She played fast and loose with life, she never considered tomorrow, and now she’s crashed royally, with no one to hold her hand. “Look at my pain, O God! And how the enemy cruelly struts.” Lamentations 1:9 THE MESSAGE

After getting burned playing with fire, you say, “I just wasn’t thinking.”

    You should have been!

    Flirting with temptation starts you on a toboggan ride toward disaster.

    Sin’s slippery slope is difficult to exit—it is easier to avoid altogether.

    It is foolhardy to only consider the consequences after they hit.

    Impulsive choices typically land you in trouble.

    Human nature chooses the easy way, and that is usually wrong.

Think back—learn from history you cannot sin without painful effects.

    Reflect on how unpleasant your life became when you acted badly.

    Reconsider how complicated relationships got when you misbehaved.

Think ahead—anticipate the awful effects of sin—turn away from it.

    Keep in mind consequences of guilt and grief—avoid doing wrong.

    Reflect on how pleasant your life is when you trust and obey Me.

Jerusalem, city of peace, was exiled to heart-wrenching loneliness.

    Jerusalem, city of the Great King, was shackled by cruel tyrants.

    Jerusalem, the holy city, was orphaned from the Promised Land.

    If they had only thought ahead, they could have avoided disaster.

Now it is your turn.

    Repent and walk humbly with Me, and I will help you live correctly.

    Hold My nail-scarred hand, and I will guide you on a glorious path—

        a path of peace and joy, not chaos and heartache.

Want to celebrate victory—not defeat—at sunset?

    Then, at sunrise, think ahead!

© Pastor Johnny R. Almond, Day 280 Gentle Whispers from Eternity