We have all been lost while driving, haven’t we? Sometimes when you are not sure where you are going, it is hard to know just when to stop and turn around. When I have been on my way to an unknown location, and found myself wondering if I have missed my turn, there is always that moment when I debate whether to turn around or give it another mile or two to see if I run into the street where I am supposed to turn. Sometimes it is hard to know when to change course.
This is true in life as well. It is even true concerning our spiritual lives. I have talked with many brethren over the years whose lives were in a mess, but who refused to change course. I have sat across the table from couples whose marriages were crumbling. It is obvious that they were not doing things right. They may be allowing pride to stop them from listening to each other. It might be that the husband is spending too much time with his buddies and not enough time with his wife. It might be that the wife is nagging her husband to change all the time instead of trying to convert him with a meek and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:1-2). The failing marriage might be caused by a man who is unwilling to lead or a woman who is unwilling to submit. I have seen all of those things, and many others, that have crippled a marriage. Yet those involved refused to change course.
I have seen brethren attempting to serve God lackadaisically, which, of course, is not real service at all. They hear sermon after sermon about commitment, yet they refuse to change course. They kept doing the same old thing, the same old way, and they continue to get the same old result, and then they wonder why their Christianity does not seem to work. The true benefits of being a servant of God are usually found in the “second mile.” When we put forth that extra effort, putting God before everything and everybody else in life, blessings seem to flow and life is so much better. It is sad to me to see so many in Christ who are struggling with life when it is not necessary. They already have the resources to enjoy the abundant life (John 10:10). All they have to do is change course, and their souls would be more secure, and their lives would make more sense. The problem is, some just do not know when to change course.
We can approach this from the other side as well. Some change course when they are already on the right path. For example, a preacher holds a sound and scriptural position on marriage, divorce, and remarriage, a position based on the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 19:9. Then a close family member gets an unscriptural divorce, and the preacher suddenly changes course and begins to hold an unsound position on the issue.
Another example that we have seen over the years has to do with God’s plan of salvation. Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). There have been preachers who have taught this truth steadfastly, but then, inexplicitly, they change course and start teaching a “faith only” doctrine. Reading the wrong books or associating with the wrong religious friends is what sometimes precipitates this change of direction, but regardless of why, it is an unnecessary and precarious change. It moves one from being a defender of truth to being a false teacher who has not God (2 John 1:9).
Through the years I have wasted time because I have changed course when I should not have, or I have not changed course when I should have. I have traveled too long in the wrong direction when it was not necessary, and I have turned around when I was going the right way in the first place. Doing that in a car only results in being lost for a while and produces some frustration. Spiritually speaking, the consequences are much more severe. The wise man once said, “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
Make sure that you get on the right track and stay on it. That will necessitate knowing when and when not to change course. The key is allowing the Bible, and the Bible only, to be your guide. Remember, the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to my path (Ps 119:105). Let us never forget this truth. It might just tell us when and when not to change course.