"Watch Your Step"

By: Zach Wood

1 Peter 5:8

Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion

looking for someone to devour.

 

 

I am a clutz by nature.  For some reason, no matter where I walk, I trip over something or bang into some object.  If you put a table in a large room and me on the opposite end of the room, I will probably most likely find a way to bump into the table.  At work, I always find myself running into things.  Most of the time, it is in front of people and I end up feeling really stupid.  I usually laugh at myself and others laugh with me.  Or....at least I hope they are laughing with me!  They are most likely laughing at me!  I cannot say I blame them.  The place I probably trip most often is in my own home.  My excuse is that I have a daughter who has tons of toys all over the place at almost all times of the day.  Somehow, my wife has this incredible gift of almost always bypassing her things which are strewn everywhere.  I, on the other hand, am I always so fortunate to trip, kick and fall over things on the floor.  My wife usually laughs at me.  I guess I hold comedy hour when I trip over things.  It is a sight to see. 

 

I guess what sticks in my mind the most is what my wife says when I bump into things and step on toys.  She says, "Why don't you look where you're going?"  Which, in response I reply, "I am honey.  I look straight ahead".  She then says, "You need to look where you are walking, not just straight ahead."  That phrase has always struck a chord in me when I think about how I view my Christian walk.

 

Sometimes, I am in such a hurry that I do not pay attention to the things God is trying to teach me.  I make decisions without thinking through them at times.  I watch things on TV at times that I should not be watching.  I say things to others at times that should really stop before they enter my vocal chords.  Just like those toys that always get in my way and under my feet, Satan throws objects of sin in my path that take me off course from following Christ.  We all suffer from this problem.  We do not always pay attention to where we step in our Christian walk.  Too many things in this world lure us into thinking that we are going the right way.  Then, we come to realize we are going just the opposite way. 

 

Let these words in this passage ring in your mind and your heart.  We need to be self-controlled and alert!  Instead of always "stepping" on bad things, we need to watch where we are walking and make sure we are following Christ.  Satan is on patrol at all times.  He never punches out.  He never takes a lunch break.  He never takes a vacation.  He is always on the prowl, just waiting for an opportunity to devour us in some way. 

 

If we focus more on following Christ, we become much less like to be clutzy in our walk with Christ.  We become less prone to follow ways that will lead to sin.  I must say that some of those toys I step on really hurt and make me yell in pain!  Some of the situations we find ourselves in with life do just the same.  We stop and try to figure out how we ended up in such filth.  We scream inside and cry out to God to rescue us from our wrong turns.  He whispers, "Watch Your Step".  We need to heed His voice.