Warnings Ignored

An interesting thing happened, and something to reflect on. I was going to pick up a brother, and on the way, I passed five signs that read, “Road ahead closed”. The family lives on that road, and I intended to continue until the point where the road closed and call him to meet me there. That would mean he wouldn’t have to walk too far to come to me, since there was no other route to their house. I realised that cars were following me and didn’t heed the warnings.

Fortunately for me, the road closure was right after their house, so I parked in their driveway. I could see the disappointment as the drivers behind reversed furiously. They had followed in vain.

The assumptions might have been:

•  “Someone is leading, so it is okay to follow”.
•  By the way I looked, nobody would have expected me to flaunt orders.
•  “Keep going to see if there are other alternative routes to cut the journey short”.

I looked over at the cars and saw the ones following me. They looked like the type to think, “I can wing it”, despite the warning.

There may have been other reasons, but whatever they were, they learned the hard way. There was nothing written on my car to tell where I was going. They didn’t know my intentions.

Three Scriptures describe this situation well.

First, 2 Kings 17:15 (KJV), the people rejected the statutes, followed vanity and became vain, though they were warned.

Second, 2 Peter 2:15 (KJV), they forsook the right way and followed Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

Third, 2 Peter 3:17 (KJV) Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

I told the church this story. Two sisters said what came to their minds was:

•  Presumption can lead anyone to hell. Warning signs are everywhere. Pay attention to details.
•  Some people are going nowhere. If you follow them, you will end up nowhere.

We have all done this at some point in our lives, if not several times. People have convened meetings we attended, where we didn’t know we were being used as shields. They’ve told us stories; we’ve drawn some conclusions, unaware of their intentions. We have agreed to suggestions without knowing the background. You can relate this to several experiences in life.

There are several signs in the atmosphere and handwritings on our walls, telling that the coming of our Lord is at hand.

Please heed the warning signs. Do not follow people to nowhere. It might lead to disappointment or frustration. We have a sure guide: “The word of God”. The warnings in the Scriptures are for our safety. Follow the Holy Spirit and not men.