When God Is Your Compass

It is easy to surround ourselves with voices that unintentionally become our compass. Counsel can inform us. Only the Father should direct us.

Who Is Leading Who?

There is something that has been quietly unfolding in my heart as I’ve been reading through the final days of Jesus’ life.

I’ve often looked at Peter and Judas as opposites—one who loved Jesus and one who betrayed Him. But this time, another contrast caught my attention.

Both men tried to redirect Jesus.

Peter pulled Him aside after Jesus spoke of the cross.

“Never, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” Mathew 16:22

Judas also carried an expectation of what the Messiah should be. He longed for revolution, victory, and a kingdom established according to his understanding. When Jesus refused to become the Savior Judas had imagined, Judas took matters into his own hands.

Both men had ideas about where Jesus should go.

The difference wasn’t that Peter was always right.

The difference was that Peter was willing to be corrected.

When Jesus rebuked him, Peter stayed.

He let Jesus remain his compass.

Judas had already decided what the destination should be.

Rooted in Man’s Way of Thinking or God’s

As I sat with this passage, I realized how easy it is to surround ourselves with voices that unintentionally become our compass.

Sometimes they love us deeply.

Sometimes they sincerely believe they are protecting us.

Sometimes their concerns even sound spiritual.

But fear can wear religious clothing.

Human wisdom can disguise itself as discernment.

Peter’s words certainly sounded loving.

“This shall never happen to You.”

Who wouldn’t want to protect someone they loved?

Yet Jesus recognized that beneath Peter’s words was a perspective rooted in man’s way of thinking rather than God’s.

“You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Mark 8:33

Jesus was on His Father’s Mission

Jesus wasn’t rejecting Peter.

He was refusing to let Peter define the road the Father had already marked out.

That realization has challenged me.

How often have I edited my dreams to make them easier for someone else to understand?

How often have I shrunk what God was stirring because someone else’s fears felt louder than His whisper?

How often have I mistaken misunderstanding for a sign that I must be wrong?

Then I looked again at Jesus.

The Father gave Him a vision.

Not simply a destination—but a mission.

That mission led Him somewhere no one around Him understood.

His closest friends argued with Him.

The crowds rejected Him.

The religious leaders condemned Him.

Even those who loved Him most could not comprehend why the cross was necessary.

Imagine carrying the weight of knowing that the salvation of the world rested on obedience to the Father while nearly everyone around you believed you were choosing the wrong path.

What allowed Jesus to keep walking?

The Father was His compass.

Not public opinion.

Not His disciples’ understanding.

Not visible success.

Not immediate results.

He walked toward what looked like death because He trusted the One who had called Him.

The cross appeared to be the end.

But resurrection was already in the Father’s heart.

We Still Need Counsel, But Direction Comes From God

That doesn’t mean every dream we have comes from God.

It doesn’t mean we stop listening to wise counsel.

Scripture tells us there is wisdom in many counselors.

But there is a difference between receiving counsel and surrendering our compass.

Counsel can inform us.

Only the Father should direct us.

There will be moments when those around us cannot yet see what God is doing.

That doesn’t automatically make them wrong, nor does it automatically make us right.

It simply reminds us that every disciple must eventually answer one question:

Whose voice has the authority to determine the direction of my life?

If the Father is our compass, then obedience becomes more important than understanding.

We can hold our dreams with open hands while holding tightly to the One who gave them.

The Invitation of Discipleship

Perhaps that is the deeper invitation of discipleship.

Not simply to follow Jesus where everyone applauds…

…but to trust Him when the road makes little sense.

To let Him correct us like Peter.

To remain teachable.

To refuse the temptation to control the outcome like Judas.

To keep walking when obedience feels lonely.

Because the goal was never to have everyone agree with our journey.

The goal was always to stay close enough to hear the Father’s voice.

If He is your compass, you will never truly be lost—even when no one else understands the map.

The compass of the kingdom is always love.

Power says, “Lead.”
Fear says, “Control.”
Religion says, “Perform.”
But Jesus says, “Remain with Me.”

Everything else flows from that.

In everything you do -eat, play, and love- may it always be Seasoned with Joy!

Let’s Continue to Go Deeper