Reckless Christians and Careless Fools
Some believers become mystical about life choices and the consequences that result. They say things like, “I bought a new house because I felt good about it.” Or, under an impression, they pursue a different job. What believers seem to have forgotten is that everyone has “feel goods” and “impressions” about things regardless of whether they have a walk with God. Many times what Christians would call a supernatural direction is nothing more than a whim that a free-spirited unbeliever would follow as well. Just because you feel excited about something or an idea gives you goose bumps does not mean God has spoken. The clear voice of God and His miracle power has become watered down by such thinking.
Faith is not about feelings
For example, the guy gets a new job that he “felt good about.” This felt-good-about-it terminology in many Christian circles is a short expression for “God told me to do it.” Somehow we have already forgotten that teen pregnancies and drug overdoses arise because someone “felt good about it” as well. Then, the new job goes sour. He is gone from home so much that the family is being stressed and he is facing temptations he did not expect. To top it off, he is not making the money he “felt” like he would be getting from this venture. Now what does he do to save face as a person who hears from God? Well, he has to say “This is a test” or “The devil is fighting me.” What he really needs to say is “I made a dumb mistake.”
To put what I am saying in perspective, let me say that I have made drastic decisions because of impressions I received from the Lord and direction I received while in prayer. However, I had to be careful about how I went forward with what He told me to do. By nature, I am not a play-it-safe kind of guy. Some things the Lord has called me to have taken years of preparation before I could step into what He asked of me. Others were risky choices, but I took those steps only with confirmation by God-fearing elders.
Fools forget the facts
Too many believers make foolish decisions and then claim supernatural immunity. “God is going to have to see us through this situation.” Or, “The devil is just mad.” Really, they are not putting in the effort God wants them to have. Wisdom is precision thinking, planning, and execution. A wise person looks at the challenges in a situation and prepares appropriately while the fool heads blindly into a situation and suffers for it (Proverbs 22:3).
The only difference between a reckless Christian and a careless fool is that the fool does not try to come up with a mystical reason for the poor results he gets. He just figures he is a victim of unforeseen consequences and trudges forward into more mayhem. Just because a child of God spiritualizes their stupidity does not make them a better kind of stupid. It makes them worse. Now, others see their witness to the Lord and hear Him being blamed for the person’s lack of discipline.
Wisdom develops excellence
Even a child of God needs to apply personal effort and focus to have the pleasant results of a well-ordered life. (2 Timothy 2:15). Reckless Christians live by little more than luck. Imagine a surgeon operating on your body based on “I have a good feeling about doing it this way.” You want someone studied and well-trained to alter your body. Why not the same with your life? Discipline yourself by God’s Word. Learn the sweet-smelling results of hard work, gentleness in relationships, careful budgeting, generous giving, and honest speech. That will be a life worth giving God credit for.