The Journey of Life: The Roads We Travel — Part 1

The Journey of Life: The Roads We Travel — Part 1

Filled with all its challenges, stressors, sickness, and conflicts, life can be hard. Many people come to see me in the midst of their struggles, desperately searching for a better way to live. But, as I teach them to find practical strategies that will help them cope, I have also discovered that our understanding of reality — how life works — has a direct impact on our understanding of what is happening to us and our ability to cope with the stress.

As we journey down the road of life, everyone one of us will run into bumps and potholes, make wrong turns, and sometimes even have wrecks — but the mindset, understanding, attitude, and beliefs we hold along the way will not only determine the reactions we have when we’re hit with life’s stressful challenges, it will change the paths we choose to steer onto in the first place.

Yes. We can learn to take smoother paths, to anticipate and avoid the potholes of life, and to stay on course for our eternal goals, such that when life hits us hard, while we may be battered and bruised, we will never be defeated.

But not all methods of travel are equally healthy, adaptable, or capable of getting us through those rough patches. As you travel the roads of life, consider which way you would like to navigate them:

Walking in Ignorance

Many in the world today are doing little more than floundering. They have no knowledge of God, no understanding of how life was created to operate, no insight into God’s designs and methods. They are not purposely seeking evil; they are not seeking to harm; they’re not predators. These are hurting people longing for a better life but who are lost in their ignorance. They try so hard to handle the pain of life’s problems, yet they get discouraged when their efforts never bring lasting peace. The apostle Paul speaks of these needy people in this way:

At that time you were apart from Christ. You were foreigners and did not belong to God’s chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on God’s promises to his people, and you lived in this world without hope and without God (Ephesians 2:12 GNT).

In this world of sin, there is no hope of completing the journey of life successfully without God. However, the Bible also tells us that there is hope for those who are in ignorance:

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14–16 NIV84).

Those who walk in ignorance don’t have to stay in ignorance. Jesus is the light that enlightens all minds (John 1:9). When we come to know Jesus as God, as our Creator, who is love and whose laws are the reality upon which our lives our built, we not only develop a saving relationship with Him, but our minds also become enlightened to understand how life is supposed to work. We develop new insights that enable us to discern which turns in the road of life to take, paths that keep us going in the right direction (Hebrews 5:14).

Those who walk in ignorance are those who don’t know God and His methods of love. If you are walking in ignorance, I encourage you to get to know God, for this is the road to eternal life (John 17:3).

Walking in Illiteracy

Many who come to my office overwhelmed with anxiety and stress identify themselves as “Christian.” They attend church, and most of their friends are “Christian.” Yet they have essentially no real knowledge of Scripture. They say they believe in God, but they are biblically illiterate. In an online article entitled “The Scandal of Bible Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem,” Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. writes:

Researchers George Gallup and Jim Castelli put the problem squarely: “Americans revere the Bible—but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.” How bad is it? Researchers tell us that it’s worse than most could imagine.

Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments. “No wonder people break the Ten Commandments all the time. They don’t know what they are,” said George Barna, president of the firm. The bottom line? “Increasingly, America is biblically illiterate.” [See Barna Group’s website.]

Multiple surveys reveal the problem in stark terms. According to 82 percent of Americans, “God helps those who help themselves,” is a Bible verse. Those identified as born-again Christians did better—by one percent. A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in life is taking care of one’s family.

Some of the statistics are enough to perplex even those aware of the problem. A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham.[1]

As unbelievable as it may be to you, I can confirm all this to be true. When I ask my Christian patients if they know some of the most basic Bible stories, most admit that they don’t.

The Bible tells us that the historic events it details were recorded for a reason:

Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did… These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11 NIV84).

The Bible is filled with stories to educate, enlighten, and inspire us—to teach us about God, His character, and His design laws for life and to show us what happens when we choose to break His design protocols for life. These stories also give evidence of God’s goodness, grace, and kindness, showing that He is like a loving parent who never needs to be influenced to be good to us and who is always seeking our good. In fact, as Paul asks, don’t you realize “that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” (Romans 2:4 NIV84).

It is by reading the stories of Scripture and seeing a murderer, Moses, transformed into a loving friend of God and who is taken to heaven—or a betrayer, adulterer, and murderer (David) experience a new heart and right spirit to become a man after God’s own heart; or a king (Manasseh) who led a nation into the grossest idol worship and participated in child sacrifice be restored to righteousness—that we see the goodness of God and are won back to trust in Him. We can say, “If God can forgive, heal, and save these people, then He will heal and save me too, if I let Him.”

And then there are the stories of people like Joseph or Job. We read how they were faithful and true yet still experienced betrayal and terrible loss because of the evil of others; yet we see that when they kept trusting God through their painful ordeals, they saw God bring good out of the evil. Such stories inspire us with hope and give us a perspective larger than our immediate trouble, allowing for the possibility that we are serving a higher purpose than we can immediately understand.

One Christian author put it this way:

God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him (Ministry of Healing, 479.2).

But if we don’t know the history, the reality, of God’s’ actions through time, then when life’s problems come, we are prone to doubt God—we lose hope, get discouraged, and often simply give up.

Those who walk in illiteracy claim a belief in God but don’t actually know what He’s doing. I encourage you to read about God’s hand in history and to no longer have a faith floundering in biblical illiteracy.

Walking in Infancy

These are also those who believe in God, and have given their hearts to Him, but they have never grown up to understand God’s methods and principles. They walk through life following the direction of some other human being. They put their trust in the testimonies or experiences of others, allowing them to be a guide. They haven’t thought things through for themselves; they haven’t developed their own ability to differentiate truth from error. They constantly look to some other authority (pastor, priest, a list of beliefs, a creed, a Bible commentary) to tell them what to do or what to believe.

Yet these sincere believers live in fear—of making a mistake, of getting deceived, of being led astray, or of not doing something right. They are afraid to think for themselves lest they are wrong, so they defer their decision-making to others. The Bible describes such people:

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:11–14 NIV84).

Letting others think for us prevents us from developing the ability to think for ourselves. If we don’t know why the truth is the truth and why a lie is a lie, then we are not settled into the truth. In other words, we remain vulnerable to believe lies, to be led astray; we are not intimately acquainted with righteousness, with living in harmony with God intelligently and purposely, so that nothing can deceive us.

God wants us to grow up, to learn to think and to reason for ourselves (Isaiah 1:18–20; Romans 14:5). When we do, life becomes easier to cope with because we have greater insight and understanding as to what is happening and, therefore, we can make choices in harmony with God’s principles to deal with life’s challenges.

Those who walk in infancy are those who let others lead them through life and never learn to think for themselves. If you have been walking in infancy, I encourage you to grow up in Christ, to develop by practice the ability to discern the right from the wrong, to fix your eyes on Christ and stop allowing others to do your thinking for you.

Next week we will finish our exploration on The Journey of Life: The Roads We Travel

Email me the blog whenever a new one is published.

Donate online, securely via PayPal, using your credit or debit card (no PayPal account needed, unless you want to set up a monthly, recurring payment).


cancel recurring payment

Upcoming Events

calendar

Testimonial Post Slider

Testimony 50

After coming into contact with Come And Reason Ministries, I can finally say that many of my unanswered questions have fallen into place. I discovered that my view of God’s Law was “imposed laws and rules” with “imposed punishments” and that this was the major culprit of my many unanswered questions. Thanks be to God for using you and those around you to help us who have struggled with this “infection” of thought. I have now rejected the “imposed law” concept to fully embrace “Design Law”… to look thru “Design Law,” instead of “imposed law,” is a relief.

Viliami L., Australia

 

Testimony 45

I have been confused for years about what [christianity] calls [its] most disgusting teaching. It has never made much sense to me and for that reason has been evermore empty. I have listened to your class off and on and have struggled determining what is truth, because of the resistance design law encounters in the church. So, I thank God for your ministry. What you teach makes sense. It’s logical and backed up by the power of love. I have never seen that in Christ until now. I am astounded by the insight that is found when we look at God’s ministry through design law. All strength to this message, as I believe it to be the power of God.

Brendon S.

 

Testimony 61

I grew up in a prominent protestant church and had what I like to call religious anxiety. I’ve always had questions about God and Salvation that no one could seem to answer.  I didn’t know how to find resolution. During 2020, at the height of my anxiety, I fell to my knees and begged God to show me truth and light and to give me the hope that I’ve been longing for. Days later, I stumbled upon your online videos and it was like a veil was lifted and EVERYTHING made sense! For the first time in my almost 39 years of life, my religious/spiritual anxiety has lessened. I feel a sense of freedom and peace I’ve NEVER had before… and it’s all because my view of God has changed. Thank you!

Ashleighn C.

 

Testimony 28

I have been following your Bible study class for about a year now. I must say I am impressed with how your ministry has grown. I took it upon myself to listen to all your lesson podcasts from the past and they have both enriched me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I have learnt a lot from this class. I have also noticed how the class has grown in spiritual strength. One of the things that benefited me is that now I am not afraid of God. I use to be, but now it has melted away. The second thing is that you helped me to have a real life relationship with God. Now He is my friend that was always there and I love having him with me all the time. Thirdly, because of this class, it inspired me to take over and lead a class. I have called it “Let Us Reason Together,” adapting your inquisitive style and creating a class of free thinkers.

T. Banda, Malawi, Africa

 

Testimony 41

I have been blessed by your ministry. I have experienced personally, and deeply resonate with, the God of love and the beautiful picture of God’s character that you present. I have seen your seminar series on YouTube, read ‘The Journal of the Watcher’ book, used your mobile app, and also listen/study the bible study lesson with you each week. I concur with many of the thoughts and perspectives that you share. I understand your conclusions on natural laws vs imposed law and the legal/penal substitution (incorrect diagnosis). This makes perfect sense to me.

Bless you for all you do.

Melissa L.

 

Testimony 2

I continue to enjoy your lessons every week. The more that I research your conclusions, the more I am convinced that the Holy Spirit has lead you to distill out the essence of human redemption. Thank you for your courageous stand for the truth.

S. G., TX, USA

 

Testimony 31

It was very touching to hear the testimony of your class share how viewing God’s true character has changed their lives. My feelings are the same – there is so much freedom in knowing that God LOVES me – regardless of my… just, REGARDLESS! I’m still blown away by the true gospel, the fact that God is not ready to strike us when we fail. He is not arbitrary. He simply loves us and warns of the natural consequences because He can’t stand to see us suffer. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD!!!

Ceil V.,  UT, USA

 

Testimony 68

Your message of design law vs imperial law is so uplifting and makes so much sense- it is a game changer for me. The fact that Jesus’s death is not a big payment by an angry God is , quite frankly, a relief.

Laura G., London, Ontario, Canada

 

Testimony 37

Hearing Dr. Jennings’ presentations in person came at a pivotal moment in my spiritual journey that began about nine months ago, when the fault lines inherent in my belief system began to crack under questions that most reasonable people end up asking about God and His nature. These were questions I couldn’t find answers to, and they shook my faith. I was unable let it go any longer and be satisfied. My Christian experience became distant. I was afraid; the fear in me rose like thorns, pushing me away from Jesus. And then someone heard my questions and introduced me to this ministry, and my life has totally changed.

I can tell you that this new, “present truth” message is far grander and life-changing than when I shifted from being an agnostic and then a nominal Christian. It has radically altered my worldview, because it reveals a God that makes sense. It is a revolution. I believe that Dr. Jennings’ message is the final message that must go to the world. If any message could be called “righteousness by faith,” as abused as that term is by the right and the left, this is that message, because Jennings’ biblical message identifies a God who is different, whose character isn’t an impossible contradiction.

I walk this path now without fear. I see people differently, and the Holy Spirit burns in my heart. Many call Dr. Jennings’ message false and compromising, but it isn’t false, because I’ve seen the fruits within my mind and body. It is not compromising, because in this message is the only road to holiness that makes any sense. No longer do I behold a pagan god who is always angry and suspicious. Instead, I behold a God who is freeing and loving, always working for our good, and giving me every reason to love my enemy even to my own death, just as Jesus pleads with us. God is good.

Anthony L., CA, USA

 

Testimony 66

I am incredibly grateful for the transformative impact you’ve had on my life, and words cannot fully express my appreciation. Over the years, I have been an avid listener and follower of C&R and extend my heartfelt thanks for creating the C&R mobile app. It has allowed me to immerse myself in your lessons repeatedly, enabling me to grasp the profound significance about the Character of God, Design Law, the protocols for life, the reasons behind the current chaos, and Christ’s mission to restore everything. They have deeply touched me. Having studied with various churches, I came away with the perception that God is no different from the deities of ancient Greek or Roman mythology—demanding sacrifices and taking pleasure in bloodshed. Thanks to your transformative teachings, I have experienced a profound awakening to the true nature of God and the immense power of His love. It is truly a remarkable and liberating sensation to finally grasp the truth and embrace the empowering nature of God’s laws. My self-perception has become brighter and more infused with love. My journey of growth continues on a daily basis.

Chris P., Lake Mary, FL, USA

 

Testimony 21

I am absolutly on fire with the message at Come and Reason! I can’t get enough! I’ve read your book, blog, and articles. I’ve listened to your Bible study podcasts, your radio show, and your series – all excellent! It wasn’t until the past couple of years that I have I like I’m becoming “healthy,” with more to share with others than just beasts and commandments! I used to be a Bible worker and preached when the pastors were gone until I had had enough. I didnt realize at the time what the problem was, but i know now… the message wasn’t properly focused. Now my flame is rekindled. All of your little examples are so perfect in explaining something “complicated” and making it easily understood! Now I’m trying to shape it into a life changing evangelistic series! Thank you!

M.T., USA

 

Testimony 36

Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

Joleen H. GA, USA

 

Testimony 63

I’ve been very blessed by “The God Shaped Brain” and this ministry, through video and podcast, over the last few years. It’s truly opened up my eyes more to the truth about God and the importance of that truth in the present world. The message is so inviting, freeing and enlightening and MORE people need to know about it. I believe it is the last message that can truly, not only prepare a people for salvation and translation, but vindicate the character of God.

Michael V., Yonkers, NY, USA

 

Testimony 20

I just wanted to personally thank you for your teachings and insight into scripture. I came across your website via my cousin who suggested I look into “Healing the Mind” information. My youngest daughter has been struggling over the last couple of years and it all came to a head this spring. When I started listening to the “Healing the Mind” lectures my own life began to be transformed. I began sharing with all my daughters the concepts you laid out so clearly. I ordered your book and soaked it up. I just want to say “Thank You!” My walk with the Lord has been refreshed and renewed. Your obedience to the Lord is a blessing to so many.

R. K., Anderson, SC, USA

 

Testimony 29

Thank you for all of your work to correct misconceptions about God’s character. So many people that my husband and I have talked to seem to be against the natural law construct and view it as “errant” and “dangerous.” Having learned more about it through your blogs and lessons, I don’t really understand why they view it that way, except that it means they have to relearn theology they have known for their entire lives. But I’m so excited to relearn this. For the past few years I have been questioning how I could trust a God who punishes arbitrarily and is full of wrath for those who don’t obey His commands. That view made me afraid to “mess up” or “not be good enough,” even within my relationship with God. I really appreciated the point you bring out about God not wanting us to serve Him because we are afraid, but because we love Him.

Melissa H., IN, USA