The Responsibility of Self-Protection

The Responsibility of Self-Protection

Sometimes God just pulls things together in ways that make clear what I need to write for these weekend Freedom Fighter emails. (I want to thank Bill Welte for giving me the privilege of writing the weekend editions. It's a blessing!) So, on to pulling things together.

Last Tuesday during my morning readings I ran across this verse in Proverbs 27:12. "A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and are punished." Then, I read from "The Seeking Heart" by Fenelon. (If you haven't used this book as part of your quiet time, you ought to think about it!) Fenelon says "Hold true to what is right so that no one will drag you back to sin. You will have an easier time of it when people know that you cannot be swayed from your commitment to God. If you leave yourself open to go astray, you probably will."

Then, last Wednesday, Bill Welte wrote in the FF that we must beware the tricky and deadly deceptions of the devil. His comments took me back to what I'd read the previous day, and I knew what I needed to write for today's FF.

All of us who pursue freedom in Christ know that we are completely dependent upon the triune God for all we need to live life as He has designed it. That does not free us from responsibility. We can and must make wise choices in protecting ourselves. To do less is foolish.

The Proverbs verse assures us that we can be sensible and aware enough of what's going on around us to see evil coming. Seeing it approach gives us time to run to God for protection through His Word, prayer, the armor of God (Ephesians 6), and the help of others who love God. To ignore incoming evil is foolish and leads to punishment. It's that simple.

The key to this is understanding that we prepare for evil BEFORE it arrives. That's where the line from Fenelon comes into play. "If you leave yourself open to go astray, you probably will." Leaving ourselves open is the opposite of practicing prudent awareness of what's going on around us. Allowing God to build prudence into our lives protects us from those openings to go astray. If we wait until evil arrives, we don't have a chance!

You and I can pursue prudence and know protection from evil. We have the responsibility to protect ourselves so we leave no opening to go astray. May God help us! - Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor at First Baptist Toms River

God's WORD for YOU: 2 Chronicles 13-14; John 12:1-26

Think about this: Sometimes you have asked, "Lord, make me like Your Son." And He took you at your word and began the process and you said, "Lord, what happened? Why did You allow this to come into my life? What are You doing with this drying brook?" He answers, "Nothing, except answering your prayer." For never forget, Jesus Christ, "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered" (Heb. 5:8). --Howard G. Hendricks