The Stop Signs in Life

Let me first open this posting with a specific scripture that I find necessary to read and digest. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 

I'm not going to dissect those verses just yet but please read them very carefully.......Let's start by doing a little imagination exercise. Imagine for a moment that you are driving to a destination of choice and you've driven this same route several times. Along this route, there are many different traffic signs along the way that either caution you or warn you in some manner. You obey those signs because you know, without a doubt, that they are there for your protection, safety and guidance to your new destination.What is it about a simple red and white octagon-shaped sign that generates within you a sense of immediate, if not instinctive, obedience to, and compliance with, what the sign intrinsically represents? Maybe it's quite possibly the fear that a police officer might be inconspicuously spying on you from a hidden place somewhere nearby. You know what I'm talking about here because we ALL have had that feeling.

Or, maybe it’s something embedded deep within you, something intangible, like the proverbial “voice inside your head” that tells your conscience that stopping is simply the right thing to do because, well, it’s what you’ve been taught. You don't have a clue who placed the stop signs everywhere, nor do you care. All you know is that from the moment you sat behind a steering wheel for the first time to learn to drive, one of the first primary rules being drilled into your head was that whenever you see the letters S-T-O-P up against a red background, your foot had better hit the brakes and your vehicle had better come to a halt. Otherwise, there will undoubtedly be consequences. Ironically, the STOP sign, the octagonal shaped sign is the one sign that is recognized around the entire world! So every single person in every single country knows what that sign means. Interesting, wouldn't you say?

But it's not just for your protection and safety, it's for your children, your family, your friends and anyone else you've ever encountered in your life. While you are driving to your destination paying close attention to each and every sign you come to, you realize how important, no, IMPERATIVE, that you stay focused, stay extremely attentive to your surroundings and to use sound judgement. Now, imagine on your next trip to that same destination, you find that all of the stop signs are missing on all the back streets. You have to proceed knowing the dangers that lie ahead. You were used to all of the stop signs and they became a habit for you to consistently stop at each one but because they are no longer there, you have to adjust to this new way of driving. You quickly realize just how dangerous driving the roads became without those warning signs and inevitably, you witness some accidents. Some are fatal. Some are fender benders......

Each time you drive to that same destination, more signs and warnings are removed. Little by little, slowly removing a sign here and a sign there, or a traffic light here and a traffic light there. Some days, you don't even notice because it's happening so subtly. That, OR, it's part of the conditioning to get you USED to something dangerous. Then, one day, they're all gone. The roads become treacherous. A free for all. You fear for your safety and your family's safety every moment. But slowly, you get used to the new "freedom" and eventually you begin to blend right in. You don't LIKE it, but you don't really have a choice because that choice has been taken away from you. After awhile, you just go with the flow because it's been a slow process and conditioning that you begin to question how you even functioned WITH all the signs everywhere. Then one day, one dreadful, awful day you awake to find the entire world has no signs. No signals, No warnings. On ANYTHING. Household products, traffic, everyday "things" we've become so accustomed to......imagine a world with no signs. Without warnings. Without caution. And most importantly, without any STOP SIGNS! What a chaotic mess would that be? Horrible I would only imagine!

Obey!

We instinctively know signs are there for a reason, for a purpose. For our best interest. We obey them all day long whether we realize it or not. Traffic signs, appliances, our gear shift in our vehicles...instructions and warning signs are everywhere. I kind of like it that way because as I laid awake one evening and thought about what the world would be like without them, it was a scary thought and I know it would be a scary place to live! Stop signs saves lives. Stop signs prevent alot of heartache. Stop signs lead us from making some horrific mistakes. They are there for our safety. Once they are removed, and possibly replaced with something not quite as bold, our world begins to look a little different. However, not many people fight against the removal of stop signs as much as they do to PUT THEM IN PLACE. When it comes to traffic laws, a stop sign means to us exactly what it says – S-T-O-P. We don't ever question the interpretation of the word on the sign and what it means. In fact, I’m sure most of us would agree, that stop signs exist for our own good; for the safety and benefit of all drivers and pedestrians alike?

God gave us many stop signs for our lives! The Bible is full of them. God fully instructs us in so many ways, so many clear ways, because He loves us! He cares about us and our well being. God placed those stop signs in our lives for a distinct purpose....to save us from the worldly things so that we can walk more like His Son Jesus does and because it's in our best interest not to follow the world. So why is it so hard to see just how GOOD those stop signs are for us? Why does society want to remove those signs? Why are they being replaced with the world's instructions? Simply put, it's because society wants to remove them so they don't feel convicted of any wrong and immoral act. I've watched, over the years, the deconstruction of what the Lord God has set before us by way of His perfect instructions. It started slowly, little by little, being pulled apart bit by bit. However, as I look at the world through my spiritual eyes, it's spinning out of control! Nobody is fighting for the stop signs to be placed in their proper designations. They are, however, allowing the ones already in place, to be removed at a rapid pace!

Those stop signs on the streets are automatically obeyed, without question. Without a thought. When someone comes to that shape, color and word, they know it means to stop their vehicle right now and they do it. However, as it relates to the commandments and precepts of God, nothing seems to mean what it says (at least, not anymore.) Come across a stop sign at an intersection and people immediately obey, no matter the race, religion, nation, tribe or tongue. Stop means just that....STOP. But, whenever the Bible says “stop” or “don’t” or “wait”, all of the sudden everything is up for debate and interpretation. A stop sign is a declarative command that is to be immediately complied with; whereas, in today's world, God’s commands aren’t really commands at all but rather suggestions with which we may (or may not) comply as we choose. I might point out here that God's Word and commandments of "stop" and "don't" and "wait" came LONG before the universal material driving stop sign. I find it interesting how people will apply such an immediate, unambiguous and unquestioned AUTHORITY to something as innocuous as a metal signpost that will one day turn to rust, but not to the unchanging, unfailing, and life-transforming Word of Almighty God which will last forever! It is declared forever in Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever". 

This is a selective, subjective mindset or attitude in which we willingly acknowledge and acquiesce to the authority of the standards and expectations of the WORLD, while withholding such obedience, and obeisance, from God. I suppose we do this, primarily, because when we're wrong, meaning, when we sin, the worldly authorities, like police officers, for sake of an example, rarely exhibit the traits and attributes of God that we favor most: His love, mercy and grace. But, on the other hand, if a police officer catches you in running a stop sign, you can rest assured you’re going to get a ticket. It's expected, and we'd comply in paying the fine. We may not like it, we may not want to, but we DO. Out of obeying the law! However, when we violate God’s spiritual “stop signs” we expect Him to be gracious and understanding, to give us a break; to just give us a little warning, if that, and let us go on our merry little ways, no consequences to pay. All the while, we expect Him to keep His spiritual “ticket book” in His back pocket and letting us off with just a warning without keeping track. Funny how we like it when God plays “good cop”; but when He plays “bad cop” (as we define it) we don’t like Him so much, do we?

He Loves You!

The first example of God’s divine stop sign to mankind can be found in Genesis 2:16, which reads, “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” The "man" in this verse is referring to Adam, and the divine stop sign is NOT TO EAT from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve chose to drive right through God’s divine stop sign (Genesis 3) and, as far as the human race is concerned, it’s been all downhill from there. God granted Adam and Eve full access to the entirety of the Garden of Eden; a place so expansive that four rivers ran through it (Genesis 2:10-14). And yet, out of all that God had graciously granted to them, they chose to run the one stop sign He placed before them (Genesis 2:16-17).

Sadly, today is no different than in the days of Adam and Eve in that mankind STILL refuses to heed God’s warning signs! Maybe even more so now, in this day and age we live in now! God' warning signs, not unlike the stop signs we see every day along the roads we travel, are there for our own good and welfare. The Word of God is unambiguous on issues such as homosexuality, idolaters, thieves, same-sex marriage and abortion, but, we stubbornly ignore these commands; choosing instead to do our own thing and run right through them with no regard or thought to the resulting consequences or the coming accountability each of has to God for making such consequential decisions. Romans 14:12 says, "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." Ah, this is something many are afraid of but I remind you, God knows everything about you! You may be able to run from God, but you cannot HIDE! He knows exactly where you are every second....and giving an account of ourselves to Him WILL happen.

1 Thessalonians 2:18 says, "Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us." What does it mean to be hindered? Well, simply put, it means someone is trying to stop you from doing what you want to do. Satan has stop signs too, those are the ones being put up in place of God's divine stop signs. Look around! You will see them everywhere. God's signs and warnings are being replaced by Satan's because Satan doesn't want any of us doing the will of the Lord. He doesn't want us to follow God's instructions so he begins to convince people that what God says is good, is actually bad. And what God says is bad, is actually good and OK! Well, my friends, Satan is a liar! Satan wants to hinder each of us from walking with the Lord and wants us to walk in this world. Being worldly is so much easier than walking with the Lord, as any of us who are His child, knows to be true. However, Matthew 7:13-14 says very clearly, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." This is what Satan DOESN'T want you to know! He wants to tempt you and entice you with all the worldly things that aren't good for you by removing God's stop signs, or warning signs, and replacing them with his. The difference between Satan's stop signs and the Lord God Almighty's is very clear....Satan's leads to destruction and death and God's leads to eternal life!

Let's take a look at three signs and what they mean: Beginning with STOP!
1) STOP- This is the brightest sign we see on the road. It means you must come to a complete stop before proceeding. Many look at this sign and consider a rolling stop to be just as effective, because if you're honest, you've rolled through a few yourself in your lifetime. But a rolling stop sign isn't as effective, not to mention it's illegal. Many times there may be something, or more obvious, some sin that we like holding on to and God is telling us to stop. He isn't counseling us to do a rolling stop such as just reducing the amount of times that we sin, He is telling us to STOP. Sin in the life of a Christian is a life stopper. By that I mean if a Christian harbors sin, it prevents God from totally doing the works inside of our hearts that He wants to do in our lives. This stops our lives from moving forward, from moving closer to the Lord and it stops our transformation. This also means that God will have to chastise us if we do not stop sinning. That sin could be anger, hatred, adultery, sexual immorality, gambling or anything else which is contrary to the life a Christian is supposed to lead that's in concert with the Scriptures.

2) LANE ENDS - You would normally see this sign on a highway where you have to merge either to the right or to the left. In my years of driving, I've seen people go right to the end of the lane and then make a quick merge almost causing an accident. So, WHAT part of “Lane Ends” don’t they understand? I see this sign as informing Christians that God may, at any time, end their lane. You could be working at a good job for many years and then all of a sudden you are called into the bosses’ office and let go. You may have reached the person in that job that God wanted you to reach. Remember, we are on this earth as ambassadors of Christ first, jobs and other things in this life are just the means we use to get the Gospel out. God has changed your lane and is now setting you on a different course, down a different road, even though you are still headed in the same direction. The Lord could have set you up in a ministry to reach a certain number of people and when that has been accomplished, He'll move you out of that lane and into another. A word of caution though, IF you continue in that lane which the Lord has closed down, then you could be heading for disaster, much in the same way as a careless driver who refuses to change lanes on a major highway when they see the sign. In the life of a Christian, God retains the right to send us and use us wherever He chooses.

3)  DEAD END -  One of the major pitfalls in the Christian walk is to attach ourselves to things in this life which lead to a dead end. And Christians do it all the time. I've done it myself. Solomon detailed in the book of Ecclesiastes the fallacy that riches and pleasure lead to a satisfying life. Many Christians have thrown themselves into other things such as business, their jobs, clubs, extra curricular activities, keeping up with the world, Multi-level marketing, and a number of other diversions, to the neglect of their Christian walk. There are Christians who know more about sports, (celebrities, tv shows, entertainment....) than the Bible, and their Christian walk proves it. Whenever we exchange the walk of our Christianity for the walk of the world, we will never be fulfilled. This world is passing away and with it all the little enticements that seek the attention of the Christians. There's nothing wrong with going on vacation or even going to a ball game, but if worldly pursuits become the OBJECT of our desires, then our Christian walk will reach a dead end. God expects us to use this world and its fullness, not as a goal, but as a means to fulfill our part in the Great Commission. It is definitely possible to serve the Lord and do our worldly duties in concert with each other. In your lifetime, you may reach thousands of people without realizing it. Reaching people for Christ is never a dead end. We don’t know who God will save but we must be faithful in our duties to Christ first.

Don't we all hate being told "NO?" Well, if you're honest with yourself, the answer would be a resounding YES! I do. Although, as years have passed, I've gotten a little more at ease with that word, both receiving it and giving it. It was difficult for me both ways. No tends to bring out the rebellion in people, even to the point of rage. Many times in my own life, God has told me "NO!" I've been driving along my spiritual road and suddenly, without any warning, I'm being thrown into a DEAD STOP! There, right in front of me, God placed another stop sign. The Bible uses the metaphor of a closed door. God has the power to open doors. All kinds of doors! But, sometimes, though, He may decide to let things that seem important to us remain blocked. Why does He do that anyway? An obvious reason God closes doors is sin. Although God is a gracious and loving God and forgives us of our sins, there are real life consequences from our poor choices. Many times sin will affect future experiences and blessings. Sometimes He might be trying to keep us from making a mistake. On our own, we may not have enough knowledge to make right choices so He closes a door to protect us.

Other times I believe God could be sending us on a new path. He could be redirecting us, taking us off of one path and directing us onto another, more meaningful path. The Lord did this with Paul. In Acts 16, God closed doors in Asia so that Paul would minister on the continent of Europe. It was during Paul’s time here that he visited and ministered to the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth. God’s redirection resulted in Paul’s participation in writing letters to these churches, which later became actual books of the Bible! Maybe God saying “no” to us isn’t always a bad thing after all. Sometimes when God closes doors, our faith is tested, and we find what we really believe about Him and His plans. Romans 5:3-5 tells us, "v3) And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; v4) and perseverance, character; and character, hope. v5) Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." We are told to do this because of the positive results the Lord will cause through them. Other times, God places stop signs in our way to work out the right timing for His will. So, maybe God’s “no” is more like a “not now”. It’s a timing thing.

Our Destiny is in His hands!

Too many accidents are caused by people who fail to see the stop signs or obey their message.  Signs are important, but they aren't our destinations: they are placed along our paths to alert us, prepare us, or guide us TO destinations. God's stop signs are placed in our pathways to lead us to our eternal destination. Signs sometimes have to be explained to us so we don't misinterpret them. That's OK too. That's why the Bible has been given to us....living and instructional! Now think, for a moment, about who you are in Christ....you, too, are a sign.....you're a sign of His love, GRACE, power, relationship, LIFE! We are signs to others....a light shining in the darkest night! Others who are full of that darkness see our light. Other people recognize us as signs of God's love by the way we live our lives and that's why it's so important to strive to live according to the Word that we profess!

Maybe you're at a personal "stop sign," and are wondering why God has placed it in your life, when He has clearly shown you the direction He wants you to go. Instead of quitting or pouting or throwing a fit, maybe you should consider that His purpose may simply be for you to stop long enough to gather wisdom, get the lay of the land, look around, and move forward slowly. "Slow" is also one of His cautionary signs! He knows that the path ahead gets tricky, and by briefly arresting your speed, He's giving you a chance to get your bearings...and trust His leading.

Sometimes it takes a "stop," to get us to pay attention. Look. Listen. Take note of what's ahead...and proceed with caution. Or stop altogether.

Prov. 16:9, "A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps."

When your way is stopped, I encourage you to look to God and seek His purpose for the closed door. Maybe, just maybe, a new sign is awaiting you around the bend.....


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