The Road Every Believer Must Walk
Every believer who follows Christ must understand that the Christian life is not a smooth path but a narrow road filled with trials, tears, and truth. It is not only preachers or prophets who walk through testing, but all who belong to Him. The wilderness, the garden, and the betrayal are not the experiences of the few, but the inheritance of every child of God who truly seeks to be conformed to His likeness.
The wilderness comes first. Before joy comes endurance, before fruit comes pruning. When Israel left Egypt, God led them not into comfort but into a desert. There, the people learned that manna is enough and that every word that proceeds from the mouth of God sustains life. The wilderness strips away every false confidence. It removes the illusion that we are strong. It is there that we learn what dependence truly means. Christ too was led into the wilderness to be tempted, not to destroy Him, but to prove that obedience holds even when the stomach is empty and the heart is weary.
Then comes Gethsemane. It is the place where faith wrestles with surrender. Every believer has a Gethsemane - the place where God’s will cuts across our own. It may come as sickness, loss, disappointment, or the slow death of our pride. There we learn that following Christ means more than singing of His goodness; it means bowing under His hand and saying, “Not my will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Gethsemane is where we learn that true peace is born only through submission.
And then comes Judas. Every believer, at some point, tastes the sting of betrayal. Sometimes it comes from friends we trusted, from family we loved, from church members we served alongside, from pastors we looked up to, and even from a spouse we thought would never turn away. A friend’s words can wound deeper than any enemy’s sword. A trusted companion may walk away without explanation. Yet betrayal teaches us something no comfort ever can, that our trust must rest fully in Christ. He was betrayed with a kiss, yet He called Judas “friend” (Matthew 26:50). To follow Christ is to learn that love is not withdrawn even when others fail us, and that grace still reaches out even when hearts grow cold.
The wilderness teaches dependence, Gethsemane teaches surrender, and Judas teaches forgiveness. Each is painful, yet each reveals Christ more clearly. The wilderness humbles us before God. Gethsemane shapes us into obedience. Judas reminds us that mercy belongs to God alone.
Every believer who truly follows Christ must pass through these places. There is no resurrection without death, no crown without the cross, no maturity without pain. The faith that never suffers is the faith that never grows. We would rather skip these valleys, yet they are the very ground where grace takes root.
So when you find yourself in a dry wilderness, or weeping in your own Gethsemane, or wounded by a Judas... do not despair. The same Lord who walked that path before you walks beside you still. He sanctifies suffering by His presence and turns every sorrow into soil for eternal fruit.
This is the narrow road of those who belong to Him. It is not the easy way, but it is the only way that leads home.
Dear brothers/sisters pray for this ministry and, as the Lord leads, stand with me as a Fellow Contender to proclaim the truth.
