“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” – Proverbs 14:12

You don’t have to look very far to see the evil around us. Some things are overtly evil. But more often than not, evil is sneaky. When confronted with evil it is easy to make other people the enemy. However, we must remember that Satan is our enemy and the people he has in his grasp are the very people Christ died for. So often, those who are caught up in the evil around us actually believe they are doing the right thing. The way they are heading appears right and good to them, and they are ignorant to the fact that death is at the end of that road. This should not come as a surprise to us. This is the state of fallen humanity.

So what do we do? How do we avoid these same mistakes? Romans 12:1-2 gives us the key. We can no longer rely on our own thoughts or opinions to teach us right and wrong. The only way to discern the will of God is to live our lives in submission to him…present ourselves as a living sacrifice. And the parts of our lives that we refuse to submit to him will continue to be the parts where we operate with the wisdom of the world and not the wisdom of God. So don’t “trust your instincts.” Submit to God, seek out intimacy with him every day, and commit to know and do the will of God.
Heavenly Father, we recognize that Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts; Your ways are higher than our ways. We know that what is “right” in the eyes of sinful man leads to death. We give ourselves fully over to You. We submit to Your will. Lead us in the way of righteousness and everlasting life.

In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon