This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ -Jeremiah 6:16

One of the benefits that comes from longevity is perspective. I’ve been a Christian now for 40 years so I’ve had the opportunity to witness how the church has changed during this time. I’ve never been one who is very concerned with changing structure and outward appearances. The expression of the church may look very different from generation to generation outwardly. I have no issue with that whatsoever. There is, however, something in this passage from Jeremiah that should arrest our attention. Jeremiah tells us to “stand at the crossroads and look”. Having done so we’re to “ask for the ancient paths..”

What’s interesting to me when I think about this passage in relationship to the people of God is that we as the children of God are often coming to crossroads.

The thing that catches my attention is that when faced with an epochal moment we’re not told to “rush in”; we’re instructed to stop and examine what lies before us. But most interesting, is that in our decision making, we’re not told to seek out the new and innovative, but rather, to “ask for the ancient paths”.

In the ever-changing landscape that opens before the people of God, the challenge that we face is always and forever to remain on the ancient paths!

We’re specifically told to go back to the foundational. We should never assume that we know what that is! Due to the constant nature of change we may believe we’re standing in the same place as our predecessors in the faith, and yet be very far from where they stood.

It’s not outward forms that God is concerned about here, but that which is eternal.

“Lord, You have been our dwelling place
through all generations.” -Psalm 90:1

It should go without saying, but in our present day it must be said, if we want to discover where the ancient paths are we’re going to need to look to the Word of God. We’re not going to find the ancient paths in new revelation. I think the Devil must work overtime to turn out new teachings for the church! He fears the words of Jesus, “It is written”. The ancient paths are found in those words. The last thing the enemy of our souls wants is for us to to seek out the ancient paths laid out in the Word of God.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” -Psalm 119:105

It’s through aberrant teaching that aberrant practice comes. The devil knows this full well, and thus, he maintains a Publishing House!

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons. – 1 Timothy 4:1

Did you know that demons have a teaching ministry?

In using the word “expressly”,God wants us to understand in the clearest manner possible that one of the main ways people get detoured and fall away from the faith is by giving heed to the teachings of demons. As a practical matter, what the enemy wants to do is get our eyes and our feet off the ancient paths and unto something new and novel.

Back to the garden

Satan hasn’t changed much from the day he first slithered into the garden to tempt Eve. His method is tried and true.

He tells you what you want to hear.
He makes things attractive.
He questions the ancient paths by asking you, “Did God really say?”, and then he gives you the subtle suggestion (or not so subtle as the case may be) that by doing what he’s telling you to do, you could end up being just like God!

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” -Genesis 3,:1

“You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” -Genesis 3:4-5

The tactics of the devil have not changed since the Garden of Eden. When examining doctrine look for the following two points:

Does the teaching question the Word of God? There’s often nuance to this. The enemy comes to ask you the question, “Did God really say?” The enemy will take a clear doctrinal point and twist it to make you question what God’s intent was. Conversely, the enemy may come in with great boldness and outright contradict the Word of God, as when the serpent told Eve, “You will not surely die.”
Does the teaching elevate you to a place that only God holds? Does it give you the impression that you have god-like authority? Does it ELEVATE YOU rather than bring you to a place of humility and submission? Satan is all about making you feel important! It was his original temptation to Eve and it continues to be his ongoing temptation today through false teaching.

The ancient paths do not have us on the throne!

Beware of any teaching that puts you on the throne and makes you God-like.

The pervasiveness of man-centered teachings that are so popular in the church today are proof that we have left the ancient paths!

Unfortunately, it’s become common by many to appeal to our base desires and greed. In the strangest twist imaginable, these people ask us to sow a seed into their “ministries” so that we will become blessed. They make themselves rich by promising to make us rich! The whole thing is a fraud.

In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep. -2 Peter 2:3

It’s stunning to see the lengths that some will go to preach a gospel of greed! These people think nothing of fleecing the sheep without batting an eye! Does the Ancient of Days give His deliverance to the highest bidder? Does He want you to pull up your cash app before He will bless you? Are we to believe we need to pony up by sowing a seed??

We’ve left the ancients paths and very few seem to either know it or care.

You’ll notice that the prophets of old had one basic job- they were constantly calling people back to the ancient paths.

It’s beyond me how anyone can call themself a prophet of God if they fail to do the most basic thing required of a prophet.

I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds. -Jeremiah 23:21-22

We have endless prophetic words about revival with barely a call anywhere to repent!

I was reading some of William Seymour’s messages from Azusa Street. He had such a clear conception of the sinfulness of sin and God’s hatred of it. I don’t think there’s any real revival that ever takes place unless we have a clear conception of this.

This is an ancient path.

God hates sin, and not just generally speaking, but He hates it in me and He wants it out of me.

It’s only when I stop excusing my sin that I can expect to see actual real revival in my life. That which doesn’t flow out of repentance is basically just a lie we tell ourselves.

We have no real worship unless our lives are sacrificed before Jesus. Without sacrifice and surrender all we have is a song on our lips.

How can I say that I’m worshiping Him if I’m doing stuff that’s opposed to Him and His nature? We say we love his purity and holiness while practicing the very sin He hates, and then dare to claim that we’re experiencing revival!

Did Jesus die merely so that I can look upon His holiness and be in awe, gazing upon it, but not partaking of it?

This is not a small thing, this is THE thing. This is the ancient path. This is why Jesus went to the cross. He gave Himself as a sacrifice for sinners to do away with sin!

But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. -Hebrews 9:26

If we find ourselves swept up by exalted thoughts, and yet show none of the fruit of His holiness, it’s time to repent.

A generation has had it preached to them that revival is right around the corner. The last revival was supposedly a “laughing revival”. We’ve been primed to believe that the church should be laughing its way to glory, staggering around like we’re at a drunken party. I’m afraid that’s not how it works. We need to go back to the ancient paths.

We talk all about Azusa Street but we want nothing of the holiness and repentance that William Seymour preached! Go back and read about it. It’s probably not what you imagine! He actually talked about sinners and salvation, and heaven and hell. He preached the cross of Jesus Christ and told people that they needed to repent!

When certain kinds of craziness began to enter into some of their meetings Seymour didn’t just sit there and laugh at it and say that it was all of God. He called it out! He called out witchcraft and divination. He cut it off.

I’m afraid William Seymour would not be welcome on the platform of many prophetic churches today. He wouldn’t be telling people to just go with the flow and shut off their minds. We’ve got preachers today trying to tell us that “God does weird stuff and we just need to be open to it!”

They tell us that revival will come without a cross, without repentance, without laying your life down at the feet of Jesus. I’ve got to tell you, this is not the apostolic message handed down by the 12 apostles with Christ Jesus as the Cornerstone. These are New Paths, not the Ancient Paths.

We’ve got Super Apostles preaching themselves! Prosperity and covetousness is their message. They love the platform and the applause. They’ve wandered from the narrow way and taken a broad path. In the end it leads to destruction, and if you follow them that’s where you’re headed.

We desperately need to return to the ancient paths.

This verse is extremely instructional!

First, it informs us that there’s a crossroads. Have you noticed that? Are you aware that there’s a Great Divide in the church? Next, it tells us that we should stop there and look. In other words, we’re to stop and consider what we see before us. Finally, it warns us not to make the choice ourselves, but “ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it.” It’s rather humbling to consider the fact that we can’t figure this out on our own! We actually need to ask God what the correct path is. If we fail to do that we will surely miss it.