"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but
as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are
evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will
is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be
filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and
songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:15-20 NIV)
How
many times or how many ways can those of us who know how God wants us
to live say--BE CAREFUL for the enemy is out to destroy you?
When I
think about how many times I've heard that phrase or how many times
I've said it, I can imagine it has been said more times than anyone
could count. We hear it all the time--be careful! We tell children--be
careful! We tell parents--be careful! We tell teachers--be careful! We
tell students--be careful! In all walks of life, we're telling people to
be careful--of situations, circumstances and certainly the enemy who is
a master of deception and the father of liars. We tend to forget that
his job is to steal, kill and destroy. And though we are told that
angels are encamped around us--we still forget--to be careful.
This
admonition to the saints is a standard warning--be careful how you
live--especially in front of those who do not know Jesus and yet we
proclaim to know Him, but those watching us--wouldn't know it.
We are to be living epistles--read of men--daily and so it is important that they see us as ambassadors for Jesus Christ. They
should not see us slipping and sliding out of motels, out of the bars,
out of the strip joints, out of the casinos, or any other place we
wouldn't want exposed--as being part of our lives. The drug
dens, the whorehouses, the church where anything goes and in the midst
of family gatherings that have no clue as to who Jesus is and they
certainly won't believe us--if we're not living the life.
Living a
life that is pleasing to God is not easy when flesh is always clamoring
for the life we used to know. You know, the one in which we did
everything to please us-before we knew what God expected of us. Oh yeah,
first we have to admit where we were before we can appreciate what
being in a relationship with Him really means. In order to please God,
we must kill fleshly desires that are not honoring to God. We must put a
muzzle over our mouths and guard our tongues. We must pay attention to
the music we hear and the movies we watch or the books we read. Why?
Because if our lives before Christ could be enticed again--we stand
constantly in the need of forgiveness and make His sacrifice pointless.
Jesus sacrificed Himself--once--for all who are willing to turn from sin
and live according to God's Word.
Every time we allow the
enemy to entice us back into the pit from which we have been pulled
out--we're saying we need another savior. There is none other
than Jesus who saves and we should not make His hanging on the cross a
mockery simply because we refuse to discipline our flesh. We can do
it--especially when we're not on drunken binge or high from substances
that will eventually clog brain cells and kill the body. If we
want to get high--we should get high on Jesus--allowing Holy Spirit to
fill us and guide our every move and we will have nothing to fear--no
diseases, no sickness, no judgment--just thanksgiving to God for all He
has done!
(more to come)
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