"Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on." Proverbs 4:14-15 ESV
Turn away and pass on.
Sometimes we act like as if it's the large things that trip us up, like we just need to avoid the big pitfalls we encounter in life. But in reality it is the small things that so often make us stumble. I once heard it put this way, "You don't die in miles or feet you suffer death by inches." When things are going well for you, you have a tendency to let the little details in life slide simply because things are going so well. Then all of the sudden your failing or losing and you don't know why. It is because those small, infrequent mistakes that didn't get corrected have become normal for you.
Death by inches. Basically it's the smallest of mistakes that cause you to fail.
It can happen in life so quickly. We know that the life that God calls us to is straight ahead, that making a 90 degree detour is clearly off His track. But that isn't how we get off track. We get off track with the five degree turn off the straight path. Suddenly we are just a little bit sidetracked from where Christ wants us to go, not living as Christ wants us to live.
We know the rules to keep ourselves out of trouble. But it is the gray areas, the things that "aren't that big of a deal," that cause problems. First there's one compromise. Then something else. Before we know it, we are so far off course, we can't imagine how we got there. And once we get to that point we can look back and trace the path and it's one small step at a time.
How do we keep ourselves from straying off the track? How do we fend off temptation that is lurking nearby, trying to pull us off the path God wants us to travel? Martin Luther once warned that temptation was like a hovering bird, and we should never allow it to build a nest in our hair. Try this the next time temptation comes knocking on the door, imagine that Christ is the one that will answer the door for you. He will drive the temptations away. That image can help you to turn away and to keep moving where God wants you to go.
I know where God wants me to go. I know the life that He wants me to live. I have to be aware of the small things and how they can cause me to get off track. I have heard it said many times like this: "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."
Turn away and pass on.
Sometimes we act like as if it's the large things that trip us up, like we just need to avoid the big pitfalls we encounter in life. But in reality it is the small things that so often make us stumble. I once heard it put this way, "You don't die in miles or feet you suffer death by inches." When things are going well for you, you have a tendency to let the little details in life slide simply because things are going so well. Then all of the sudden your failing or losing and you don't know why. It is because those small, infrequent mistakes that didn't get corrected have become normal for you.
Death by inches. Basically it's the smallest of mistakes that cause you to fail.
It can happen in life so quickly. We know that the life that God calls us to is straight ahead, that making a 90 degree detour is clearly off His track. But that isn't how we get off track. We get off track with the five degree turn off the straight path. Suddenly we are just a little bit sidetracked from where Christ wants us to go, not living as Christ wants us to live.
We know the rules to keep ourselves out of trouble. But it is the gray areas, the things that "aren't that big of a deal," that cause problems. First there's one compromise. Then something else. Before we know it, we are so far off course, we can't imagine how we got there. And once we get to that point we can look back and trace the path and it's one small step at a time.
How do we keep ourselves from straying off the track? How do we fend off temptation that is lurking nearby, trying to pull us off the path God wants us to travel? Martin Luther once warned that temptation was like a hovering bird, and we should never allow it to build a nest in our hair. Try this the next time temptation comes knocking on the door, imagine that Christ is the one that will answer the door for you. He will drive the temptations away. That image can help you to turn away and to keep moving where God wants you to go.
I know where God wants me to go. I know the life that He wants me to live. I have to be aware of the small things and how they can cause me to get off track. I have heard it said many times like this: "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."
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