Laura Ingle

Key scripture – “The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth” (Luke 3:5).
I love the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) on my phone. A voice comes on and tells me how far I have to go and when to turn. However, sometimes I get off course and the voice says: “Recalculating route.” The GPS is telling me I have gone off course and it is now recalculating the route based on my wrong turn.
Sometimes we can make wrong turns in our spiritual lives. We think we are going the right direction only to discover it was never God’s will to enter that relationship, make that business deal, hire that person – the examples are limitless.
There is an amazing thing about God. He can make our crooked places straight. He has an ability to make whatever blunder you make turn out right. It may mean there might be some consequences to those decisions, but He will always allow your actions to work together for good for those called according to His purposes if we repent and seek Him fully to make things right. These lessons can even contribute to greater wisdom in our lives if we learn from our mistakes.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
God’s omnipotence is always one step ahead of our incompetence. Do you think He knew you would make that misstep? Absolutely. Do you think your life was planned even with that misstep figured in? Absolutely.
Isn’t it comforting to know you cannot plan God out of the equation no matter how bad you mess up? He will always turn crooked places into straight places and smooth out the rough places for those who are humble and contrite.
Do you need a crooked place straightened out today? Get on your knees and pray, and ask His forgiveness, then ask Him to straighten the course by directing your steps and guiding you so that you can flow in His perfect will for your life, and walk a straight not crooked path, that is smooth and not rough.

Pray this – My Precious Heavenly Father, when I look back over my life I can see how many crooked places You have made straight. As I go forward I want to avoid those crooked places and rough spots, and the way to do that is to follow what You told us to do in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.” That is how I want to live, however, I know that I cannot do it in my strength, because I am weak, but I can do it through the power of Jesus Christ which lives in me. That power that is in me is the same awesome power that raised Jesus from the dead and ascended Him to Heaven. I want to walk upright and blameless and never venture off of the straight path of righteousness. I know the starting place for walking a straight path is honesty and integrity with You and with others. “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9). Father, I know that if I let Your Word be a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path, and I follow it and obey it in every aspect of my life, I will walk on straight not crooked, smooth not rough paths. “Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight.” (Proverbs 11:20). In the Name of Jesus, who is the Straight Smooth Path of Righteousness, I pray, Amen.