Shortly after our daughter Bethany had just started driving, on one of her first solo outings she got lost. She gets her sense of direction (or lack thereof) from her mother. This was long before cell phones and GPS were a common thing. She had no idea where she was. When she got back home, she was telling her mother about it and Cheryl asked her what she did. Bethany said that she decided to follow the lady in front of her. It just so happened that this lady was going to Walmart, which worked out well. Bethany knew how to get home from Walmart. Her mother and I were very grateful that lady was not making a trip to Dallas that day!

You need to be careful who you follow.

Joshua 3:1–7 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.” Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them. And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.

When Joshua was given the task of leading God’s people into the Promised Land, they were told to follow God. The passage above said to follow the Ark of the Covenant, which represented God’s presence with His people. Following the Ark was following God. They were following the one who brought them out of slavery in Egypt and was now leading them into the Promised Land. When the people followed Joshua, they were following God because the LORD had promised to be with him and he kept his focus on God.

We no longer have the Ark of the Covenant or Joshua. Instead, we follow Joshua’s namesake, YESHUA, whose name means Savior. We follow God Himself who came down to this earth in human form. Jesus said, “Follow me” to fishermen, tax collectors, men and women, rich and poor, slave and freee, you and me.

John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.

We can’t follow Jesus unless we are looking to Him in faith. We trust Him because He showed Himself trustworthy when He paid for our sin and conquered death for us.

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

If you are following a person, make sure that person is following Jesus and leading you closer to Him!