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Monday, June 8, 2009

Be vigilant, my friends


In my quiet time this morning (a rare pleasure!), I was reading a devotional from Streams in the Desert, and I'd like to share an excerpt with you today.

The Bible verse to focus on is 1 John 5:4. . .Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

If a person allows it, he can find something at every turn of the road that will rob him of his victory and his peace of mind. Satan is far from
retiring from his work of attempting to deceive and destroy God's
children. At each milestone of your life, it is wise to check the
temperature of your experience in order to be keenly aware of the surrounding conditions.

If you will do this and firmly exhibit your faith at the precise moment,
you can sometimes actually snatch victory from the very jaws of defeat.

God is still on the throne, and He can turn defeat into victory in a split
second, if we will only trust Him.

"Be keenly aware of the surrounding conditions," I love that. Gosh, it is so important, and it's something about which I need to be more vigilant. There are temptors everywhere, and depending on your vice, you can be bombarded seemingly at every turn. Commercials, billboards, magazines. There are a wide variety of sins that can be carried out just by looking at one of those three things.

But I was enlightened the other day while having coffee at a friend's house. There were three of us there, all Christian women seeking to further their relationship with Christ. Not a place I would expect to be sucked into sin. Sure enough, we got to talking, and by the end of our several-hour-long conversations, we were all convicted that at the beginning of our talk, we were gossiping. We recognized the sin and turned from it. We now have a plan to have a Bible verse or Christian topic to be the focus of our future discussions.

Whatever road you're traveling today, I pray that you will stop and pray before each turn.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

10 comments:

Beth Herring said...

Sin can draw us in when we least expect it. I heard Kay Arthur say, Sin can take you farther than you ever expected to go, make you stay longer than you ever expected to stay and cost you more than you ever expected to pay!

There just may be a post in there!!

Miss Charlene said...

Thank you for this wonderful reminder. In Proverbs 24, it says the just man falls seven times but the wicked continue therein. What grace we have in Christ!! I am so thankful for that, so that when we fall, we can turn to him and it will all be quickly mended to and voided out.

Julie said...

Great post. It's funny how Papa God does that. He stirred in my heart to write about being on the alert as well...today.

Thanks for sharing your heart here!

Julie

Autumn said...

Thanks for a great reminder! Too often I am convicted of letting my tongue get the best of me...more often than not I should just keep my mouth shut. Even when our intentions are good, if we aren't being intentional about our goal then good intentions still lead to sin.

Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting, it's always great to have new readers! Hope you have a great day!

LisaShaw said...

Thank you for sharing with such transparency and truth. In that God always not only sets us free but others who need the same freedom.

Sin is always waiting -- always knocking and at times patiently and cleverly pops up but I'm grateful that GOD gives us an ave of escape but sadly all too often we are in "it" before realizing it.

May we all walk aware. God bless you dear one.

Jennifer @ JenniferDukesLee.com said...

Thank you for your honesty and transparency. As women, I think we've all found ourselves in that place of gossip. Good for you that you are ALERT!

Yolanda said...

Dana, this was so encouraging in the fact of how much we need to be aware. It only takes a moment, as you brought out in the scripture...to be aware of our surroundings.

Lovingly,
Yolanda

Lisa said...

Great thought provoking post, I know I was ministered to this morning, thank you.

Anonymous said...

I noticed that gossip is the greatest sin that lurks among housewives who gather together... and.. psst, did you hear that I commit the very same sin?

Oops, I'm gossiping about myself!! :o) But hey I'm trying!!

P.S. Am I beating you yet in our FNF challenge?

Thanks for sharing this post!!

~*Michelle*~ said...

Thanks for speaking The Truth....

you have blessed me beyond words today.
xox