I think many of us have heard this phrase before and probably have expressed it to someone. It usually has a negative connotation about something we’ve done or experienced that we don’t want to repeat. But let’s look at it in a different way.

I get a lot of revelations about things that happen “On the Path of Life” and this is one of them. We are always on the Path and are headed to our final destination whether it be Heaven or Hell. We’re either on the narrow path or the wide path, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior determines our Path, and He travels with us on our journey. But, along the way, our enemy will do everything he can to get us off the Path and sidetrack us to his path. (I’ve written about The Path many times on this blog, just go to the top and type “path” into the search box if you’re interested.) And, sad to say, I’ve gotten off God’s Path many times and wandered onto a side path that got me in trouble even though Jesus was there warning me, “Don’t go there!”. But hear this, when I realized my mistake and called out to Him, Jesus brought me back on the right Path, dusted me off, sometimes fussed at me but forgave me then gave me a big hug before continuing on the Way. And He would warn me again, “When the enemy tempts you to go down that road, DON’T LISTEN, DON’T GO THERE!”

So, there are two lessons I’ve learned from this revelation. Lesson one: We can help others because of the experiences we’ve had on the Path. “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16). If we’ve gotten off the Path and taken the wrong way at some time, but were rescued, we can tell others who are considering it, “Hey, I’ve been down that road before, don’t go there!” Yes, like He did with you, Jesus will bring them back, but you can help them avoid some pain and trouble.

Lesson two: I believe sometimes God will take us down a road of difficulty to teach us something or strengthen us so we can be more prepared to travel His Path and resist the wiles of the devil. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). Being a former athlete and coach, I know that to be strengthened and prepared for the game, the coach will put you through it in order to prepare you. The Bible says that God will not tempt us, (James 1:13), but I think He will go with us down a road of difficulty for the purpose of training. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, (Matthew 4:1), to be tempted but it was a lesson for us and, I think, to put the devil in his place. We can do that too.

So, if you’ve “been down that road before”, use what you learned to help others and accept Coach’s training so you can be, “strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10).