Path of Life

By Reverend L. N. Ambridge

"When I finally made the right decision and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and
Saviour, I was sure I was on the right path. Then I began to meet church people.
Thats when the confusion started. It seemed like they all called themselves something
different. Some people were Christians. Some people were believers.
Some people were born again. Some people were saved. I was baffl ed. What
was I? What category did I fi t into? Did each of these names have a different
method; did each one follow a different path? I didnt know what category I
fi t into and after a while I wasnt sure if I fit into any category, because no one
seemed to agree on what they all meant. I kept fi nding different interpretations
of what I thought was the truth. I know that God is not the author of confusion.
So I started to pray. I started asking God for the answer. I have learned one thing.
Regardless of what we call ourselves or how we interpret it or apply it, there is
only one Truth. Regardless of the route we think we have to take to reach Heaven,
there is only one path for a Christian; that is the Path of Life. There is only one
roadmap for a born again believer...that is the Word of God, the Bible."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456886295

Reverend L. N. Ambridge

Reverend Ambridge, an ordained minister, is the Senior Pastor and Founder of Word of Hope Full Gospel Church, with branches in India and Africa. A graduate of American Christian College and Seminary in Oklahoma, Reverend Ambridge is a current member of the American Association of Christian Counselors in Forest, Virgina. Reverend Ambridge has been a member of the International Ministerial Fellowship in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 2001. She is also a graduate and alumnus of the Sure Foundation Theological Institute in Florida.

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Copyright © 2011 by Rev L. N. Ambridge.

Library of Congress Control Number:          2011904031

ISBN:                    Softcover                        978-1-4568-8628-8

                              Ebook                              978-1-4568-8629-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

All Scriptural references are from the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.

All translations from Greek and Hebrew are taken from the Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts, United States.

All uses of the word man are anthropomorphic, from the Latin, meaning of human form. It refers to humankind as a whole, including both male and female, unless otherwise specified.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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96054

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Introduction

1 What Does It Mean To Be Saved?

2 What Does It Mean To Be Justified?

3 What Does It Mean To Be Sanctified?

4 The Heart

5 Heart Problems

6 Neg-Emotions

7 The Mind—What Difference Does It Make?

8 The Carnal Mind

9 The Spiritual Mind

10 What Does It Mean To Be Glorified?

11 How Do The Pieces All Fit Together?

12 Change Is Not The Answer!

13 What Does It Mean To Repent?

14 Baptism

Bibliography

PREFACE

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Christian way is different from the way we lived before we come to know God. The path we follow as born-again believers flows in a direction to which we haven’t been accustomed. The destination is not the same. The navigation is not the same. In fact, we’re traveling in the opposite way from our previous direction!

Our journey on this path that some have called The Romans Road has a very unique set of operating instructions. We have to navigate very differently if we expect to successfully complete the journey.

There are many voices and many sounds in this world. There are a lot of sounds that guide us in different directions. But there is only one directional guide that can get us to Heaven. It’s important to recognize also that we can only understand the guide if we are on the right path. The Lord wants to lead us in the way of righteousness, but we can only follow His lead if we hear Him. We can only hear Him if we walk on the right path, because the path we were on before was separated from God and everything He represents. We couldn’t understand what He was saying.

That’s what it’s all about . . . A new life results in a new direction, walking on a new path, following a different map, and navigating differently through life than we have ever done before. That’s how we get to the new endpoint.

At the end of each chapter, there’s a page with FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Some are questions others have asked. Some are questions you may want to ask yourself. You may have some questions of your own that you want to pencil in and ask at your next Bible study.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MY HEARTFELT APPRECIATION TO:

God, the Father, and Giver of everything that is good and perfect.

Jesus Christ, my Savior, who died that I may have the right to eternal life and peace.

The Holy Spirit, without whose inspiration I could never have written this book, and Who guides me through this world of darkness.

To all the people who have been a part of my life and made it a richer experience. To all the people who have believed in what God has called me to do and encouraged me to stay true to that calling.

I give my thanks.

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the One True God, to His precious Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, and to the Holy Spirit without whose inspiration this book would never have been written.

INTRODUCTION

There are some people in this world who were born without a sense of direction. They can read a map, but only with great difficulty and they very often read it wrong. They don’t have a feel for which way is north, south, east or west. If you try to send them somewhere with only a general set of directions, such as Go straight for a couple of miles and turn east their eyes will glaze over and they will stare at you as if you were speaking a different language, because they really cannot understand. That’s me.

I travel a great deal, strange as that may sound. I can drive from one city to another without too much trouble. All I have to do is stay on the highway and look for the city sign. If I want to get off at a rest stop, I just make sure I can see the highway from the rest stop. If I can’t see the highway from the rest stop, guess what? I can’t find my way back to the highway! When I take a road trip, I never venture more than a couple of hundred feet from the highway; otherwise, I have to ask someone how to get back on the road. You think that’s not embarrassing?

So, I reach my destination city, and the fun begins. Sometimes I manage to take the correct exit. Navigating through the city is not too bad if I have a good city map and if the city has a very simple layout. The problem is that every city is laid out differently. I have had the experience of having to park at the gas station near my exit and wait for someone to come get me!

I know what you must be thinking by now. How does she manage? I manage by landmarks. In the city where I live I have certain routes I follow to reach certain places. My path never varies. Those routes are marked by certain structures. I have no sense of direction, so I’ve never been able to maneuver by remembering which way certain streets flow. Believe me, I have tried! I have tried to maneuver by street signs, but not all streets have signs and sometimes the sign is turned the wrong way. If I’m on a street with a sign and I turn onto a street that doesn’t have a sign, I’m done! I have to watch for my landmarks, because if I miss one, I am immediately disoriented. I have been known to miss a turn and be lost for an hour just trying to get home! I know you find this difficult to believe, but just ask one of my daughters.

Now what does all that have to do with this book? It’s like this. When we are born again of the water and the Spirit, we have no sense of direction in Christ. We know where we’re supposed to go, but we don’t know how to get there. We know that there must be directions but they are a mystery to us. A mystery in the Word of God simply means something that is hidden to the natural mind and must be revealed by the Spirit of God. Such mysteries can only be received by a spiritual mind. That’s where the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the church ministries come in.

It’s understandable and to be expected that you won’t comprehend everything you read in the Word the first time (or even the second or maybe the third time). But don’t make that common mistake of putting the Bible down and telling yourself it’s too hard! It’s not that the Bible is too hard. The Word of God is not meant for the natural mind. If we could understand it with the natural mind, without the guidance of the Spirit and those who are anointed in the Spirit, it would not be a spiritual experience. We would be able to read and understand it like any other operator manual or cookbook. God never meant for you to do this by yourself. It is not His intention for you to travel the path alone. The Holy Spirit is your internal compass and will give you the sense of direction you need. As for the landmarks and map signs, there are people whom God has placed in the church to guide you along the path, to help you read the maps and discern the landmarks and keep going in the right direction. Consider the interaction between Philip the Evangelist and the man from Ethiopia . . .

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:26-40

We don’t have to do this alone. We’re not supposed to do this alone. That’s not the way God works. There will always be someone to help you. Ask God to send you a guide. He will respond.

The Word of God is not only a roadmap, but it also has very visible landmarks by which we can travel along the right path. Even if we take a wrong turn, we can navigate back to where we are supposed to be by looking for the landmark and by asking for directions. The Lord God has laid out a very clear route. The map is sometimes a bit difficult to read, but that’s what the ministries are for; they are ground guides sent to help the saints of God. There are many landmarks which are easily distinguishable for anyone who will pay attention and be watching for them. They are clear and simple; for example,

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; Colossians 3:9

This is a clear landmark . . . . do not lie. The old life where we were prone to tell lies is gone, along with the things we used to do. If this landmark is a part of your life, you need to make a change. This landmark tells you that you’re going in the wrong direction. Steer away from it!

There are some landmarks that tell you that you’re going in the right direction:

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 1 Peter 2:2

This landmark tells you that as a child of God there should be a desire in you to read and receive the Word of God. If you have the urge to be nourished in the Word of God, you are on the right path. If there is no desire in you to feed on the Word there may be an issue with your relationship with God. That’s what this new journey means. Pay attention to your directional guide (the Holy Spirit). Understand as much of the map as you can on your own and let someone help you with the rest. Watch for the landmarks. Make the correct turn when you come to one. Stay on the path of life.

1

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED?

(You’re going in the right direction—follow this landmark.)

Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God

of my salvation;

on thee do I wait all the day. Psalm 25:4-5

There are a lot of ways in which people refer to themselves when they profess to be living according to the Bible. Sometimes it can be confusing, especially to a new Christian. What do you call yourself? Are you saved? Or are you a Christian? Maybe you’re a believer? If that’s true, what do you believe in? What’s the difference between who you were and who you’re supposed to be? How do you refer to yourself in this new life?

SAVED . . . Romans 10:9

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 teaches us that all we need to do is confess that Jesus is the Lord of our lives and believe in our heart. that God raised Him from the dead after he died on the cross and was buried. When we believe in our heart that means we fully accept as fact and are in total agreement with God’s witness of Jesus Christ.

This acceptance and profession of faith results