Articles
Walking Circumspectly
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the disciples at Ephesus, admonished them to “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15, 16). The Greek word translated as “circumspectly” is akribos, whose root word means “exact, careful” and “of the strictest sect: the most precise and rigorous in interpreting the Mosaic law, and in observing even the more minute precepts of the law and tradition” [Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon]. In English, the word circumspect means to be “watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent,” and literally means “to look all around.”
When we are walking, it is wise to be observant and to take note of our surroundings at all times. If we are walking downtown in a busy city, there may be other pedestrians, automobile traffic, or other travelers on skateboards or bicycles in our potential path. Maybe you have seen one of those videos of people walking down some sidewalk or path, concentrating on their cell phone and not paying attention to where they are going or what is going on around them, and, on a serious note, they ended up almost getting run over because they stepped out into traffic, or, less seriously, fell into a fountain. In each case, the focus was on the object in their hands and they were seemingly oblivious to where they were going or what was happening around them. Sometimes, the result was humorous, but other cases were not funny at all because someone nearly lost his or her life.
The same problem and potential for danger exists in our spiritual walk, too. The sad fact is, some focus so much on this material world that they do not see where they are going, spiritually speaking, and are seemingly obliviously the spiritual dangers that surround them, and walk right into situations that endanger their spiritual lives, or blindly follow a path that leads them to ultimate spiritual death and destruction. For many, they will end up in a dangerous spiritual state or, ultimately, in hell because they simply weren’t paying attention in life and simply went where their spiritual sense or their feet took them — and it wasn’t to the things that were good and safe, and it wasn’t heaven.
May I offer a few suggestions to make sure we don’t blindly walk into spiritual dangers, or end up stepping in front of a bus [spiritually speaking]?
Be Alert to Spiritual Dangers. We may be familiar with Peter’s warning to the early disciples: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). It is a warning for all disciples, for the devil still walks about and still seeks. If we are not alert to the spiritual dangers he is and he brings to us, we may very well walk right into one of his traps! Those who have not yet obeyed the will of Christ are still trapped in “the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:26), and we can become “again entangled” (2 Pet. 2:20) in his snare and stumble and fall if we do not walk circumspectly. Be alert!
Be Alert to Everything. The fault of those pedestrians who fell into the fountain or stepped in front of a bus was that they were focused on one thing and one thing only: their cell phones. Some, I’m sure, were seriously focused on whatever it was on the screen, but they were simultaneously oblivious to everything else, and that is where they ran into trouble. This inability to focus on the more important things, while focused one only one thing, should cause us to acknowledge the dangers that exist in being distracted in our spiritual lives.
When we understand that temptations come because they appeal to our own desires (Jas. 1:14), we must then confront those desires, control those desires, and eliminate those desires for the wrong things. But, as we do this, let us not be naive and think that just because we are alert to some dangers, there won’t be other dangers. Let us be alert to our spiritual enemy, who will exploit our every weakness and use every opportunity to put some means of stumbling in our paths. While we watch out for the obvious dangers, don’t overlook or ignore the not-so-obvious ones. Be alert!
Be Careful of Distractions. Have you ever been walking down some path or on a sidewalk, looking up at some beautiful cloud or colorful tree or sign or building or maybe some wild animal, and unknowingly strayed off the path or run into some immovable object? Embarrassing, right? In some cases, it was a little scary because we caught ourselves right before stepping off that sidewalk right into the path of a bus or off the edge of some cliff! We were alert afterwards, right?
Materialism is one of this country’s greatest distractions, and the focus on these material things has kept many from avoiding spiritual dangers, or has caused some to blindly walk into those spiritual dangers with no knowledge or understanding of what, exactly, happened. It is for this very reason Paul admonished the early disciples to “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2). Not coincidentally, it was not long after this Paul warned against “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5). There are millions of things that may temporarily distract us from the most important thing, so we must be constantly looking all around us but, at the same time, keep our focus on the finish line and the goal of eternal life in heaven.
Spiritually speaking, even dedicated disciples may allow themselves to be distracted just enough to wander into spiritual dangers, forget what their goal is, and fail to reach their destination. Peter in fact, says, “the latter end is worse for them than the beginning,” and, “it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:20, 21). This is not where we want to be! Be alert!
Follow God’s Direction. We have many state and national parks that have trails on which the adventurer may walk or hike; one of the longest is the Appalachian Trail at over 2,100 miles long! What if you began the hike with the intended goal of walking the entire trail, but every so often, you decide you will ignore the signs and choose rather to go the direction you want to go? Would you reach your end goal? Of course, not! So, why do we think we can do that spiritually?
The fact is, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Simply put: We can’t get to heaven but through Jesus! It only makes sense that, since Jesus has already ascended into heaven, we must follow Him if that is where we want to be, right? John reminds us we must “walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6), and Peter reminds us we “should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21), and the fact is, if we follow Him all the way, we will end up where He is!
And, should we stray off the path, the answer is not to just keep going, but open up the book of directions God has given to us — the Bible — and get back on the right path; He will guide us if we are willing to hear. The possibility of straying should cause us to regularly seek His direction, and to check ourselves constantly to ensure we are following the right path. We must walk circumspectly, so be alert! —— Steven Harper
