Am I Wrong? Probably!

Am I wrong? That is perhaps one of the most haunting questions known to humanity. The gnawing feeling that our choices and actions may somehow end up biting us in the proverbial rear end is unsettling, and sometimes even haunting.

And we’ve all been there, right? We’ve moved boldly ahead with a judgment call that felt so right at the time – but in reality could not have been more wrong. Perhaps that’s some of the thought process that our new friends Nico and Vinz from Norway were going through as they penned these words:

“Am I wrong for thinking out the box from where I stay?
Am I wrong for saying that I’ll choose another way?
I ain’t trying to do what everybody else doing,
Just cause everybody doing what they all do.
If one thing I know, I’ll fall but I’ll grow.”

—From Am I Wrong, by Nico and Vinz

For a breezy song that embodies everything a summer jam should include, this tune has some profound meaning – wouldn’t you agree? And maybe that’s appropriate, since during the lazy days and late sunsets of summertime we have opportunities to reflect on the direction of our lives.

And are you wrong? Probably…but don’t feel bad – it just happens to be our nature to drive our lives off the cliff sometimes. At least that’s the observation that God has made about us:

“There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

This verse is referring to the person who lives as if his or her standard for decisions comes ultimately from what looks or feels right to them. At the time, the evaluation of life that comes from our heart seems like the best path, but God promises us that when we use our warped spiritual direction for life’s compass, we will experience death.

– Death emotionally – as the foolishness of our choices hardens our hearts.
– Death relationally – as our selfish ways alienate everyone we care about.
– Death physically – as our addictions and self-gratifying lifestyles erode our bodies and speed up our day of doom.
– And most tragically, there is death spiritually – as we bought into the lies that there are many ways to heaven, and we’ve been good enough to get there on our own.

But even though we’ve been wrong, it’s not too late to think outside the world’s box and choose another way! Check out this amazing promise from our Creator:

“Come on now, let’s walk and talk; let’s work this out.
Your wrongdoings are bloodred,
But they can turn as white as snow.
Your sins are red like crimson,
But they can be made clean again like new wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

As long as we live and breathe, we have opportunity to admit that we’ve been wrong and return to a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. There is no limit to His grace and there is no end to His love. There is no sin you’ve committed or path you have taken that can’t be forgiven and changed, so what is stopping you from admitting that you’ve been wrong and following in the steps of the only One who truly knows what is right?

And remember that you have friends and family members who are blindly following a “feel good” path that is leading them to the slaughter of everything God desires for them. Like you and me, they refuse to ask the question of “am I wrong?” So their natural choices are a slippery slope to destruction.

But Jesus has set us free from the lies and the power of our self-deception, and He wants to reach your friends as well through you. He wants you all in for His cause—THE Cause—of making disciples who make disciples. He is The Way when we get lost in our own foolish choices. He is The Truth when we’ve bought into the lies of our hell bound culture of idolatry and greed. He is The Life when our way has led to death and we feel there is no hope.

Usually, when we struggle with the question of “Am I wrong,” we either end up in self-justifying excuses or with a guilty conscience. But Jesus offers a different way to work through our past and chart out our future. Let’s take the road less traveled – the better road of Jesus’ way.

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

This week, look for ways to help your friends see that the road through life apart from God may “seem right,” to them now, but it eventually ends up in death, without a relationship with Christ.

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray: Father, help us see the errors of our ways and when we are wrong according to your Word. Please give us opportunities to help people find the path that leads to eternal life through Jesus Christ and empower us to be bold for the sake of THE Cause of Christ.

Read: Genesis 6:5. The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

Get: Knowing God’s Will. How can I know when God is telling me to do something? If you’ve ever wondered how to figure out whether god is telling you to do something, check out this article from our friends at gotquestions.org.