{Oh Be Careful}

This is going to be kind of long, so bear with me if you'd like. I write (type) only what God lays on my heart and keep it to the point as much as I can. So thanks for reading or at least trying to :)

We all know that sin is bad. Most of us were probably raised in churches or schools that taught us that it is wrong to lie, cheat, or steal. So you'd think most Christians, or people who call themselves Christians, would know better. However, many Christians are lying to themselves maybe without even knowing it.

Despite some opinions, the Devil is smarter than you might think. The world is also growing more corrupt through both subtle and obvious mechanisms that are designed to trick you into the thinking that it is, "normal" or, "okay" to participate in such worldly activities. If you think that God does not care about the content or intent of what you watch, listen to, say, or do, then you might need to take one gigantic step...towards Him.

I heard this song often as a child, but never knew to what extent it could be relevant to my life later on. When I was that age, I was mostly reading books about cats and puppies and watching cartoons and Disney channel. I wasn't truly able to grasp how sin-filled and worldly that life on Earth can be; I didn't have the least idea.

Oh be careful little eyes what you see. What movies we  see, what videos we watch on YouTube, and what websites we visit matter to God. We should always be mindful of what we are seeing and feeding our brains visually.

• Psalm 101:3: "I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me."
• Matthew 6:22: "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light."

Oh be careful little ears what you hear. What you listen to matters to God. We, as humans, are creatures of habit and repetitiveness. What we hear will come out of our mouths whether we want it to or not. Children start at young ages to repeat phrases or imitate voices of shows they watch, friends they hear, or what parents say. I've heard it. If parents curse around their children, their children usually repeat it whether they know what it means or not. Cursing or vulgar language is not pleasing to God whether we just listen to it or repeat it, no matter how appealing the movie or song.

• Luke 8:18: "Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.

Oh be careful little mouth what you say. Not only does what we listen to matter to God, but so does what we say. In fact, what you listen to is probably a pretty accurate reflection of what comes out of your mouth. Behind actions, I think words are pretty high up there on the list of how your character can be judged or assessed; this is addressed quite often in the Bible.

• Ephesians 4:29: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
• Matthew 15:10-11: "And he called the people to him and said to them, 'Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes OUT OF THE MOUTH; this defiles a person.'"
• {defile: to make unclean or unpure; to corrupt}
• Matthew 12:36-37: "I tell you, on the Day of Judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Oh be careful little hands what you do. What you do defines who you are, who you will become, and what you are known for. When you do anything, you're representing your family. When you attend school, you're representing your school. When you work at a job, you're representing the company. Well, as Christians, we are representatives or ambassadors of Christ! It is because some do not realize this that others develop misconceptions about Christianity. Maybe it's just me, but if someone's "talk" doesn't match their "walk," I'm often skeptical of their true intentions. The point is: whatever you do, make sure it would glorify God in the fullest! Jesus came to earth to serve, not be served. We, like Him, are on earth to serve others, not ourselves.

• Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
• 2 Corinthians 5:20: "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."
• Colossians 3:23: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

....There's a Father up above and He's looking down with love so be careful little....

• 2 Timothy 3:1-9: "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

• Hebrews 10:26-27: "For if we go sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God."
• Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

I know that there are a lot of articles dissing the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, so I'm not going to make this another one that you won't read. I have also seen multiple posts surface about how we should be less concerned with this, "harmless" movie and more concerned about starvation and world hunger, because, after all, there are "more important" issues. I can't say I agree completely with the latter. I'm now going to bring up that completely cliché analogy with the oxygen mask. If you don't put on your oxygen mask first, then how can you adequately help others or point them towards Christ? If you aren't paying attention to what God is telling you, listening to the Holy Spirit, and growing on your own, then how can you tell others rightly about Him? In my opinion, you should not do anything that you wouldn't tell a newborn Christian to do after leading him or her to Christ. Your actions will be a reflection of your walk with God, or lack thereof, anyways. If your intentions are wrong, then your good-intended actions are desperately in vain!

There is no reason to make excuses about sinful indulgences just to be able to continue to submerse yourself in them. The Bible is not a mere, bendable suggestion for us; it is a blueprint for how a Christian should live. No, you might not be the, "perfect Christian" in a mere 24 hours, but the truth is, the perfect Christian doesn't exist and never will. Although we should always strive for perfection, we will never be completely perfect because we are a sinful people. That's part of what makes God a Holy (sacred and set apart) God, set apart from us! So in the meantime, we need to be content with being a, "work in progress" or a "project in the making," ready for God to shape and use us how He pleases because His plan is perfect for us regardless of what we think. Trust Him daily.

• "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Philippians 4:8
• Luke 11:28: "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

~M