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PLAYING ON THE PRECIPICE

"Christian, seek not yet repose;
Cast thy dreams of ease away;
Thou art in the midst of foes:
Watch and pray." - Charlotte Eliot

Most people like to play - most Christians, that is. Are you one of them?

Do you -

...love the life of ease and comfort?
...avoid at all costs any buffeting of your flesh?
...pamper yourself and give in to every whim and fancy of your will?
...resent any restrictions that may be placed on you in life?

Then you are playing on the precipice and are on dangerous ground. You need to wake up. This message is for you today!

The Scriptures admonish us in Proverbs 21:17 - "He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man..."
Again, in 1 Timothy 5:6, we are told that the woman who "liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth."

If you love and live in pleasure, then you are most likely -

...suffering poverty in the many aspects of your life
...giving in to the cravings of your flesh rather than crucifying it
...on the broad road that leads to eternal destruction in Hell.

It's time like never before to wake up, shake yourself, and tighten the reins on your life!

Most people are ruined through carelessness. When they look back to examine how they ended up in the disastrous situation that they find themselves, they realize that they let go of their watchfulness and became independent of God as their source of strength.

Thomas Manton once said - "All sins are rooted in love of pleasure. Therefore be watchful."

The Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations gives this comment -

"There are critical times of danger. After great services, honors, and consolations we should be on our guard. Noah, Lot, David, and Solomon fell in these circumstances. Satan is a highwayman. A highwayman will not attack a person going to the bank but on the return with pocket or purse full of money."

Throughout the Scriptures, we are admonished to "take heed" - to be cautious.
Let's examine some of these warnings and fear lest we be found playing on the precipice of spiritual disaster -

A. Ephesians 5:15 says - "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise."

"Walk circumspectly." As Christians, are we doing that?

What exactly does it entail?

It entails walking correctly, accurately, consistently, perfectly, and in the right way.
It means that we are to not only profess Christianity, but live it before all as well.

In order to do that, we must walk carefully, keeping a diligent guard against all temptation to Sin.
It involves keeping a constant watch to avoid spiritual danger on every turn.

The "fools" are those who are without wisdom. They give in to every fleshly inclination. Through neglect and lack of care, they yield to every temptation to Sin and end up destroying themselves.

B. 1 Corinthians 10:12 says - "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

We are all faced with times in our walk with the Lord when we feel very confident. We may have just experienced many breakthroughs in prayer, encountered tremendous victories, seen great progress in our walk with the Lord, been assigned to some great task, or witnessed mighty works done in our ministries.

We are feeling very good about ourselves.
Watch out! This is the time when we must especially be on guard!

It is whenever we are feeling elated and supposing that all is safe and secure that we are at the point of the greatest danger. At this moment, we begin to lose our dependency on God and become self-confident. We lose all humility as we become puffed up, thinking that we are really "something."

We may be thinking - Look what God has done for me, or look how He is using me above all others! Aren't I "something"?

My! My! My! These thoughts are definitely disastrous! Without realizing it, we pull back on our total dependency on God and begin to rely on our own strength. We don't keep our footing as we did before. We cut back on our constant prayer and vigilance of our souls, not realizing that it was our extreme caution and prayerfulness that won us the victory in the first place.

C. Joshua 23:11 says - "Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God."

Joshua doesn't only tell us to "take heed," but to "take good heed" unto our souls.

Proverbs 4:23 - We are to keep our hearts with all diligence.
We must stand our guard, lest our hearts become filled with rivals or other masters besides the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is at all times to have the preeminence in our lives.
He is to possess all of our hearts.
Above all, we must keep ourselves from all idols which would draw away the affection of our hearts from the Lord.

D. Proverbs 12:26 says - "The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor: but the way of the wicked seduceth them."

The righteous man "is more excellent than his neighbor" because he walks in the Truth.
He is mindful of his own weaknesses.
Therefore, he takes precautions as outlined in God's Holy Word and stands on guard against any evil inclinations.

The "wicked man," on the other hand, feeds on lies.
One of those lies is that he can live his life without the grace and power of God.
He is confident that he can make it on his own - he doesn't need anyone's help, including God's.

E. Hebrews 2:1 says - "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."

How do we "give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard"?

We all have a tendency to forget things. Therefore, we are admonished in this verse to attend to what we hear diligently, carefully, suitably, and properly.

We cannot allow -

...the cares of this life to block out the important Truths that we are hearing
...any heaviness or dullness of mind to be present
...any kind of Sin that would cause us to become indifferent to the Truth presented.

We must give strict attention to what we hear at all times, in every place, and under any and all situations or circumstances.

God is speaking to us. Are we listening? How are we listening? With care and deep concern or an attitude of nonchalance?

What we hear, read, or meditate on can "slip" away from us if we are not careful.
That word "slip" means to leak out, flow by as a river, glide along, or escape.

The metaphor presented here is that our minds are as vessels or containers for the truths that we hear. However, if we don't attend to what we hear with all diligence, caution, concern, care, and utmost importance, then these truths are said to leak out or be spilt. They simply flow right out of our minds and memories.

Unless we endeavor to secure these Bible truths, they will not profit us in the least.
We will not experience any spiritual growth whatsoever.

F. Proverbs 14:8 says - "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit."

The highest wisdom any man could possibly display is to be able to "understand his way" or direct his path. The "prudent" man is very practical. He manages himself well. Following the dictates of the Bible, he looks well to his goings and is careful about every step that he takes. He ponders the path of his feet. He avoids all danger and overcomes all difficulties that would impede his progress. He improves on every opportunity that comes his way.

The "fool," on the other hand, lacks the wisdom needed to cautiously direct his way. He lacks all understanding. He operates in self-deceit and fraud. His ignorance and carelessness brings him to ruin.

G. Proverbs 14:15-16 say - "The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident."

The "wise man" and the "prudent man" are one and the same.

How is the "prudent" or "wise" man able to look well to his goings?

The fear of the Lord is his safeguard.

He doesn't lean to his own understanding nor trust in himself. His sufficiency is of God. This Holy Fear that activates and motivates him proves to be an excellent guard against all which is unholy. He has a Holy Fear of ever displeasing the Lord. Therefore, he departs from or avoids all evil lest he be ensnared by it. He doesn't camp near Sin's borders. He stays out of harm's way. He maintains a holy jealousy over his affections, lest at any time his heart would turn to any idol.

In spite of all the warnings, the "fool" simply carries on in self-confidence. He can't bear to have anyone restrain or check him in any measure. He fears no danger, hence he furiously pushes on toward destruction.

H. Deuteronomy 4:9 says - "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life..."

Once again, the Scriptures admonish us to "take heed," and to keep a diligent, cautious, and careful watch over our souls. We cannot afford to forget the Truths of God's Holy Word. Not only must they be remembered in our minds, but they must be stored in our hearts where they will be able, in turn, to transform our entire lives.

As Charlotte Eliot was referred to earlier as saying - We are in the midst of foes. We cannot seek for the easy life. We must keep a constant watch over our souls lest we be ruined through carelessness.

How cautious are you in your walk with the Lord?
Are you daily applying the Truths from God's Word to your life?

How do you read, study, meditate on, or listen to the Word of God?
Do you pay attention with utmost care or does your mind wander to other more pressing issues?
Are you like the "prudent" or "wise" man or as the "fool"?

Wherein does your confidence lie?
Are you experiencing great triumphs in your life or ministry at this time?

Watch! Watch! Watch!
Be on a constant guard!
Stay humble!

Remember - Satan is a highwayman. He won't attack you when you are emptied of Self. He is waiting for the time when you are full of yourself to attack you.

On this day, May God give all of us the grace to walk circumspectly, look well to our goings, and understand our way.
Connie
 

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