The Principle of the Path

JourneyMEN – June 21, 2007

THE PATH PRINCIPLE

INTRODUCTION
Think about the last time you were traveling and got lost. You had your destination in mind. You had every intention of getting there. But you took the wrong path, and you didn't end up where you wanted to be. A disconnect often occurs between the path you choose and where you want to end up. This is the principle of the path and we'll discover how it impacts every area of your life.

DIRECTION NOT INTENTION determines DESTINATION

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.) Talk about a time when you were lost. How did you get lost? How did you find your bearings?

2.) Read Proverbs 7:6-27. When have you watched someone else go down a predictable path? What were the choices that they made? What were the outcomes that they experienced?

3.) The principle of the path teaches that direction determines destination. What are some of the paths that you have taken in life? Where did they lead you?

4.) What is your desired destination when it comes to your career, finances, marriage, kids, or relationships?

5.) What path are you on now when it comes to your career, finances, kids, or relationships? Where do you see it headed? How is it different than your desired destination?

6.) What path should you pursue so that you will arrive at your desired destination in one of the areas you've mentioned?

THINK ABOUT IT

Why do we tend to think that we are the exception to the path principle? Why do we see our choices as individual events, instead of seeing them as a path to a destination?

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Wrong paths have an emotional appeal that cause us to trade the immediate for the ultimate. If we choose immediate gratification, then we forfeit where we eventually want to be. What is one thing you will do this week to place yourself on the path to what you ultimately want?

CHANGING YOUR MIND

Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Proverbs 7:25