Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. and I'm Darrell Bailey. Thank you for tuning in for our Sunday night message, Servants for Christ, for we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves, your servants, for Jesus' sake. Our hope is that through God's word of truth, to build up lives into the kingdom of God, and we want to make a difference in all that we do through our words, our actions, to glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My series tonight that I'm on, is called Blazing Trails of Faith. And this series was inspired from my many days and hours of time in the military I begin to read a lot of the Louis L'Amour novels, Western novels, to keep myself not only occupied, but out of trouble when I was in Southeast Asia, when I was in Europe, and when I was in so many countries. I want to dedicate and write this sermon series dedicated to Louis L'Amour. It was through his inspiration from the rugged landscapes, the characters, and the timeless themes that are found in the writing of Louis L'Amour. His stories of pioneering spirit, personal redemption, and the trials of life in the American frontier provide one of the most wonderful blessings to me in my Christian faith. And just as Louis L'Amour's characters face physical and moral challenges, As believers in Christ, we're called to traverse the valleys and the mountains of life, trusting in God's guidance and strength. And this series was based, that comes from my background of reading just about all of Louis L'Amour's novels that reflect on our own spiritual journeys. and how that we can blaze trails of faith through the struggles, the doubts, and the victories of life. Each of these messages that has inspired me through reading the Louis Lemoore novels illustrates the principles of faith, redemption, and courage. And so, the first message that I come to in my series, Blazing Trails of Faith, is the trails we leave behind. Would you turn with us to Psalms 37? Psalms 37, verse 23. In Proverbs 3, verse 23, and 2 Timothy 4, verse 7. As I talk about the trails we leave behind, Psalms 37, verse 23, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way. In Proverbs 3, verse 23, thou shalt walk in thy way safely and thy foot shall not stumble. And then lastly in 2 Timothy 4, 7, I've fought a good fight, I've finished my course and I've kept the faith. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you seeking your guidance and strength. Lord, forgive us of our many sins, our known and unknown. Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, that we may walk in your ways. And as your words command, let us daily put the whole armor of God on, that we may stand against the wiles of the devil. Let your truth guide us, your righteousness protect us, and your peace sustain us. Open our hearts to hear your voice and follow where you lead. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. A man shared how he became lost in the wilderness. I don't know about you, but I spent seven months out of 12 in the military in the down range of the field. That was my job. So I lived and slept under the stars, seven months out of 12. And the many times, especially being out West, I loved Westerns, and I loved reading the Louis Lemoore novels. It really kept me in check, along with reading the Word of God. And so, I was reading about a man that shared how he became lost in the wilderness. And I have got out there before and had hypothermia and really closely made it back to camp before danger set in. So I know about living out in the wilderness. But this man had no compass, no mount, and he wandered aimlessly for days, growing weaker and weaker and more hopeless. It wasn't until he found a trail, a faint trail, left by a previous traveler, that he found his way back to safety. Life, too, can feel like a wilderness, and the trails that we leave behind can guide others, or it can lead them astray. Louis L'Amour, the great American storyteller, often wrote about pioneers blazing trails through unknown lands, carving paths of courage and resilience. And I know Louis L'Amour was a truck driver in the army. Like those travelers that were leaving trails every day, trails of faith, hope, and love are trails of selfishness and despair. I wonder what kind of trail are you leaving behind? When I look at my life, As I write this message, the trails that we leave behind, the lessons from the trail is one of the things that I look at because number one, I see the path of influence. Romans 14, chapter 14, verse seven says, no man liveth to himself and no man doth to himself. And so, Our words shape others. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, Proverbs 18, verse 21. Every word that we speak leaves a mark. And like a campfire left unattended, harsh words can burn those who come near. But words of encouragement light the way for others. And so, when we look at the lessons from the trail, we see the path of influence and that our words shape others. But secondly, our actions define us. The Word of God says in James 1, verse 22, be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Louis Moore's heroes were known for their actions, not just their words. And in the same way, our deeds reveal the substance of our faith, as we are men and women of God, and we follow the ways of the Bible. I'm glad, I'm thankful for the King James Bible, as it's been a part of my life since a young age, when my mom gave me my first Bible. And so, the path of influence, when we learn the lessons from the trail, our words shape others, our actions define us, but also our faith points the way. Matthew 5, verse 16 tells us, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. You see, when we walk in faith, we create a trail that leads others to Christ. John Piper said one time, faith is a spark that lights the trail for others to follow, unquote. And so not only when we learn our lessons from the trails that we leave behind, we see the path of influence. But secondly, we see the path of resistance. Because as we do so, we look and we see that we can face opposition. Just as a cowboy must face storms and outlaws, Christians face resistance in a world that rejects truth. Yea, 2 Timothy 3.12 says, yea, in all that we live, godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. And so, the path of resistance that Matthew 7, verse 13 says, enter ye in, that's a straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. And so we face opposition a lot of times, but secondly, we've got to stand firm. Like a rugged mountain pass, standing for truth is never easy. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 16, 13, watch ye stand fast in the faith, quiet you like men and be strong. And so that path of resistance, of facing opposition, of standing firm and leaning on Christ, our strength comes not from ourselves, but from Him. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me, Paul said in Philippians 4.13. I was going up to Bailey, Colorado, to help put in a 120-year-old historical bridge. On my way to where the Mountain Men contest was held in Bailey, Colorado, I saw a dust cloud out of my peripheral vision. I was driving my Ford Ranger and all of a sudden I saw that dust cloud descending down with the speed that I began to slam on my brakes. Just as I did, a whole herd of elk came down across the highway in front of me as I was on my way to Bailey, Colorado, to do a job with along with the 52nd engineers that were going to do the undergirding, as I used a rough terrain crane to set down a 120-year-old historical bridge that is still there today in the gap that was up in the mountains of Bailey, Colorado. When we look at our lives, the trails that we leave behind, I'm glad that the lessons from the trail is the path of influence, and our words shape others, our actions define us, and our faith points the way, but also the path of resistance is facing opposition, standing firm, and leaning on Christ. Remember, even Lewis Lemoore's toughest cowboy knew when to call for backup, and ours is the Lord. And so thirdly, in closing, We see the path of legacy because Revelation 14, 13 says, When we look at the path of legacy, we see a legacy of love. Paul said in the love chapter, Corinthians chapter 13 verse 13. And now about a faith hope charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity. He's talking about love. The love that we show becomes the most lasting trail that we as men and women of God, spiritual cowboys and women can leave behind. And so, we see of that path of legacy, a legacy of love. Secondly, a legacy of faithfulness. Like Lamar's characters, we can stand firm in our convictions and we're called to remain faithful to God. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4, 2, moreover, it was required in stewards that a man be found faithful. And so, we see the path of that legacy, the legacy of love. the legacy of faithfulness, and we see lastly, the legacy of witness. Because in Matthew chapter 28 verse 19, we're commanded, go ye therefore teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A trailblazer shares the gospel. We ensure that others know the way to eternal life. And I'm glad that our greatest legacy is the lives that we touch every day and the souls that we lead to Christ. And so, when we look and realize that we can reflect on whether our words encourage or we can reflect on whether they tear down. We can start speaking life-giving words that are rooted in scriptures every day to those that come across our trail. And I'm glad that we all look and can identify areas where our actions could be better reflected our faith and take steps to align our walk with God's word. We all got to commit to creating a spiritual legacy by sharing the gospel and showing Christ loves in our daily life. Amen. And so, I'm glad that every decision we make leaves a trail that others may follow, and as believers, we're called to leave a legacy of faith, one that reflects the teaching of Christ and serves as an example of others. Amen. And so, I'm glad that each and every one of us, the steps that we take in our journey are significant. Our walk with Christ not only influences our own lives, but also impacts those who come behind us. Just as the cowboy in Louis Lemoore's stories left their mark on the land, we are tasked as men and women of God with leaving a mark on the world through our faith, the trails that we leave behind. Heavenly Father, I hope and pray that we can be the trailblazer of our faith, the one that has gone before us to make a way. Forgive us where we've stumbled and failed to leave a good path for others, but strengthen us to walk in your ways, to speak life, to act justly, and to lead others to you. Save those who are lost tonight, Father. that we call for also the many that are at their cold and indifferent, Lord, to repentance, to come back into the Word of God. Come back to the church house before it's too late. Help us all to leave a legacy of faith and hope for generations to come. All in the mighty, wonderful name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that we pray. Amen. you