Few days ago the Thai government put the nation under state of emergency due to the protesters briefly forcing their way into the parliament compound wherein Lawmakers fled and several senior government figures were airlifted by military helicopter to safety. You see, in a spiritual sense, being Christians in a hostile world we are always in a “state of emergency.” We cannot put our guard down for our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pet.5:8). Eph.5:15-16 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

"Be very careful"...

“Be very careful” – These are words which are very familiar to all of us. In fact, we use these words to exhort one another quite often. When our children leave the house, we often say, “Be careful.” If one is driving the car, we might say, “Be careful, drive safely.” What we are saying is “Watch out! Don’t do something foolish! Look out for the other guy! Watch your step!” You see the words “Be careful” comes from two Latin words which mean “Looking around” which literally means, “exactly, uprightly.” It’s to keep our eyes wide open, looking around, and discerning the times. The Christian’s walk is to be one that is given careful consideration. It is one that is to be the outgrowth of thought, of purpose, of deliberate and disciplined action. The opposite would be walking carelessly and without proper guidance and forethought.

I read of a news about the senseless injuries and deaths of men and women soldiers after the Persian Gulf War ended. It happened because these soldiers were lulled into a false sense of safety and security. Sometimes in the course of duty, and other times in the pursuit of souvenirs, soldiers carelessly went about in places where mines and booby traps had been placed by the enemy. And this carelessness led to injury and death for some. Now how would you walk when you know that there are booby traps and mines buried somewhere in the ground? You would walk very carefully not carelessly. Christians live in a fallen world, in a hostile and dangerous world. We dare not live our lives in a haphazard fashion. We must give careful thought to our attitudes and actions and decisions. This is what God’s Spirit calls for, nothing less.

Think! Be wise! Look out for detours that take us away from God - and keep your guard up!

With these words Paul is telling us to look down the road before we make our choices, to consider the consequences of our actions before we act. We all know how easy it is to become distracted. We also know what can happen when we are distracted. Think of driving a car. It’s dangerous when you’re driving and you allow yourself to be distracted by anything. Our walk with God should be one that is given great care. We need to watch what we are doing. We need to watch our steps, giving attention to circumstances and consequences, by guarding against everything improper and unbecoming for a Christian. Look first, consider the situation before you take a step! So Paul says, “Don’t be unthinking when you make those choices. Think! Be wise! Look out for detours that take us away from God – and keep your guard up!