Bible Verses About Trailblazing

But, you may ask, how can I really know that what I am doing is right? I’ve heard all the reasons why God wants me to be content in just staying home, raising children and being a wife/mother. But does He really want me to be just satisfied with that?

Trailblazing is a term that means to blaze, cut and clear a trail through the wilderness. It is a symbol of exploration and courage. A trailblazer is someone who fulfills that same role, first blazing the path for others to follow and then opening up new ways of thinking.

Bible Verses About Trailblazing

James 1:2 ESV / 9 helpful votes
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

James 1:1-27 ESV / 9 helpful votes
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. …

John 16:33 ESV / 9 helpful votes
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

1 Peter 1:7 ESV / 7 helpful votes
So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

James 1:13 ESV / 7 helpful votes
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

James 1:2-4 ESV / 7 helpful votes
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

John 15:16 ESV / 6 helpful votes
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Joshua 1:9 ESV / 6 helpful votes
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

1 Peter 4:16 ESV / 5 helpful votes
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

Hebrews 13:6 ESV / 5 helpful votes
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13:5 ESV / 5 helpful votes
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1 Peter 4:15 ESV / 4 helpful votes
But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

1 Peter 4:14 ESV / 4 helpful votes
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Peter 1:6 ESV / 4 helpful votes
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,

Hebrews 11:1 ESV / 4 helpful votes
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Romans 5:3-5 ESV / 4 helpful votes
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

John 14:6 ESV / 4 helpful votes
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Psalm 26:2 ESV / 4 helpful votes
Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.

Job 2:10 ESV / 4 helpful votes
But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Revelation 3:20 ESV / 3 helpful votes
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV / 3 helpful votes
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

James 1:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

1 Timothy 3:16 ESV / 3 helpful votes
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Ephesians 2:1-22 ESV / 3 helpful votes
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— …

Deuteronomy 13:1 ESV / 3 helpful votes
“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,

Revelation 22:17 ESV / 2 helpful votes
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV / 2 helpful votes
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Acts 2:38 ESV / 2 helpful votes
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:32 ESV / 2 helpful votes
Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

John 6:44 ESV / 2 helpful votes
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

John 3:16 ESV / 2 helpful votes
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Matthew 6:33 ESV / 2 helpful votes
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Jeremiah 20:12 ESV / 2 helpful votes
O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.

Jeremiah 17:10 ESV / 2 helpful votes
“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

What the Bible says about Jesus Christ as Trailblazer

John 14:6

During the Passover service, we always read John 14 in its entirety. It is chock-full of insight and instruction that we, as Christ’s disciples, need to live fully as Christians and to prepare for eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Jesus opens the chapter by saying:

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. (John 14:1-4)

He sets the goal before us, eternal life in God’s house. He says that He will soon be going to that same goal, where He will be in a better position to prepare us to reach it. Then He says, “You know the way there,” which has Thomas scratching his head. “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” (verse 5). In other words, if we do not have a clear idea of the goal, how can we find our way there? It is impossible. A person must have a destination in mind before he can map out the route.

In verse 6, Jesus provides the answer: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus’ emphasis is on “the way,” since that is the force of Thomas’ question. Some commentators have even gone so far as to say that the real sense of His statement is, “I am the true and living way”—that is, the words “life” and “truth” modify “way.”

He implies that the Father will only accept as His children those who imitate the character and process of salvation that Christ pioneered. He is called the Captain or Author of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10). Jesus has blazed the trail before us, showing us the way to go—and the way to go is to follow in His footsteps, to imitate Him (I John 2:6). There is only one road that leads to the Kingdom of God, the road that Christ Himself trod. He expands this idea in John 14:7-11:

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

This paragraph adds another level to why God will only accept us through Christ—because Jesus was and is just like the Father. A son, if he is a true son, will show the characteristics of his father, which is exactly what we see in Jesus Christ and the Father in heaven. Christ thinks like the Father, speaks like the Father, and acts like the Father. Everything the Father would do is what Christ does. Therefore, if we want to be members of this Family, we, as Christ’s brothers and sisters, will have to think, say, and do the same sorts of things as the Father and the Son.

This is why we must go through Christ. There is no other way! The children must have the same character as the Father and the Son, or there is no admittance. Thus, we must imitate Christ if we desire to enter God’s Kingdom. He is the way, the method, or the process by which eternal salvation is secured, and if we should try to achieve it any other way, we will fail.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Acts 3:15

The word “Prince” is translated from the Greek archegos, which is translated “author” or “captain” in Hebrews 2:10. But here, Jesus Christ is called “the archegos of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” In this context, the word has the sense of being “originator,” someone who starts or begins something. An archegos is one who leads the way so that others may follow. It can also be translated “trailblazer,” “scout,” or “pioneer,” and so it indicates one who leads into battle, blazes a trail, sets a pattern, one who initiates and guides.

In the Daily Study Bible series commentary by William Barclay, he uses the illustration of a ship foundering on a rock. Someone jumps overboard with a rope and swims ashore, securing the line somewhere on the shore so that others are able to grab onto the rope and come to safety. The one who did it originally is an archegos. He fulfilled the role of an archegos.

That is what Christ is. He is saving us from the jagged rock, from the loss of our hope of eternal life. That is His job. He is leading and guiding us to the safety of actually being in the Kingdom of God.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Wilderness Wandering (Part Five)

Ephesians 1:21-23

Despite its smallness and visible weaknesses, as the complement of Christ, the church is also in an exalted position. We members do not literally add a thing to Christ’s divinity, but in His view, He is not complete and will not be complete until united with His bride. Thus, as He sanctifies and shapes us in holiness, He gradually fills His bride’s every part with every gift needed to enable her to function effectively so that she, as a whole, can glorify God in her overall responsibility to our Father and to our Lord and Savior. Since everything in Christ’s spiritual body comes from Him, He is everything to every member within it.

No religion but Christianity offers such an exalted and loving, spiritual Being sent to labor on behalf of its adherents. He is our Creator, our Lawgiver, the Forgiver of our sins, the Dispenser of His Spirit, the Giver of eternal life, our Guide through life who blazes the trail before us, and the Enabler of true spiritual growth and overcoming.

This body of believers is not contained within one corporate entity, and an individual cannot just go out and join it. The Father must lead a person to it (John 6:44). When He does, the newly called person will find people who are keeping God’s commandments—all ten of them—in both letter and spirit. They will worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24) without dodging spiritual realities, and they will sacrifice themselves despite personal costs. They will be honest to a fault, trustworthy, and uncomplaining. They are not driven by envy and covetousness, nor are they fixed on immediate or self-gratification.

The Kingdom of God is the vision that drives them. They strive to transform into the image of Jesus Christ and to glorify the Father and Son in everything. They live solidly in the present, aware of many of its harsh realities, but they make every move with their gaze on their eternal future. They truly are pilgrims, people who humbly see themselves as mere tiny specks in a vast and awesome purpose yet privileged beyond all bounds. They believe that purpose, and in gratitude, give themselves by faith to see it accomplished in their lives.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Where Is God’s True Church Today?

Hebrews 2:9-12

Hebrews 2:9-11 opens to us a spiritual reality that we must come to understand and appreciate if we are to make the most of this wonderful opportunity of salvation that God gave to us completely unbidden. Because of our disobedience and the resulting curse of death placed on us, we could never experience what is said of us in Psalm 8:4-8, which the author of Hebrews refers to here. However, Jesus suffered death and gained the victory for us. As a result, He wears the crown of glory and rules the universe. We know this Being as God-in-the-flesh, but the author uses His earthly name, Jesus, so that we can see the historical setting of His victory.

“Jesus” calls to mind the concept of salvation, as it means “savior.” The author writes that Jesus accomplished the redemption of His people by “tast[ing] death,” not—interestingly—by merely “dying.” To taste death is a graphic illustration of the painful way He suffered and died. He was not spared this excruciating trauma because He was the Son. He experienced suffering, both physical and emotional, to the very marrow of His bones.

In Hebrews 2:10, we find that the “everyone” of verse 9 is, in realty, not in this context the whole world, but it is limited to the “many sons” being brought to glory—in other words, the church. He bore the suffering that should have come upon us as the wages of our sins. He is the Author, the Pioneer, the Trailblazer, the Forerunner, going before us to our salvation. He is the One clearing the path, as it were, as we make our way following our calling. In Hebrews 12:2, He is called “the author and finisher [or perfecter] of our faith.” The Father made Him pass through gruesome suffering in our behalf.

He completed His preparation for the responsibility that He now holds as our High Priest; the Father has charged Him with the task of preparing many others to share life with them in the Kingdom of God. Jesus, therefore, is the One who makes men holy. The path to sanctification lies in obedience to doing God’s will, and that obedience is to be given out of gratitude because one understands and knows the Father and Son from within an intimate relationship (John 17:3).

Verse 12 quotes Psalm 22:22, putting the words in Jesus’ mouth: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praises to You.” In the holy Family of God, this spiritual relationship supersedes all human aspects. Jesus died for our sins; He redeemed us from the curse of sin; He forgives our sins; He gives us gifts; and He leads us to glory. Because of His sacrificial work, He is not ashamed to give us the name “brothers”! This implies that we, in turn, may call Jesus our Brother. What a privilege to be called brothers of the Son of God!

Bible Verses On Faith

1. Matthew 17:20

Read the Passage

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Read the Commentary

The disciples are not, of course, devoid of faith, but their faith is not functioning properly. Faith can be stronger or weaker (cf. Matt. 6:30; Matt. 8:26; Matt. 14:31; Matt. 16:8; Rom. 14:1). Moving a mountain was a common metaphor in Jewish literature for doing what was seemingly impossible (cf. Isa. 40:4; Isa. 49:11; Isa. 54:10; Matt. 21:21–22).

2. Romans 5:1–2

Read the Passage

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Read the Commentary

Chapter 5 begins with a ringing affirmation of the objective legal standing of the Christian—that the Christian, through faith in Christ, has been justified and declared righteous by God, once for all. The result of this is that the Christian no longer lives under the fear of judgment and the wrath of God but has peace with God, which is not merely a subjective feeling but an objective reality.

“The grace in which we stand” refers to the secure position of the believer’s standing (as a blessing of justification), and the “hope of the glory of God” refers to the promise that Christians will be glorified and perfected at the last day—a hope that results in joy.

Bible Verse On Love

Proverbs 31:10: Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Mark 10:9: Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

John 15:12: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Luke 6:31: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Corinthians 16:14: Do everything in love.

Proverbs 17:17: A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Ephesians 5:21: Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 4:7: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:8: Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

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Bible Verses About Trailblazing