The news about Ray Boltz has broken my heart. I struggled with whether I should blog about it or not, because my first instinct was to try to call as little attention to it as possible. But just like we learned in PR class, there’s no sense in trying to hide bad news – you just have to respond to it in the best possible way.
As a minister’s wife and daughter, things like this hit close to home. Within the past year, several seemingly strong, high-profile men have fallen – at least two who had greatly influenced my own walk with God.
Is anyone safe? Is any Christian – any minister – immune from falling prey to testimony-ruining sin? No.
1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”
So how can we keep from being devoured and help others escape from the lion’s mouth, too?
For one thing, we can STAY ALERT. In animals-eating-people movies, the creature, whatever it is, usually picks someone off as a snack when everybody is relaxed and not really worried about the danger – when they’re asleep around the campfire, treading water at the beach, wandering alone in the jungle, thinking everything's hunky-dory...
We can also be devoured when we decide to let the lion get too close or make friends with him. Like those crazy people at the zoo who sneak into the panda cage because they look so cute and cuddly. “Big,” life-destroying sins don’t just come on a person all at once. They start small – a thought, a slight compromise, a little wandering in the wrong direction…
In the two verses before Peter talks about the lion, he says this: “Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time, He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you.”
We get proud. We mistakenly think our lives are our own and that we can just do whatever we please, destructive or not. We pick and choose which parts of the Bible to follow and which parts to throw away. And we make God who we want Him to be, not the God He actually is.
A ruined life is what happens when we try to go through our days without God, without realizing that our living is all about Him and for His purpose. When we think our own happiness should be our main pursuit, listen for that low growling sound in the bushes.
Makes me want to be that much more vigilant, for myself and for those around me whom the lion is stalking…For those walking in darkness who can’t even see what is attacking them.
As a minister’s wife and daughter, things like this hit close to home. Within the past year, several seemingly strong, high-profile men have fallen – at least two who had greatly influenced my own walk with God.
Is anyone safe? Is any Christian – any minister – immune from falling prey to testimony-ruining sin? No.
1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”
So how can we keep from being devoured and help others escape from the lion’s mouth, too?
For one thing, we can STAY ALERT. In animals-eating-people movies, the creature, whatever it is, usually picks someone off as a snack when everybody is relaxed and not really worried about the danger – when they’re asleep around the campfire, treading water at the beach, wandering alone in the jungle, thinking everything's hunky-dory...
We can also be devoured when we decide to let the lion get too close or make friends with him. Like those crazy people at the zoo who sneak into the panda cage because they look so cute and cuddly. “Big,” life-destroying sins don’t just come on a person all at once. They start small – a thought, a slight compromise, a little wandering in the wrong direction…
In the two verses before Peter talks about the lion, he says this: “Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time, He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you.”
We get proud. We mistakenly think our lives are our own and that we can just do whatever we please, destructive or not. We pick and choose which parts of the Bible to follow and which parts to throw away. And we make God who we want Him to be, not the God He actually is.
A ruined life is what happens when we try to go through our days without God, without realizing that our living is all about Him and for His purpose. When we think our own happiness should be our main pursuit, listen for that low growling sound in the bushes.
Makes me want to be that much more vigilant, for myself and for those around me whom the lion is stalking…For those walking in darkness who can’t even see what is attacking them.
3 comments:
Thanks so much for your perspective on the Ray Boltz tragedy. God has instructed us to take what happens to others and use it as an "instruction to righteousness" for our own lives. We must stay on our guard!
Daddy
Thanks for this post. You are so right, we must be alert.
I'm just sick about the news of Ray Boltz. :(
You are such a good writer and I enjoy reading your blog! Thanks for your kind comments on mine...
As for Ray Boltz and his recent announcement, I am still in shock. The Bible is amazing...We as Christians don't always pay attention to how applicable it is to our lives, but God's Word is very clear on the enemy and his agenda...Satan is there to devour. We must always be on guard, but PRAISE GOD that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is so faithful to help us in our time of need and weakness. It's a tragedy that Ray Boltz chose to walk away from such a loving God.
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