Christian Education Pre-K-12
Richmond Academy

To “take heed” requires a cautious attentiveness which observes and takes into account both the price of disobedience and the reward of obedience. Heedlessness, on the other hand, is a thoughtless, careless or reckless regard for consequences. Scripture contains many admonitions for heeding God’s directives as well as warnings against being negligent or forgetful of what He has commanded. Obedience to God leads to life and the possessing of our promised inheritance as joint-heirs with Christ. “Now listen and give heed, O Israel, to the statutes and ordinances which I teach you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and possess the land…” {Deut 4:1}.

Even as Satan and the flesh seek to distract and destroy us, God’s word warns: “Only take heed, and guard your life diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your [mind and] heart...teach them to your children, and your children’s children” {Deut 4:9}. While the Israelites witnessed a series of miracles in the natural realm, we have better promises, for “...What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love him [...who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]. Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit...” {I Cor 2:9-10}.

Ours is not to be a careless reliance nor a presumptuous trust that God meet our demands and bring to pass all that we think we desire. “And the Lord commanded me...to teach you statutes and precepts, that you might do them...Therefore take good heed to yourselves...Beware lest you become corrupt...And beware less you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, moon, and stars, even all the host of heavens, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them…” {Deut 4:14-16,19}. As followers of Christ, to what do we “lift up our eyes”? What is the height of our vision? What draws us away? What do we serve? Why do we serve?

“Take heed to yourselves, lest your [mind and] heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them” {Deut 11:16}. As workers in God’s Kingdom, we must give heed lest we bow before the god of “ministry.” Does our love of Christ and our trust in Him remain unswerving when He chooses NOT to use us in the way we expect, in the place we desire, and at the time we specify? Instead of “becoming” and remaining “at rest” in Christ, many keep themselves busy at the shrine of “serving”. Like Jesus, we must spend much time alone with the Father, seeking His direction at each step. What would You have me do (mission assignment)? Where would You have me do (location)? When would You have me do (timing)? How would You have me do (method)? And then we must allow His Spirit to search our hearts as to why we desire to do (motive). To purify our motives, He may put us on hold so that we find our contentment in Him alone, or He may keep us small that we remain humble before Him and pliable in His Hands.

Humble obedience guards against presumptive actions. Of one battle Moses recounts, “...And you girded on every man his battle weapons and thought it a simple matter to go up into the hill country. And the Lord said to me Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not among you; lest you be dangerously hurt by your enemies. So I spoke to you; and you would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and were presumptuous and went up into the hill country.” {Deut 1:41-43} Instead of defeating the enemy, they “chased you as bees do and struck you down” {Deut 1:44}.

The New Testament contains a similar account of the sons of Sceva who “undertook to call the name of the Lord over those who had evil spirits” {Acts 19:13} but who were themselves overtaken by the evil spirits who recognized the men’s lack of true authority in spite of their use of Jesus’ Name. Those who really are entrusted with the authority of His Name dare go only at His bidding. Presumptive ministers become increasingly proud and self-sufficient, and those to whom they minister not only remain as enslaved as before but also become disappointed with God because what they “supposed” to have been from Him did not produce what they had envisioned. Considering themselves deceived, they often reject God and all that relates to Him. Taking heed to the ministry God has entrusted to us requires preparedness, adequate strength and forces, precision timing, disciplined training and explicit obedience, even if that obedience is to stand still and wait for the salvation of the Lord. Taking heed to God’s word (Truth) as He (Spirit) reveals it to us guards us against the sin of presumption and prepares us for the end-time harvest. Only He knows when we are truly prepared.

Presumption tempted even the twelve who walked with Jesus and witnessed “God’s mighty power and His majesty and magnificence” {Luke 9:43}. They contemplated using that power apart from God’s directive, for when James and John saw that the Samaritans “would not welcome or receive or accept Him...” they asked, “Lord, do You wish us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?” {Luke 9:53-54}. In response Jesus rebuked them: “... you do not know of what sort of spirit you are” {Luke 9:55}. Not having died to their own religiously disguised desire for power, their motives remained carnal and their hearts darkened. Later, as mature followers, they were equipped to drink the cup of His suffering, to love with His love and to forgive with His forgiveness. Like Peter, who believed himself incapable of denying the Lord, they needed to go through God’s refining before He could entrust them with fulfilling His purpose and destiny for them.

Ours is an ever-speaking God; therefore, “...we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past [them] and slip away” {Heb 2:1} “...see to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and heed Him Who is speaking [to you now]” {Heb 12:25}. It is as we obey, trust, submit and surrender to all that He speaks to us, seeking to walk pleasing before Him and obedient to His directives, that we are conformed to Christ’s image and accounted righteous before the Father.

April Newsletter 2001 | Hindrance To Peace | A Word To The Wise

Pastor's Journal April 2000 | The Abortion Purpose | Warnings and Admonitions part 1

Biblical Counseling for Leaders

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