Crossroads… Hmmm; sounds
familiar? We’ve all been there before, haven’t we? It’s a ‘place’; a situation
in which you’re at a loss on which step to take. Just like when you come to a
road which bifurcates and you don’t know which path is the right one; a
situation in your life may arise in which you don’t know exactly which step to
take. You’re confused and at a loss.
You’re at a critical point when an
important decision must be made. That’s what being at the crossroads mean.
Yeah, we’ve all seen this kind
of situation times without number. Can I ask you something, though? What
exactly did you do when you were at your own crossroads? Did you just blindly
choose one option and got going? Did you ‘follow your heart’? (What does that
even mean?). What do you think is appropriate to do when at the crossroads?
Fine, I’ll tell you exactly the
correct steps to take in order to make the perfect decision when you’re at the
crossroads.
How did I know? Well, I don’t
think I should take the credit of revealing these powerful steps. Here’s where
I found it.
JEREMIAH 6:16 (NLT)
‘This is what the LORD says,
“Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old godly way and walk in
it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls”. But you reply, No
that’s not the road we want!
Isn’t it beautiful and amazing
that ALL the steps that are required for you to make the correct decision when
you’re at the crossroads are embedded in just one bible verse?
I know you read that verse so
fast. So in order for us to fully extract all the information contained in
there, let’s take it slowly.
POINT #1
STOP!
Yes, STOP! That’s what the LORD
says. That’s the very first thing He says. STOP! When you get to that confusing
point in your life, STOP! Don’t go any further. Take a little break, all to
yourself. Don’t do anything rash. In fact, don’t do anything at all. You must
have to stop and wait.
I want you to understand
something very important. This secret alone has the potential of transforming
your life completely. Here it is: ‘Never allow other people to force, cajole or
compel you into making decisions in a hurry’. No! Never do this.
Your life is
yours to run. You alone are solely responsible for your life. You alone will
bear the rewards or the consequences of all the actions you take whether it was
someone who talked you into it or not; whether it was a friend, mother, father,
brother or uncle that advised you or not. It doesn’t in any way make any
difference. No one will bear your responsibilities for you.
When you understand this fact,
then you should and must never allow anyone, no matter who, to force or compel
you into taking up a responsibility or making a decision you are not convinced
that you are fully prepared for.
So, when you’re at the
crossroads, the first step you must take is to STOP. Got it?
POINT #2
LOOK AROUND
This means self-realization,
self-analysis, and self-evaluation. When you stop, you don’t just stop forever.
The next thing you must do is to look around… to look around very well. You
must ask yourself questions; dozens of questions: ‘Who am I?’, ‘Where am I?’,
‘What have I done?’, ‘What got me here?’, ‘How far have I come?’, ‘What
mistakes have I made?’, ‘What lessons do I need to learn?’, ‘How do I correct
my errors?’, ‘Who do I need to meet?’, ‘What next must I do?’
You know, there’s no end to
questions as well as answers. You must understand that one of the ways to get
results in your life is by asking the correct questions at the correct times
and of course to the correct people. Questions have a way of getting you to
think objectively; of getting you to take positive action and getting the
results that you deserve.
So when you get to the
crossroads, you STOP, and LOOK AROUND.
POINT #3
ASK
It’s even strong enough to earn
a point of its own. ASK! My friends ASK!
I could write a whole book
about this point. It really baffles me how so many people run their lives based
on their own perceptions and experiences which, in most cases, are grossly inadequate.
I want you to understand this
as clearly as you possibly can. Carve it on a stone and place it at the center
of your house. Write it in indelible ink in the deepest part of your heart.
Read it so often that it enters your long term memory.
What am I talking about? I’m
talking about the strategy that has helped millions of people to amass enormous
wealth. This habit has saved millions more from serious errors. This habit has
gotten lots more out of grave trouble; a strategy so simple that I wonder why
everyone isn’t using it; a strategy that can save you lots of time, energy,
effort and resources.
This secret strategy is called
EXPERT COUNSEL; yes, EXPERT COUNSEL. Did I hear you say: ‘Oh, is it this? I
already know it’. Yeah, I know you already know it. Perhaps I gave you some
suspense before revealing it, so I’ll ask you who ‘already knows it’ this
question. Do you really know what it means & how to use it?
OK, I’ll tell you. The person
that teaches you how to be wealthy, how wealthy is he? The guy that teaches you
morality, how good mannered is he? How about your spiritual instructors, how
spiritual are they?
This is so very simple. The
results you get in life can be traced to those who give you advice; your
mentors; your instructors; your counselors; those you listen to.
When I understood this
principle, I vowed never to listen to anybody who is not an expert for advice
in any field. I decided to listen to only the best people in the very aspect
that I need guidance on- THE VERY BEST PEOPLE. I listen to only those who have
gotten excellent results, because they have both knowledge and experience. If I
can do what they teach which happens to correspond to what they’ve done, I can
get the results they’ve gotten.
This key ALONE can liberate you
from the shackles of poverty in every aspect of your life. If you listen to a
mediocre, you’ll get mediocre results. If you listen to an expert, you’ll get
expert results.
How do you know mediocrities? -
BY THEIR FRUITS. How also do you know experts? - BY THEIR FRUITS.
So, if you have questions on
health, don’t go asking your neighbor who is a businessperson and has no
experience and knowledge on health. Go ask a qualified medical doctor; the very
best you can find. If you have a question about machines, go ask a good
engineer; a very good one. If you have a question on banking, ask a good
banker. Simple.
Why did I bring this up? I
brought it up because it’s part of what to do when you’re at the crossroads.
It’s the third thing you do after stopping and looking around. You ASK. If it’s
about marriage, you go to a qualified and experienced marriage counselor; the
very best in your area. Find the person and book an appointment. No one else is
acceptable.
When you’re at crossroads and
you’re confused, don’t go about complaining and asking for advice from
non-experts. Go to the experts and ASK.
I’ll introduce you to an ideal
Expert. In fact, He’s the Ideal Expert. His name is Jehovah. He knows everything better than
the best person on earth in any field. His counsel never fails. You can bet
your life on that. He’s the one talking in the above verse, remember?
He didn’t only tell you to ask,
he told you what to ask about…’Ask for the old, godly way’. It’s an old way, but it’s a godly way. It’s
an ancient path that leads to truth. That’s the way you must ask of.
Then lastly…
POINT #4
WALK IN IT
You’ve received the expert counsel;
you are expected to walk in it; to obey what it says. If an expert tells you
something, why should you do otherwise? You have to walk in an expert’s counsel
for when an expert gives you an advice or an opinion, he is giving you an
opportunity to tap into his deep well of knowledge and experience.
He isn’t merely telling you
what he thinks. He is telling you what he knows; what has worked for all the
people he has counseled and what will work for you as well.
So tell me, don’t you think it’s rather
foolish to ignore an expert’s advice? Yeah, I know, sometimes an expert could
be incorrect in his estimations and analyses, but these are exceptions, not the
rule. The rule is, up to 8 times out of 10, an expert will be correct in his
decisions, because of the wealth of knowledge and experience he possesses. So
when you visit an expert, listen to him; obey him; walk in it; apply what he
tells you to.
Here’s the most interesting part. Remember
the Expert I introduced you to earlier? Jehovah? He NEVER fails. He is correct
11 times out of 10. So when an expert here gives you an opinion, and He gives
you a different opinion on the same issue, I’m sure you know the one to believe
and obey. You don’t even have to think twice about it. Believe the Heavenly
Expert because he never fails; never has, and never will. He knows the end from
the beginning. No mortal or immortal can claim to have such a deep wealth of
Knowledge and Experience; the end from the beginning. So when He gives you an
opinion, you can be sure He already knows the outcome of you obeying or
disobeying, and in all cases, you should obey.
OK, I guess I’m done here. Before I drop
the pen however, I noticed that the people that were being instructed in the
scripture we read refused the Experts’ instructions. They wanted to go their
own way; to walk in their own ignorant path; you and I know the consequence of
that.
I hope you won’t be like these people.
Thanks for reading this post, Wishing
you the Very Best.
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