natalie’s blog

A couple of years ago, I was at a group get-together and during a game of volleyball I got to talking with one of the guys who was playing. He was unmarried and was not a Christian. We continued conversing after the game and got into a discussion about various outdoor activities and the Electoral College. We obviously had some similar interests and he invited me to go run the stairs with him at the WSU stadium some time. I thanked him for the invitation, but declined. The next week, I received a phone call from him (how he got my phone number is a whole different story…). We carried on a casual conversation for a while and then he invited me to go and run the stairs with him later that week. Again, I declined. Not because I didn’t want to do it, but because of what the Lord had just been teaching me about prudence, which I will define as “choosing not to do something because of where it may lead.”

Proverbs 14:8 – “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.”

Proverbs 16:20-21 – “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.”

Proverbs 22:3 – “A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”

It may sound ridiculous, but I had been wanting to run stairs semi-regularly just to change up my workout routine a bit. When this guy invited me to do just that with him, I really wanted to take him up on the offer. I had no interest in a relationship with him, but the prospect of running stairs with someone else was appealing! But the Lord impressed on my mind the realization that to take him up on his offer would be the first step in developing a closer relationship with a young man that could potentially lead me into a situation in the future that was not a path I wanted to travel. Prudence required honestly evaluating the decision before me in light of where the path could potentially lead. A quick journey of my imagination led me to quickly see how far this one decision could lead me to stray from the way of the Lord. All these thoughts flitted through my mind as I ended the conversation, resolute in my rejection of his offer.

Many times, we find ourselves stuck in a hard place or experiencing the heartache of a situation gone bad. Far too often I think this is the result of making careless decisions earlier on without weighing the ramifications or imagining the future situations that may result from those decisions. We reason that if something is not expressly forbidden, it is implicitly allowed; and the result is a foolish decision that ultimately leads us down a path of destruction. Here are three steps that I think will help any Christian avoid placing himself or herself in situations that often result in a great deal of unnecessary pain and heartache.

1. Acknowledge your innate sinful disposition and specific areas of weakness. (See I Corinthians 10:12)

2. When faced with a decision, consider carefully where the path will lead based on which choice you make. (In general, people need to think more. Follow beliefs and actions to their logical conclusion and see if where it leads is where you want to go.)

3. Act prudently, even if it means foregoing pleasures or activities that seem harmless.

Here is how this can play out in practicality:

* I know that I am susceptible to be led astray by false teaching; therefore I choose not to enroll in a university course where I will be subject to inordinate amounts of teaching that is not consistent with God’s Word. [this is a guard against unbelief]

* I know that I can easily become emotionally attached to young men; therefore I choose not to spend time alone with a young man outside of a commitment to marriage. [this is a guard against immorality]

* I know that I have a propensity to overeat sweets; therefore I choose not to eat desserts or high-sugar foods. [this is a guard against gluttony]

* I know that I am easily tempted to become discontent in my singleness; therefore I choose not to read romantic novels that incite unrealistic romantic desires in my heart. [this is a guard against discontentment]

* I know that certain styles of music can lead to emotional instability or draw my heart away from God; therefore I choose not to listen to music that has a heavy rock beat or is excessively dissonant. [this is a guard against backsliding]

No doubt there are hundreds of other applications, and prudence will look different for different people. The important thing is that we present ourselves honestly before the Lord and commit to doing (or not doing) whatever it takes to walk in wisdom and righteousness. Jesus Himself said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). That means that every day I will tell myself “no” to things that I want to do, or I will force myself to do things that I don’t want to do. I will find the strength and power to do this by “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

The presence of Jesus Christ within me enables me to say, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:16-18).

Someday I will dwell forever in a glorious heavenly paradise where there will be beauty and pleasures beyond my wildest imagination. I am living for that day.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS