Know your limits
Have you considered your limits lately?
Some of us are naturally driven to push ourselves beyond our limits. And sometimes, that can be a great thing. But what about when pushing beyond our limits is actually the wrong thing to do?
Allow me to introduce you to a Bible proverb:
Proverbs 22:3–5
3 A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the inexperienced keep going and are punished.
4 Humility, the fear of the Lord, results in wealth, honor, and life.
5 There are thorns and snares on the way of the crooked; the one who guards himself stays far from them.
How many times have I gone the way of the inexperienced myself, only to learn the same lesson all over again?
Someone once said, “If you don't pass a test, the test must be repeated until you get it right.”
Repeating the lesson is never fun. Let's be honest.
As believers, we sometimes push the envelope when we actually shouldn't be pushing at all. Most of the time, we do this because we put too much trust in ourselves. The phrases, “I will never do that,” or “I'm too smart to go that far,” can be the very reason some believers keep finding themselves in trouble over and over again.
Proverbs says the sensible person sees danger and takes cover.
Taking cover is the wise route.
You and I don't need to test the waters of temptation, danger, or anything else that could pull us away from God.
I'm a guy, and one thing that has gotten me into trouble more times than I'd like to admit is something I call “the stupid syndrome.”
You know the moment.
We see trouble.
We see temptation.
We see a struggle that keeps getting closer and closer.
And what do we do?
We keep walking toward it.
Like dummies.
Instead of taking cover, we leave ourselves uncovered and open to the fiery darts of the wicked one. It didn't need to go that far, but we opened the door.
And when we do that, there are consequences.
God will correct us because He loves us. So yes, sometimes correction from God is exactly what we need. And when we've knowingly walked into danger, there may be no one else to blame but ourselves.
Then verse 4 gives us another key:
Humility and the fear of the Lord.
Those two things can work wonders in your life.
Romans 12:3 puts it this way:
“For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.”
Boom. There it is.
The minute humility and the fear of the Lord go out the window, watch out—correction may be just around the corner.
Humility says, “I don't trust myself.”
Humility finds peace in simply walking away from a conflict.
Humility says, “My flesh wants to do this, so I know I need to be careful.”
Humility is a hero every time.
And then there's the fear of the Lord.
If you've been in church long enough, you've probably heard that the fear of the Lord simply means reverence for the Lord.
Well, yes—and no.
The biblical concept of fear can certainly include reverence and awe, but it also carries the idea of being genuinely afraid. I don't know when we got the idea that we can muster up enough human courage to stand before the Lord and not be afraid.
Think about the angels appearing to people throughout Scripture. People trembled. They were afraid. They fell to the ground. Some even began to worship the angels and had to be told not to do so.
My point is this: if the appearance of an angel—a created being—could cause people to respond with that kind of fear and awe, what do you think would happen if you stood before your Maker?
Go ahead and say it.
You'd be afraid.
And there's nothing wrong with that.
When we are truly humble and fear the Lord, Scripture says the result is wealth, honor, and life.
Then verse 5 gives us a warning about what's ahead for the crooked: thorns and snares.
What a great stop sign that is for us.
Today, consider the areas of your life where you need to take cover. Know your limits. Don't put too much trust in yourself. Don't test the waters of temptation just to see how close you can get without falling in.
Instead, do what the Bible says:
“The one who guards himself stays far from them.”
Sometimes the wisest thing you can do isn't push harder.
Sometimes it's walk away.
Some of us are naturally driven to push ourselves beyond our limits. And sometimes, that can be a great thing. But what about when pushing beyond our limits is actually the wrong thing to do?
Allow me to introduce you to a Bible proverb:
Proverbs 22:3–5
3 A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the inexperienced keep going and are punished.
4 Humility, the fear of the Lord, results in wealth, honor, and life.
5 There are thorns and snares on the way of the crooked; the one who guards himself stays far from them.
How many times have I gone the way of the inexperienced myself, only to learn the same lesson all over again?
Someone once said, “If you don't pass a test, the test must be repeated until you get it right.”
Repeating the lesson is never fun. Let's be honest.
As believers, we sometimes push the envelope when we actually shouldn't be pushing at all. Most of the time, we do this because we put too much trust in ourselves. The phrases, “I will never do that,” or “I'm too smart to go that far,” can be the very reason some believers keep finding themselves in trouble over and over again.
Proverbs says the sensible person sees danger and takes cover.
Taking cover is the wise route.
You and I don't need to test the waters of temptation, danger, or anything else that could pull us away from God.
I'm a guy, and one thing that has gotten me into trouble more times than I'd like to admit is something I call “the stupid syndrome.”
You know the moment.
We see trouble.
We see temptation.
We see a struggle that keeps getting closer and closer.
And what do we do?
We keep walking toward it.
Like dummies.
Instead of taking cover, we leave ourselves uncovered and open to the fiery darts of the wicked one. It didn't need to go that far, but we opened the door.
And when we do that, there are consequences.
God will correct us because He loves us. So yes, sometimes correction from God is exactly what we need. And when we've knowingly walked into danger, there may be no one else to blame but ourselves.
Then verse 4 gives us another key:
Humility and the fear of the Lord.
Those two things can work wonders in your life.
Romans 12:3 puts it this way:
“For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.”
Boom. There it is.
The minute humility and the fear of the Lord go out the window, watch out—correction may be just around the corner.
Humility says, “I don't trust myself.”
Humility finds peace in simply walking away from a conflict.
Humility says, “My flesh wants to do this, so I know I need to be careful.”
Humility is a hero every time.
And then there's the fear of the Lord.
If you've been in church long enough, you've probably heard that the fear of the Lord simply means reverence for the Lord.
Well, yes—and no.
The biblical concept of fear can certainly include reverence and awe, but it also carries the idea of being genuinely afraid. I don't know when we got the idea that we can muster up enough human courage to stand before the Lord and not be afraid.
Think about the angels appearing to people throughout Scripture. People trembled. They were afraid. They fell to the ground. Some even began to worship the angels and had to be told not to do so.
My point is this: if the appearance of an angel—a created being—could cause people to respond with that kind of fear and awe, what do you think would happen if you stood before your Maker?
Go ahead and say it.
You'd be afraid.
And there's nothing wrong with that.
When we are truly humble and fear the Lord, Scripture says the result is wealth, honor, and life.
Then verse 5 gives us a warning about what's ahead for the crooked: thorns and snares.
What a great stop sign that is for us.
Today, consider the areas of your life where you need to take cover. Know your limits. Don't put too much trust in yourself. Don't test the waters of temptation just to see how close you can get without falling in.
Instead, do what the Bible says:
“The one who guards himself stays far from them.”
Sometimes the wisest thing you can do isn't push harder.
Sometimes it's walk away.
2 Comments
I was moved by this yes sometimes I do move a lil fast just because I’m trying to stay ahead in what is on my plate I’m learning to lean more on God and slowly move closer to what I need to do in building a true relationship with him one day at a time and I do fear but I want to love my lord and fear what could happen if o give in to more of the sinful actions I pry that my strength continues coming from the lord at all times and what I’m doing now is between me and him
Santos, Thank you brother for sharing your heart. We are all on the journey of sanctification. The great thing about this journey is when we acknowledge our weaknesses and pull into God's strength. God has you brother. Looking forward to hanging out with you in October.