Warning signs can be annoying, but we all know that they can also save our lives. The Seattle Times reported a story that sadly, is all too familiar. A 58-year-old woman ignored a sign telling her not to cross a flooded road. She ignored the sign, was swept away, and she drowned. The water on the road probably looked shallow to her, and she couldn’t know how strong the current really was.
One news article gives us this advice: “‘Turn Around, Don’t Drown,’ isn’t just a cute slogan. It is sage advice that could save your life during a flood….Do not ignore posted warning signs or drive past barriers at low-water crossings – even if there is no visible water in the immediate area.”
These stories reminded me that God paints similar warning signs for us, too: “Wisdom shouts in the street, she lifts her voice in the square; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings” (Proverbs 1:20–21). When God warns us of a hazard, it is wise to trust Him, even when we can’t see the danger for ourselves.
Here is one thing we can count on: ignoring God’s warnings ALWAYS breeds tragedy. That makes sense because the One who made us knows far better than anyone else what is really best for us.
God’s warnings about pornography are a good example. Many have described it as a victim-less pleasure, but Jesus pointed out that “… everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). A heart that is full of sinful lust not only warps the mind, but will also eventually affect a person’s actions.
The Bible speaks to this issue. When you read the life saving advice that Solomon gave to his sons in the book of Proverbs, you’ll notice that he was particularly pointed in his warnings about their sex lives. He made it clear that sex outside of marriage may appear harmless, but it always brings heartache and pain.
“The lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of Sheol [i.e. the grave]. She does not ponder the path of life; her ways are unstable, she does not know it. Now then, my sons, listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house… [Unless] you groan at your final end, when your flesh and your body are consumed; and you say, ‘How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to my instructors!’” (Proverbs 5: 3–8, 11–13).
It is important to note that in his advice Solomon also describes the joy and pleasure of sex within marriage. Immorality takes that wonderful treasure and ruins it in many ways. (See Proverbs 5:15-20).
We should heed this warning that God gave to sinful Israel: “‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11).
The promise of an abundant life (now and eternally) is only possible when we believe God’s warnings that sin is not good for us, and that left untreated, it is a cancer of the soul that will ultimately separate us from Him forever.
Thankfully, God has already provided a cure for our sin. Jesus told us how to get it: “… ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17).
In light of the many “Warning Signs” in this life that you and I have ignored, God’s grace really is amazing. “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2: 1, 4–5, 8–9).
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