Don't Get Kidnapped!

 

Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

Psalms 39:1 I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

On two separate occasions in my life someone has tried to kidnap me.  Once when I was just a little girl in a TG&Y (remember that store?) and once as an adult while on the mission field.  Both were frightening experiences and have made me a paranoid mother.  I am hyper vigilant of strangers approaching me or my children and rarely do I go anywhere without one of my sons or husband beside me.  I just don’t want to ever have that “trapped” feeling again. 

Last week one of our college age girls at our church here in Brazil was kidnapped at gunpoint while getting into her car at the beach.  Thankfully the drugged teenagers were just wanting the car and let her go a little while later, but the incident has bothered her so much that she jumps at the slightest noise and is afraid to be alone.

We all have been warned by our parents and to “stay close” and “don’t wander off”.  I am sure you are thinking of a scary time in your own past where you or your child were in a dangerous situation.  It is an awful feeling isn’t it?  After you “lose” a child in a busy store or library, your heart is pounding and horrifying images run through your brain at a million miles per second.  Once you finally have them in your arms, you promise yourself it will never happen again.  You turn into a watchdog at the Kroger or Winn Dixie.  Your kids roll their eyes when you holler out their name as they linger by the candy aisle.  But, slowly you forget that scary feeling.  Slowly your defenses come down and before too long, you don’t even notice when they have run off to put quarters in the claw machine at K-mart. 

Isn’t it the same way in our spiritual lives?  The devil leads us off with a sweet piece of candy that seems harmless and it is too late when we feel the effects from what was really inside the wrapper…..death to our prayer life.  Death to our Bible reading.  Death to our service at the church.  All because we wanted to “check facebook real quick” before our time alone with the Saviour. We forget to be watchful of any little thing that gets between us and our Lord.  Or maybe we decided to let an argument here and an argument there come between us and our spouse instead of keeping that communication open.  Before long we are laughing too much and staring too long in the eyes of someone who didn’t put the ring on our finger.  The so called candy that Satan had nicely wrapped up for us was full of poison and death.   God wasn’t joking when He told us in James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Satan wants to kidnap you. He wants to hold your thoughts, your desires and your heart captive. He wants to destroy you and he will do whatever it takes to lead you off from where God wants you.  The same free will you used to repent and turn to God as your Lord and Saviour is the same free will that you can use to flee from the evil one.  Don’t dilly dally around with whatever it is he is tempting you with right now.  Your spiritual life is NOT worth it. 

Jesus paid the ransom for you already.  He wants you to get to know HIM better and it is up to you how far you will run away or how close you will snuggle up.  I challenge you today to take inventory of your life.  Not how others see it.  Not how you wish it was, but a good, hard, and honest evaluation of every part of your walk with God.  Are you saved?  If so, are you vigilant about keeping that relationship current with your Father? Have you talked to Him today?  He is there and will shelter you from the tempter with a way of escape.  Flee from evil, sound the alarm in your soul…..and don’t get kidnapped! 

1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Until Friday, Lord willing,

Sheri