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When I went to the local hospital for
outpatient surgery last Friday, I was given a bright yellow wristband to wear
on my left arm that had the words printed on it, “FALL RISK,” in uppercase half-inch size letters. Apparently, the nurse must have thought that I was going to
be administered some of those woozy drugs for surgery, and this band would alert
any of the medical staff that I shouldn’t be walking on my own unattended; I’m
guessing.
If ever there was a great warning
label for us to take note of as believers today is “FALL RISK.” Though it might
be considered strange and unfashionable, if we as Christians would wear a “fall
risk” wristband like the one I had on, maybe we would be reminded to think
twice before making a bad choice to rebel against God, living in a culture of
declining morality. We expose ourselves to so many things carelessly and foolishly
thinking they are harmless and forgetting how susceptible we are to sin because
of our fallen nature. In my fallen nature if I was faced with a choice between
good and evil, I would choose evil every time and so would you. Because of our
depravity, there is a very high probability of fall risk for every believer for at least three reasons.
First, we are not going to be able to
ditch our fallen nature on this side of eternity; we are stuck with it. No one in
human history has been able to domesticate, isolate, or eradicate the sin
nature of man. One of the prevailing proofs of that reality is the graveyard –
death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom 5:12); we die, barring the
rapture, because we are sinners. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin
because we are sinners even though we are saved. Salvation addresses the
penalty and power of sin, but God left the presence of sin within us which will
be completely removed once we are glorified and not before (cf. 1 Cor 15:52; 1
Jn 3:2).
Second, the manifestation of sin in
the life of a believer indicates the sin nature is alive and a problem! Read
what James said in 1:14-15,
“But each one is
tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire
has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings
forth death.”
Without a doubt, the
world system, Satan, and our flesh are the enemies of all believers. Knowing we
are fighting our enemies on three fronts, I chose this particular verse because
James clearly identifies our fallen nature as the culprit of our moral failures
here. Neither Satan nor the world can be blamed when we choose to sin against the
Lord. We are not a victim but clearly, a volunteer as James spells it out when
it comes to sinful behavior, mentally or physically.
However, you would think
that was not the case as we rationalize our rebellion like Adam and Eve in the
Garden. It’s anybody’s fault but mine! It is God’s fault, the devil, a disease,
the environment, my DNA, my predisposition, my upbringing, or anything but me! Taking
personal responsibility for sinful behavior in our culture is tantamount to
asking someone to put a gun to their head and pull the trigger. “God forbid
that we should be responsible for our actions!” “You just don’t know what I am
going through!” Maybe not, but God does.
Third, nobody arrives spiritually on this
side of eternity, and we never outgrow the potential to sin. No matter how many
degrees we have obtained or going to obtain; no matter how much biblical truth
we already know or going to know; no matter how spiritually or physically
gifted and intelligent we are; no matter how old we are in the Lord; and no
matter how accomplished we are or will ever be; our sin nature is still as ugly
as the day we were born again and poses a real threat to us 24/7 if it is not
countered through the help of the Spirit. Now, we have victory over the
flesh if we choose to walk in the
Spirit (Gal 5:16). This is important because it takes a lifetime to build a
reputation and one indiscretion to ruin it as the old saying goes.
There is another consideration in how
we assess a fall risk potential by projecting the consequences associated with a
fall risk. It is the agricultural proverb perspective of reaping what is sown referred
to as the law of the harvest. It is a pretty easy concept to grasp; we reap
what we sow (Gal 6:7-9; 2 Cor 9:6; Job 4:8; Prov 1:31-33; Hos 8:7; 10:12).
There is a certain expectation of reaping what is sown from a farmer’s point of
view; if he plowed and planted fifty acres of wheat, he is expecting to reap
fifty acres of wheat. If we include the variables of life, only God knows the full
ripple effect of the sowing. It could range from a bumper crop to “Oh, my God!”
Paul reminds us to
take this law of the harvest very seriously, “Do not be deceived, God is not
mocked.” Phillips translates, “Don’t be under any illusion: you cannot make a
fool of God” (Gal 6:7a); we will reap what we have sown. If we pursue a fall
risk and thereby grieve the Holy Spirit, break fellowship with God, damage our reputation,
cause heartache to others, et cetera that all comes from willfully sinning, we will
learn that the law of the harvest can be a very tough law in dealing with the consequences.
Whenever we
arrogantly attempt to take on the flesh, the world system, or the devil in our
own strength, we will experience a fall risk because it takes a greater power
than us to tackle these shady characters of darkness (Jn 15:5; 1 Jn 4:4).
Self-reliance, arrogance, and overconfidence in one’s own ability to serve God
have no place in the kingdom; it’s called pride. Read a couple of quick reviews
on pride.
“Therefore let him who thinks he
stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12).
“The fear of the LORD is to
hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate”
(Prov 8:13)!
“Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty (high and lofty, nose in the air) spirit before a fall” (Prov
16:18).
The Word of God has nothing good to
say about pride but extols obedience! Obedience to the Lord’s Word in spirit
and in truth is what keeps us upright in being successful in fall risk
avoidance. Thinking we can live life apart from adhering to the principles of
Scripture is nothing more than arrogance and pride. Love for God is reflected
in the spirit of, not in the letter of, obedience. Disobedience is nothing more
than a love problem for the believer (Jn 14:15).
Read Isaiah’s words
below and see if pride can be found anywhere in the high and holy place where
the High and Lofty One dwells,
“For thus says the
High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I
dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and
humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of
the contrite ones” (57:15).
That whole deal
with Lucifer with his irrational rebellion against God was out of arrogance and
pride (“I shall be like the Most High,” Isa 14:14). What was Lucifer thinking?!
Satan’s sin (Ezek 28:15) was pride (Isa 14:14; Ezek 28:17; 1 Tim 3:6). This angel
of light brought darkness into the angelic realm (cf. Rev 12:4) which
eventually found its way into the human heart (Gen 3:6; Rom 5:12). If we have
trusted in Christ for salvation, we are forgiven, but the fallen (Adamic)
nature is with us until the very end and that is where pride has its domicile,
not in the new man. As long as this sinful nature is within our body, the
probability of fall risk is extremely high, 24/7 being expressed through the thought gate, the mouth gate, the eye gate, the ear gate, the touch gate, and the taste gate. This is why obedience
to God is so very important,
"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Prov 4:23).
"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Prov 4:23).
After recovery from
my surgery, I was wheeled out in a wheelchair to the front door with my yellow “FALL
RISK” wristband still on my wrist along with two other bands. Beverly was
waiting in the car to whisk me away. I have a love/hate relationship with
hospitals though I must say I was treated very professionally that day on an
outpatient status. Not only was I implanted with a device designed to protect
the lungs and heart from blood clots that day, but I also received from God that
yellow wristband to remind me of the danger of pride when it comes to fall
risk. It loves to run independently of God, creating its own rules and ways. We
know how that goes!
I had no idea that day when I went
into surgery that the Great Physician would use a yellow wristband to share
with others about a reputation saver for His glory. The truth is if we attempt to
walk the Christian life without the enablement of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16,
25), our sinful pride will most definitely make us a “fall risk” volunteer,
reaping what we have sown from ruthless pride rather than loving obedience.
The ripple effect from the fall of
Adam and Eve has still not reached its final shore yet. God only knows how far our
ripple goes when pride takes hold of us. That yellow wristband served as a
warning to me to never walk on my own unattended in this life – “Walk in the
Spirit, and you will not fulfill (the fall risk) the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16).
The heart has no room for shenanigans (fall risk) when it is filled with the Spirit
(Eph 5:18).
“A man’s pride will bring him low
(fall risk), but the humble in spirit will retain honor (upright)” (Prov 29:23).
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