Taken in and taking up

"Now, vigilantly guard your souls: Love God, your God. Because if you wander off and start taking up with these remaining nations still among you (intermarry, say, and have other dealings with them), know for certain that God, your God, will not get rid of these nations for you. They'll be nothing but trouble to you—horsewhips on your backs and sand in your eyes—until you're the ones who will be driven out of this good land that God, your God, has given you." (Joshua 23:11-13)

Joshua is about to turn over the control of the nation at the point of his death. He gathers the leaders, priests, and elders together. In the moments which pass, he gives them sound advice on how God expects them to live in the land they have been given as an inheritance - a place of permanent settlement after years and years of wandering the deserts. His first piece of advice: Stay alert! Why? The work was not done - nations still had to be dealt with. Know this, my friends, OUR work is never done! We need to STAY ALERT. His second piece of advice: Stay strong and steady! Why? There would be so much influence around them to do what would get them into big trouble and it might not seem like it, but that influence would eventually pull them into a downward spiral of self-centered living if allowed to get root. In warning them to stay strong and steady, he is advising them on living by the principles God set out in his word - more than fluffy words to be established in the new life, but to be rooted solidly in God so that new life would be rewarding.

This probably sums it up very well for not only Israel, but for us! We need to vigilantly guard our souls - because we have a tendency to wander when we are not paying attention! Look at the consequences of being a little lax in dealing with the nations around them - God would not get rid of them for them! If they dabbled with them, God wanted them to know how much trouble they would bring into their lives - like horsewhips on their backs and sand in your eyes. Dabble with anything God warned you to not 'dabble in' at all? I have and I know how much trouble even a little dabbling in those things God told me to avoid brought into my life. Do you know the meaning of 'dabbling'? It carries the idea of working at anything in an irregular manner - taking a superficial approach to it. What might not seem like it will amount to much if we just 'dabble' can eventually become a rather 'regular' and 'deeply ingrained' pattern in our lives. Don't dabble even a little bit - that is God's instruction, not mine!

Now, I have never been horsewhipped, but I have had sand in my eyes. I know how painful this is - but not only is it painful, it is downright impossible to see right! We have to spend so much time trying to rid myself of the irritating stuff in our eyes that we cannot see what is right in front of us - the tears that form obliterating a clear view for us. What Joshua may be saying to us is to be aware of just how much even one compromise (one grain of sand) can impact our clear focus! When one is vigilant, they are so keenly aware of their surroundings that not even one seemingly 'harmless' influence escapes them. Why? They are "on alert" - sensing danger - knowing when something is 'just not right'. God has our back, but he doesn't want us to be fooled or duped by the influences around us. We only get duped when we are not paying close attention. The purpose of a horsewhip is to control the actions of the horse. A horseman doesn't take one in hand if be doesn't think he'll have to use it. We are being reminded of the influences of belief systems, traditions, and the prevailing fads of the day. They have a tendency to become things which can "control" us much like a horsewhip can can control the horse. "If you wander off and start taking up with them..." In essence, God is describing the kind of lackadaisical action on our part which gets us into the deepest kinds of trouble - all while we are seemingly unaware!

The horse will wander the fields, leisurely taking in what is in front of it. The danger is in not being discriminating in what is taken in! Some things a horse may take in may not be the best for its digestive system - the old cowboy shows used to call it "wacky weed". It would make the horses downright miserable. Guess what? When we "take in" stuff without really thinking it through, we may be downright miserable, too! Two "actions" on our part result in two "outcomes". One action really comes as a matter of "inactivity" - we wander right into the things God has plainly said to stay away from. The outcome is feeling like a whip has been taken to our backs - we feel controlled! The second action is really one of getting stuff "into" us which really doesn't have a place in us. The outcome is evident in the effect it has on our ability to see clearly (sand in the eye). Either way, neither of these outcomes is desirable. So, we'd do well to listen to the warning given here. Be alert. Stay strong and steady - not veering from the Word of God. Be vigilant - your enemy is waiting to lure you in. Just sayin!

Is that a sign?

Caution - Hot Surface!  Caution - Wet Floors!  Caution - Right Lane Closed Ahead! These are all words of 'caution' - advising us not to do something, or proceed without any thought at all. We each have had those moments in time when we would say we were not exercising much caution, or being aware of what we were doing (at least consciously). These are moments or seasons when we threw caution to the wind. How did that work for you? If you were like me, probably not as well as you had hoped!

Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe. (Proverbs 28:26 NLT)  When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. (Proverbs 29:18 NLT)

When we trust our own insight at the exclusion of warnings clearly revealed for our safety, we are in dangerous territory. I think we are all reminded of the need to 'take caution' every place we look right now. Social media is streaming warnings to wash your hands, cover your cough, and to avoid each other in order to shut down the spread of the virus. There are all manner of 'cautions' we receive in life each day, some are just 'right out there', while others are kind of just 'felt' rather than seen. The ones we see are like the warning sign on the side of the road that tells us to watch for deer crossing the road. Even with the signs, we don't always perceive the threat. It took seeing one deer and her fawn on the roadside to get my attention and to keep it focused! I love nature, but especially when I get to see the "wee ones". The signs are there to help build our awareness of the danger. The thing is, when I actually saw the beautiful creatures, something connected. I was suddenly aware of the risks of driving in those heavily wooded areas.

I could ignore the signs, but I would place myself, and my passengers, at greater risk if I did. What we don't always realize is the fact we rarely "travel" alone. We almost always impact another by our inattentiveness. My risk-taking and ignoring clear signs place those who travel with me at risk, as well. God gives us insight - what we do with it determines how well we will come out in our journey through life. Insight is capacity - capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of a matter. it comes from the root which means to have inner sight - mental vision (in other words, wisdom). We all have much "vision" - but how much "mental vision" do we really possess? God's greatest challenge comes in moving us from just reacting to what we see to really understanding and forming purposeful actions based on what we comprehend. I saw the deer signs. When I slowed down, peering carefully through the windshield watching for the tell-tale signs of life in the woods and fields, I was moving from "sight" to "inner sight". I was taking the matter to heart. Insight (inner sight) impacts actions only when what becomes "mental vision" lines up with what God reveals.

We can rely upon our own mental vision - but the actions will lack the integrity they deserve. When we allow God to give us clear mental vision, we begin to see actions change in a positive way. You may be clearly seeing some "signs" of warning today all around you. Allow God to take them from the place of being just your own "sight" to being "inner sight". Then they will impact your actions and keep you in a place of safety! Just sayin!