Be Careful

“So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” ~ Deuteronomy 5:32-33

Living a righteous life is not easy. In Romans 7:21, Paul says “although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” It doesn’t take much for us to fall into the devil’s schemes or our own sinful nature.

That’s why Proverbs 4:23 calls us to “guard our hearts.” And Deuteronomy 5:32 tells us to “be careful” to keep God’s commands. Jesus, in fact, said that “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Jesus warned us that it would not be easy.

Because of the original sin, doing what’s right doesn’t come naturally. So, we must be cautious and careful to keep God’s commandments. We must be on guard at all times. We are in a battle and if we are not careful, we can do exactly what Deuteronomy 5:32 warns us not to do – that is, turn aside to the right or to the left.

Jesus tells us to walk the narrow path that leads to life – the John 10:10 life. Walking the narrow path requires self-discipline and a carefulness found in Deuteronomy 5:32.

Be careful today!

God bless,
J.W.

Train Up A Child (Part 6)

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." - Proverbs 4:23

In Part 5 of the Train Up A Child series, we continued talking about why meditating on God's Word is important. Today, let's talk about why it works.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us that everything flows from what's in our hearts.

See, whatever is planted in your heart flows out in your life.

Our hearts are merely conduits to push out whatever is planted in it. So, if evil is planted in it, our hearts can't help but to push out evil. If lust is planted in it, it can't help but to push out lust. If sin is planted in it, it can't help but to bring sin in our life.

But Philippians 4:8 instructs us to think on good things - whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely. Then "the God of Peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:9).

Peace comes through what we think about. It's why Proverbs 23:7 says "whatever a man thinks, so is he." The results we get in life are simply a reflection of the conditions of our hearts.

What's the condition of your heart today?

God bless,
J.W.

Stumbling Blocks (Part 4)

Over the last several posts, we’ve been talking about stumbling blocks. In Part 1, we talked about why stumbling blocks exist (to knock us off balance). In Part 2, we talked about what/who stumbling blocks are (often people close to us). In Part 3, we talked about how stumbling blocks occur (through false or mis- conceptions of who you are). Today, let’s talk about when stumbling blocks come.

In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus tells a parable about the Kingdom where a man (God) sows good seed (peace and blessings) in a field (your life). But, verse 25 says “while everyone was sleeping,” the man's enemy (Satan) comes and sows weed (stumbling blocks) in the field. Thus, when the seed sprouts, the weeds also appear.

So, what does this parable tell us about the appearance of stumbling blocks in our lives?

Well, according to Jesus, stumbling blocks are planted in our lives when we're asleep. Naturally, it would then be wise for us to "stay woke." Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines the term "stay woke" as "a watch word... for those who [a]re self-aware, questioning the dominant paradigm and striving for something better."

Thus, could it be that God is telling us that when we don't stay woke, we allow weeds into our lives. That is, when we: (1) are not aware, (2) do not question dominant culture, and (3) fail to strive for something better, we give the enemy room to plant stumbling blocks in our lives?

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to, “above all else, guard [our] hearts, for everything [we] do flows from it.” It’s when we’re not on guard, i.e. when we’re asleep, that the enemy attacks.

Thus, “stay woke” shouldn't be just a trendy saying nowadays. Rather, it can be guidance and direction for how to keep stumbling blocks out of our life.

Stay woke fam!

God bless,
J.W.