Wasn’t that road closed and done away with long ago?” The plain answer is: no it wasn’t. It’s no less important today than ever!

Now let me explain that by an example: My family and I were on a road trip to my in-laws. What could be better than a visit with Grandma and Grandpa? Well I had just gotten a brand new GPS and I was trying it out along the way.

Well at some point, I began to tamper with the settings. I was having fun selecting all the different voices, the miles or kilometers, and all the various screen colors. Now, as I was playing on the screen and pushing buttons, I must have selected a different type of trip. So instead of the fastest route, I must have accidentally switched it to the shortest route.

Suddenly, we found ourselves in a dangerous, a disturbing part of the city. I had no idea where we were and where the GPS was directing us. But, what option did I have? I had to trust that somehow, that GPS was going to get us out of there. So after what seemed like an eternity, the next guidepost ahead finally looked like something familiar. Boy, was I relieved! The tension started to ease. I began to feel safe and secure. It knew where we were and I was so glad that that GPS led us to the right way out.

Now think about that in a spiritual way: just because something seems unfamiliar or uncomfortable, or just because some feel like these days don’t seem to make sense today, that’s not true! You’re not really lost. God is leading you. It is the right way. You’re safe in His guidance. His path shows GPS—God’s Plan of Salvation. So don’t doubt it—follow His lead and it will be for the best.

The solution to sin—that guidepost—includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These days symbolize the fact that Christians are navigating away from the leaven   of malice and wickedness (1 Corinthians 5:8), hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), immorality (Romans 1:29) and false teachings (2 Peter 2:1, Matthew 16:12). These are some of the sins that true followers of Jesus must strive to overcome—because sin is like leaven and it can grow and spread.

Yet, there’s an even more significant aspect to this marker. Did you know that Jesus was resurrected during the Days of Unleavened Bread? These days also direct us to the promise of the risen Christ.

Here’s what He promised: “I f anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).

If we truly love God, we’ll follow His navigation system and He promises to always lead and guide us.

Observing the Days of Unleavened Bread reminds us that we can’t do it on our own. We tend to get lost on the road of sin. Now instead, we can be righteous on that godly way—because Jesus is living His righteous life in our hearts and in our minds. Empowering us in the right path to conquer sin.

The apostle Paul explained it this way: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

No wonder God sets the route for all Christians—directly through the Days of Unleavened Bread. They’re a yearly reminder that the resurrected Christ saves us from the penalty of sin and lives again in us.

But don’t forget—that’s not the end of the journey. We’re reminded that Christ living in us gives us sure hope of the ultimate destination. Just down the road, we can look forward to eternal life—glory in the Kingdom of God, as His divine children. Colossians 1:27 says, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

As Christians eat unleavened bread during this festival, we’re reminded: He makes it possible to put sin out of our lives. We want with all of our being to have Jesus living within us, guiding and directing our way. Without Him, we’d be lost.

Now we come by way of GPS—that’s God’s Plan of Salvation—to the second of three major guideposts. This festival season is represented by the word: power. God wants to point you in the right direction by giving you power to overcome. We’ll begin to discover what that means in just a moment.

But first I’d like to help you learn more about the path that God has in mind for your life. Be sure and request your free copy of our helpful study aid, God’s Holy Day Plan—The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. In this free study aid, you’ll learn how God has mapped out His plan of salvation through His Holy Days—so you can better understand your ultimate destiny and how you can attain it!

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We’ve been discussing God’s Plan of Salvation—His GPS for our lives illustrated in the biblical festivals. God’s Feast Days are guideposts that He gives to all of us. He says Christians today are to honor Him by observing these special festivals that outline His purpose, just like the New Testament Church did and continues to do.

There is no doubt that God has a plan and He directs us in the best path: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). Now isn’t that what we all want? Peace, hope, safe travels.

Well the second guidepost in the plan of God offers us just that—Power. We all need power on the road of life—but this kind of power is the kind that brings confidence and safety, because we are offered the very Power of God!

It’s represented in the biblical Feast of Pentecost. It was celebrated with much excitement in the Old Testament because it signified the completion of the early harvest.

Now this is vital today as well, because this festival teaches Christians so much about the role of Jesus Christ in God's plan. Let’s notice the direction given in this important Festival in the New Testament.

When Jesus was about to ascend to heaven after the resurrection,—Christ told the apostles: “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth…” (John 14:15-17).

Jesus told them what they should do, where they should go and gave them a promise. “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

That power is the Holy Spirit. Do you know when they were given the Spirit of God? Exactly when Jesus foretold. “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting... And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit...” (Acts 2:1-4).

You see, it was no accident. The Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples on the Feast of Pentecost.

Jesus fulfilled the promise that He and the Father would come to the disciples by and through the power of the Spirit on that very special day.

They were no longer a people that were confused and disoriented—they were now the people of God. And it was through the power of the Holy Spirit, that they would now be able to truly overcome sin. And through that same power, God's Church would take the gospel to the world.

Now, this was not a “one and done” kind of thing. That wasn’t the kind of trip they were on. The apostles and the New Testament Church of God continued to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. They knew that the Holy Days were not to be bypassed and fade into the history of the Jews. God performed one of the most spectacular events ever on the Day of Pentecost to establish it as the birth of the New Testament Church!

But not only that, almost 1/4 century after the death of Christ, we find the apostle Paul and the New Testament Church waiting to observe the Feast of Pentecost (1 Corinthians 16:8).

God wants all Christians to celebrate this day and all of His festivals. He doesn’t tell us that we can pick which days, or choose for ourselves what we want to celebrate. He gives us the best navigation and He directs us to follow Him and stick to the path that He chooses—the way that truly brings Him honor.

But has this ever happened to you? Have you ever thought that you knew a better way than the GPS? Well it happened to me. I was traveling down the road, heading to my destination, and I thought I knew pretty well the way—but, I had the GPS on “just in case.” Now as I came to an intersection, the GPS wanted me to turn but for some reason, it just didn’t seem right. It didn’t feel right. It felt wrong. I mean I was sure the best direction was straight ahead. So I didn’t turn. What I thought was the right way, what I thought might even be a shortcut, what I felt was right, turned out to be wrong—a 2-hour diversion wrong!

See, sometimes we think we know better than the GPS, but normally it’s taking us by the most efficient way. More importantly, this is true for the route God has chosen for us. It is the only way to salvation.

For many Christians today, God’s Holy Days may not initially feel right, may not seem right. Might not feel like the right direction. I mean after all, you may think: “I’ve never gone this way before. That’s not the direction I was taught or that’s not the way my church follows.” Now don’t forget—God knows and reveals the best way. Don’t ignore it.

You see, unfortunately, too many are diverted off the path of God and the plan that He shows through His festivals. But God tells us, stay on His highway—it's the best way. Keep the festivals that His New Testament Church celebrated. He promises to get you through the ruts of false religion and wrong thinking—if you trust Him and His perfect path. Are you willing to listen to His guidance?

The apostle Paul was thrilled that the Thessalonians were willing to choose to follow the right way. “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The biblical festivals give us the ultimate guide in God's plan of salvation. Do you welcome the way of God? There may be times it seems that we’re out in the middle of nowhere, on a lonely highway where we don’t see anyone for miles and miles. Life can at times seem like we’re all alone on the journey—like there isn’t anyone else on this road.

But, we can be confident—not only are we headed in the right direction, but there are plenty of people choosing to travel the true way of God.

Now remember, we spoke of three guideposts.  God’s Feast Days are given as direction signs when He said, three times in the year. He also meant Christians should keep a Feast to Him (Exodus 23:14). The third guidepost points to the fact that God desires to have everyone—all people—follow His GPS . It’s God giving all an opportunity to follow Him.

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Isn’t it time to take a serious look at the path you’ve been traveling? God’s given you the way to understand His plan and His purpose. The biblical festivals are guideposts for life that represent what God’s doing.

Why not recalculate your way and stay on the right path? God designed Christians to travel down His road and observe His days year after year. They help to remind us of the right way—and keep us on the best path—the road God has chosen.

So keep your eyes on the ultimate destination—the Kingdom of God and plan your journey by GPS—God’s Plan of Salvation.

Thanks for joining me today. Don’t forget our free offers and be sure to tell your family and friends about us. Tune in again next week, at this same time, for another edition of Beyond Today and join us in praying, “Thy Kingdom come.” For Beyond Today I’m Steve Myers. Thanks for watching.

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