This past week has been terrible for our country. The shootings brought us to our knees in sorrow for the families who lost loved ones in Texas. But also, our hearts are torn apart by the revelation of abuse and misconduct in churches. These abuses came by the hands of those who should have been trusted. How could this have happened?
I remember singing a song as a child that went like this:
1. O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
2. O be careful little ears what you hear…
3. O be careful little tongue what you say…
4. O be careful little hands what you do…
5. O be careful little feet where you go…
6. O be careful little heart whom you trust…
7. O be careful little mind what you think…
There is great wisdom in the lyrics of this song. However, this is not only for children, but a song for all of us as how we are to live life.
When did we stop being careful? Somehow, we seem to believe as adults we become immune to evil influences. That is not the case. Never can we become careless about what we see, hear, say, do, go, trust or think. If you believe you are immune, survey the books are you reading, the movies you watch, and what you view online? If you think these things cannot affect you because you are an adult, you are woefully wrong.
We as believers are called to a higher standard and must become even more careful so as not to fall for the enemy’s ways. I Peter 5:8-9 states: “ Be sober-minded, be alert. [Careful!] Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.”
When sin first entered the world, it came in four steps: Looking, lingering, longing, and acting. Eve looked at the fruit, then gazed upon it, longed for what it could give her, and then she ate. This is the pattern of sin and not exclusive to unbelievers. We as children of the Most High, should have an ever increasing sense that we need to be careful about what we are allowing in our hearts and homes.
The last verse of this song is critical to our living victoriously over the enemy: Be careful little mind what you think.
If we realized every sin we commit starts in our mind we would be more cautious. The only power the enemy has over us is to put a thought in our mind with the intention to confuse or sway us from truth. (“Did God really say?” Gen. 3:1b) That is why Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians said this: We take every thought captive to obey Christ. (10:5b)
Our thoughts guide us. What we think most about is what we become.
Because society has not been careful, thoughts have run amok and taken over lives. These thoughts, if lingered upon, become things we long for and act on. They result in an 18-year-old acting on a thought about a killing spree. We have adults acting out thoughts of what it would be like to abuse a child. Married couples act out a thought about an affair. We have teens acting out what it would be like to hurt another in unimaginable ways. I do not need to go on. Lives are destroyed and it all started by a thought.
Believers…we need to be careful about what we allow into our minds, our hearts, and our homes. Church, we must be bearers of the Light but we cannot do that if our mind is filled with things that are unholy.
These things are not new. Evil has been around since the garden. But God is also the same. He set boundaries-- for our protection. When we breech those boundaries, evil takes over. No one is immune. Just like those we have read about, any of us could fall at any point. We must be careful.
Are we doomed? No, but the only cure is to surrender to God’s Will and His Way. It is time to be purified. It is time to confess, turn away, and surrender. We all are guilty but God will empower us to live holy lives if we let Him. Paul, speaking to the Ephesians said these words:
“ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Ephesians 5:15-17
As we grieve the evil we see, may we resolve to become a pure bride waiting for her groom. May this purity spur revival in our land. So be careful Christian eyes what you see!
