Roads to Trouble

Read: Leviticus 28 & Psalm 35-36

“Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart…” Psalms 36:1

Examine:

The scriptures often speak of our choices taking the form of roads or paths. Every choice leads to a destination. A wise man understands this and examines the words being spoken to his heart.

Apply:

There are four roads in this passage that will lead to trouble. The first is loosing fear of God. Fear of God is a deep sense of respect and awe. For me I normally loose this in the form of doubt. I can’t respect God fully if I doubt His existence, His goodness or His willingness to come through. Fear and doubt creep in slowly and then speak their words deep in my heart. It makes me unstable and opens me up to all sorts of temptation.

Denial and arrogance come together and form the second road to trouble. Having a false sense of self is trouble. The scriptures teach that I should not have a higher opinion of myself than I ought to. It does not say I should not have a high opinion of myself, it says I should not have an opinion that is too high. For me this is a reminder that a negative and self-depreciating image of self is only arrogance in disguise. I should not flatter myself nor should I tear myself down. Both of these forms of arrogance take my eyes off of God and focus the attention on myself.

Loose lips cut the third road to trouble. Actually, loose lips are the queen mother of all roads to trouble. There is no more clear an indication of my heart’s condition than the words that come out of my mouth. The Bible says that I will be held accountable for every loose word that I speak. I should weigh them carefully, examine them closely, and consider them wisely.

The final road to trouble is the most lethal. Verse four of this Psalm says, “He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.” The thoughts I allow to linger in my mind represent the most dangerous and most destructive road to trouble. In quiet moments I need to pay close attention to the things I consider in my mind but would never act on in person. These thoughts are not harmless. They are the things I consider in my heart and they create a slippery slope.

Pray:

I ask that You reveal Yourself to me in a way today that will secure my fear of You. I do not want to doubt or wonder. I want to know that I know. Teach me today to hold a proper image of myself. Keep me balanced in the truth of who I am in You. Lead me to hold my tongue today and help me be quick to confess the loose words I speak. I pray that You also will strengthen me to take captive all my thoughts today. I desire to dwell on nothing that does not bring You the honor that is Yours.