The Danger Zone

"Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” 

—1 Corinthians 10:12

Are you spiritually “red-lining”? Are you gradually drifting into the danger zone? Have you been flirting with temptation? As believers in Christ, we must be very careful how we view ourselves in our walk with Christ, because we can easily become overconfident and fail to guard ourselves against the desires of our flesh and Satan’s fiery arrows. Knowing that we can easily deceive ourselves, we need to be able to identify the red flags that come up as we walk with God. If you are guilty of the following, then you are in the danger zone and need to make the necessary corrections before you destroy yourself. You know you're in the danger zone if you...

1. Don’t go to God right away after you sin. If you fail to keep a short account of sin, be sure that you will build up a layer of resistance the longer that you stay away from confession and repentance. Keep a short leash on sin and do business with God immediately!

2. Allow yourself to drift into temptation. We all sin in many ways, and we must know the triggers that lead us into sin. For example, if you are an alcoholic, stay away from bars. If you struggle with pornography, stay away from porn sites and keep your computer in full view of everyone in the house or workplace. Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), so be on guard against him. He will send temptation your way when you least expect it.

3. Neglect the Bible. As D.L. Moody once said about the Bible, “The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.” If you begin to grow lax in your Bible reading, sin isn’t far away.

4. Giving yourself over to anger. If you notice that you are continually getting angry with your spouse, children, family, friends, and coworkers, then be on guard. As Paul wrote, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil”—Ephesians 4:26-27. If you continually hold on to your anger, you are opening yourself up for Satan to work in your life.

5. Excuse your sin. If you notice that you are continually making excuses for your sin, then you are in the danger zone. Adam blamed Eve for his sin, and we have a tendency to blame others. Instead, we must be like David who said, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in your judgment”—Psalm 51:3-4. David took responsibility for his sin and so must we.

6. Relying on anyone else rather than God. If you notice that you’re going to friends or family rather than to God, you are in a danger zone. The counsel of a godly man is good, but the counsel, truth, and wisdom of God is far better.

7. Zeal has abated. If you feel that God is far away, the question is, “who moved?” You can be sure that God didn’t. It is because of our sin, unbelief, or because we have let others affect or influence us to turn aside from our pure and sincere devotion to Christ. If you have lost your first love, then you need to do what Jesus said, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first”—Revelation 2:5.

8. Ordering your life around anything else rather than the Lord. Each one of us has an idol of some sort, something we bow down to, something we give preeminence to, something that we want to delight or find pleasure in rather than Christ. If our life is not ordered around God and His Word, then we are in the danger zone.

9. Neglecting prayer and fellowship. If you find yourself not praying or not wanting to be around God’s people, then you have drifted into the danger zone. We are like logs on a fire: take the log out of the fire and it cools. Without worshiping with God’s people, our zeal flags, and we are more susceptible to sin.

10. Envious of others. If you notice yourself continually comparing yourself to others, whether for good or bad, then you are in a dangerous place. If you envy what God has blessed someone with, or an accomplishment that they have made, be careful. Contentment is the cure for envy, and that can only be found in realizing and accepting what God has given to you.

If we find ourselves guilty of any of the above, then we are in the danger zone. The only way out of the danger zone is to repent, turn back to God, get in His Word and get with His people. Each of us can easily find ourselves in the danger zone, depending upon a variety of different situations and life experiences. The important thing is to know how to look for the red flags and build a defense against them. And know that if you know that you are in the danger zone, GET OUT NOW! Don’t flirt with sin or Satan, for it will lead to your destruction! Live in the life that Jesus purchased for you on the cross. Crucify the flesh daily, renew your mind through His word, and keep yourself in the love of God. And know that if you do, then you will experience the blessing of God upon your life. Amen.