Certainly, a red flag leaves an
impression in to the minds of anyone who have seen it. It maybe a warning sign,
a signal to stop, or a readiness to battle. Consequently, we also have Red
Flags in our Christian life. We raise it to impose warning to ourselves to
remember the blood that was shed by Christ to sanctify us. So every time a red
flag is raised. Halt. Take time to pray. Ask God for a revelation. And carry on
His will.
Here are the five red flags that we need to
raise every time the temptation of falling into sin is near us. This is a
teaching from Pastor Ptr. Bernhard Wewege which Coach Christian Dionglay
relayed to us.
1.
The
Red Flag of Hunger
We all know what
food does to our bodies. It provides us the sustenance and energy we need for us
to carry-out our everyday undertakings. It is a necessity and we are all aware
of its importance. But even so, a lot of people nowadays tend to skip and
postpone necessary meals due to the busyness of their schedule. And oftentimes
than not, we actually chose to deprive ourselves. This leads to hunger. Scientifically
speaking, hunger is often accompanied by the decrease ability to cope,
unpredictable mood swings, low energy, and unclear thinking.
When hunger
strikes you, immediately raise the red flag to halt yourself. Refrain yourself
from making a critical decision. The haziness of your hunger might hinder your
logical thoughts to conjure the right solution. Let us not forget how Esau
traded his birthright for bread and pottage of lentils, how his callousness
lost his price possession. To prevent this from happening to you, go to the
nearest food stall, pray a prayer of thanksgiving, ask for God to sustain you
and feed-off your hunger. This way, your body and mind will be in-synch again.
2.
The
Red Flag of Anger
Anger is one of a person’s basic emotions. Everybody feels it but only several could actually healthily manage it. If you would analyze the news, many crimes were done out of anger. May it be jealousy or bitterness, it all rooted from anger. Let us take a look on the firs murder from the Bible, the story of Cain and Abel. We all knew the story. God favored Abel’s offering more than Cain. Cain got so angry, jealous and dejected that he murdered his own brother. So before anything happened, raise the red flag every time you feel anger is consuming you. Halt. Utter a silent prayer of deliverance then walk away. Staying is never an option. It will just fuel your anger more. Try to relax yourself and think logically. And when you are perfectly calm and tranquil, then it is your signal to resolve the object of your anger. You should apologize if you passed on an offence, or you should forgive the person who made you angry. It’s just a matter of anger management mixed with the gospel truth.
Lust is every
man’s battle. It haunts us constantly that it had become an everyday struggle.
Even King David, a man after God’s own heart, stumbled on lust. He purposely
placed Uriah in the middle of the war to have him killed so that he could claim
Bathsheba (Uriah’s wife) for himself.
Furthermore, lust can also blind us, make us drawn to a false pretence
that we are right. It took Nathan for David to be rebuked.
There are so
many relationships that lust destroyed. From an affair that lead to a broken
family, from a simple encounter that lead to an incurable sickness, from a
simple action that lead to addiction, and from a single moment of release that
lead to the untimely birth of a child. Every single bit of it is the work of
the sin called lust.
So what to do?
Raise your red flag. Halt. Stop and pause every time you are prompted with a lustful
temptation. Pray to the Lord. Ask for strength to overcome this and walk away. Think
logically. Use the thing between your ears to think and not the thing between
your legs. Pray in spirit if you need to. Call on God. Never forget what he did
in the cross for me, for you and for everyone else.
Some people say,
it’s impossible, when you are in the spur of the moment, you would not be able
to think. Then I say, nothing is impossible with God. He has consecrated us and
set us apart. He has given us the Holy Spirit. He made us wear the full armor
of God. He had given us the necessary tools and equipments to fend-off the
enemy. Now, it is up to us use it or not.
4. The
Red Flag of Tiredness
After a long
day, fatigue just takes toll on our bodies. But due to the excessive amount of
work needed to be done, we push ourselves to the limit. Even though our body
cries out of rest, we still continue to work. When running on an empty battery,
our ability to think and make decisions is gravely compromised. Our cognitive sense
is even diminished. We got so easily irritated yet we do not have the energy to
be angry. Notice how a small nap can do
wonders, how a refill of energy can rejuvenate our mind. Let us look at God
Himself. After a tedious six days of non-stop working, of continuous creation,
He still took a rest on the seventh day. So why deprive yourself?
Do not make
important decisions when you are tired. Often times than not, decisions made
when you are worn-out are made in haste that it cannot be considered as wise
and productive. Raise your Red Flag. Praise God for this day and give yourself
the rest that you needed. If you are running on a deadline, then manage your
time well. If you are working in teams, ask your comrade to have a shifting
schedule so that everybody will have time to rest. If a decision is really
needed at the moment, channel the decision-making to your second-in-command or
to anybody who is still at a hundred percent. You are already a work in
progress, a disciple of Christ. Do not sacrifice excellence.
5. The
Red Flag of Stress
What is the
thing that we always bring home after a long day in the office or in school? We
bring home our worries, paranoia, fears, doubts and everything in between like
a full course meal from a fast food chain. But the worst part of it is, we use
our body as a vessel to carry those unpleasant things. This leads to the
increase of stress, or the response of our body to any posing challenges. Some
stresses are good for us. It gives us the drive to pursue success. But a lot of
times, stress undermines our physical and mental wellbeing. You may be properly
rested yet still feel mentally exhausted with all of the stresses.
Let us look at the
story of Sarah, she got so frustrated and stressed-out when she cannot give
Abraham a child that she allowed him to lay on Hagar. Like Sarah, we tend to
compromise if we are rendered without a choice. We are so driven by stress that
we are willing to settle for the next big thing even if it means compromising
our faith, beliefs and convictions. When posed on a stressful moment, do not
compromise. Halt. Raise your flag. Manage your stress healthily by lifting it
up to the Lord. Surrender all to Him. Ask comfort. The bible said, “ask and you
will receive.” In the name of Jehovah
Rapha, ask for healing. Ask Him to free you from the restraints of this stress.
Do not settle for anything less. Abhor mediocrity. Be secured with your faith. Pray for
deliverance.
Always remember to keep yourself
intact. Raise the red flag when needed. Warn yourself with it. Always protect
your testimony. Warn the enemy with it. Remind yourself that if God is for us,
not even the enemy can stop us. Be ready for battle, always put on the full
armor God. Remember that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. This ME
unexpectedly preaching.
Photo credits to : http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ft1-R62W9E/UN39ysa5ghI/AAAAAAAAAaw/OIVDrAh9n-c/s1600/Red+Flags.jpg
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