We teed off before 8 a.m. this week. The temperature was in the high 80's and there was a nice breeze. I was playing better than usual through the first nine holes. We made the turn to the tenth hole and my game took a gradual turn for the worse. By the fourteenth hole I figured out why. Although I had been drinking what I thought was plenty of water, the insidious effects of the increasing heat and humidity had begun to overtake me. When it happened, it seemed sudden; the increased heart rate, dizziness. But heat exhaustion had been creeping up on me and I didn't know it. That is, until the warning signs appeared. I stopped playing immediately, took action to cool down with a wet, cold towel and headed for home.
The Bible warns followers of Jesus, "Keep watch over yourselves. . .be on your guard. . ." (Acts 20:28, 31). Our spiritual lives are vulnerable to the insidious influence of the devil and of sinful human nature. We are susceptible to drifting away from our core spiritual values and from Christ. We must remain vigilant; recognize the warning signs and take immediate corrective action before we slide into a break in our relationship with God.
When relationships with others are breaking down; when it's becoming easier to compromise your core values, when time with the Lord is becoming less and less important to you, take heed. These are signs that something very serious is unfolding.
I recovered quickly from the heat that day because I heeded the warning and took immediate corrective action. I shudder to think of what could have happened if I had continued playing thinking the symptoms would pass soon and all would be well. Don't be tricked into thinking that drift in your spiritual life will just go away. It won't; it will only get worse. Heed the warning signs and take action immediately. The cost is too high.
No comments:
Post a Comment