“These things
happened to them as examples and were written down as
warnings for us, on
whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.”
I Corinthians 10:11
(NIV)
“What in the world is going on?” I thought to
myself the other day as I watched arms waving from car after car as drivers
tried frantically to flag down a woman in a little red van getting ready to
pull onto the interstate.
A few seconds later I spotted the reason: a big
coffee mug and an even bigger camera were hitching a ride on the roof of the
van. The woman behind the wheel kept driving, completely oblivious to the
people trying to help the “hitchhikers” on her roof avoid a messy and
disastrous end to their ride.
She finally glanced
at the drivers but, ignoring their frantic waving and gesturing, she simply
smiled, waved back . . . and drove on. Somewhere down the highway as she picked
up speed, the coffee mug and camera would fly off the van roof and smash into
the highway.
Had she simply stopped
long enough to see why the drivers were gesturing toward the top of her van,
she would have immediately realized that they were trying to warn her of a sure
catastrophe.
God’s Word is
full of warnings and caution signs designed to “flag us down” before we, like
the van driver, are faced with certain disaster. He knows that decisions and
choices that we make as Christians will not be welcomed by those in the world
and He continually warns us to hold on to His Word when we feel overwhelmed,
vulnerable and weak.
He also knows
that our enemy will always be on the attack and we cannot let up for a single
minute as we guard against him. We are told in I Peter 5:8 to “Be
self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour.” Now that is a warning we all need
to heed!
Just as an
earthly father warns his children about dangers around them, how much more our
Heavenly Father continually cautions us to keep our focus on Him as He points
us in the right direction for our lives.
And if we don’t
heed His warnings? If we ignore all His attempts to get our attention? Then we
will face the consequences of deciding to smile, wave and continue down the
path we have chosen.
I urge you today
not to ignore the “waving arms” in your path. They may be counsel from a Godly
Christian friend or a devotional you read one morning or a verse in the Bible
that speaks to your heart. No matter the form they may take, please recognize them
as our Father’s longing to “flag us down” and direct our paths away from flying
mugs and cameras.
Father, how many times have I raced ahead and
not heeded your warnings in my life. And how many times could a bad decision
have been averted if only I had looked to you. Please help me to spend time in
your Word and to seek your will in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
R.A.P. it up . . .
Reflect
- Can you
think of a time in which you felt the Lord placing warning signs in your
path but you still went ahead with your plans?
- What
were your reasons for ignoring those warning signs? What was the result?
Apply
- Ask a
Godly prayer warrior who is continually in the Word to be an
accountability partner with you and to pray with you as decisions require
answers in your life.
- Keep a
prayer journal of Scripture that encourages you to seek the Lord in all
areas of your life before making important decisions.
Power
- I
Corinthians 10:11 (NIV) “These things happened to them as examples and
were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages
has come.”
- I
Corinthians 4:14 (NIV) “I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn
you, as my dear children.”
- Ephesians
6:11 (NIV) “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand
against the devil’s schemes.”
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