Be One in a Thousand
The narrow path Christ spoke of seems more impossible to walk every day. But it's the only path worth walking.
Walk into any grocery store. Candy at every checkout. Sodas calling your name. Processed poison disguised as food. And the very air seems designed to drag you off course.
Turn on any screen. Pop stars selling their souls for fame. Movies that corrupt your mind before the opening credits end. Social media algorithms feeding you spiritual junk food until you forget what truth even tastes like.
Walk past any club. Girls dressed to tempt. Everyone hooking up like it's nothing. The whole culture screaming that you're missing out if you're not chasing after someone new every weekend.
The narrow path means saying no to everything the world says yes to.
No to the music everyone loves. No to the shows everyone watches. No to the foods everyone eats. No to the friends who think your standards are insane.
It means being willing to work for less money if the higher-paying job compromises your soul. It means giving away what others hoard. It means resisting what others embrace without question.
And that's just the start.
The math is brutal. Christ said few would find it: "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) The Bible suggests maybe one in a thousand. Look around—does that ratio feel wrong?
Most people calling themselves Christians live exactly like everyone else. Same entertainment. Same priorities. Same compromise when pressure comes. They wear the cross but worship comfort.
Even the churches are compromised. The Catholic Church harbors Satan-worship at the highest levels. Many Protestant churches follow suit—led by spiritual wolves in sheep's clothing. Finding true fellowship can feel impossible.
You realize quickly that the narrow path is a lonely road.
You'll be misunderstood. Your family will think you've gone too far. Your friends will drift away. Dating becomes nearly impossible—how do you explain that you're looking for someone who actually fears God?
The temptation to lower your standards becomes overwhelming. Just watch that movie. Just eat that donut. Just date that person who's "basically Christian." Just take the easier path.
But here's what I've learned: having even one friend who gets it changes everything.
One person who understands why you can't just "live a little." One person who knows the cost of righteousness and pays it anyway. One person who reminds you that feeling crazy for following Christ means you're probably doing something right.
The narrow path isn't just about avoiding sin. It's about total devotion to one ultimate authority. No divided loyalties. No backup plans. No hedging your bets.
God or the world. Truth or comfort. The narrow path or the wide road to destruction.
Everyone else gets to be normal. You get to be faithful.
Everyone else gets to fit in. You get to stand apart.
Everyone else gets to be understood. You get to be righteous.
The path is narrow because it has to be. Wide enough for everyone means wide enough for everything—including the things that destroy your soul.
Christ warned the world would hate us: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:18-19) He didn't promise it would be popular.
But narrow doesn't mean wrong. And lonely doesn't mean abandoned.
The remnant is small but real. The path is narrow but true.
Walk it anyway.