Tuesday, September 21: Take heed!

When driving down a country road, if a sign said, “ROAD CLOSED AHEAD,” ignoring that warning, or missing it entirely by not paying attention, could cause life to change drastically or end in a matter of moments. How we react to warnings falls into one of two categories. When being confronted with a yellow light at a traffic signal, people either will stop abruptly or hit the gas pedal and go even faster! That dichotomy of response certainly reflects two extremely different results, as well. Warnings remind us to proceed with caution, yet that involves listening very closely.


On a package of Dial Soap, a warning says to “use like regular soap.” Some hair dryers contain the warning, “Do not use while taking a shower.” Hershey’s Almond Bars include this great piece of advice: “Warning, may contain traces of nuts.” Nytol sleep aid reminds us: “May cause drowsiness.” It’s any wonder that the human race still continues with the way most of us listen to warnings, though many of those should be second nature to us by now. Yet as believers, the warnings that we should pay the closest attention to are the ones from God!


The phrase “take heed” occurs 54 times in the King James Version and 49 times in the New King James Version. The word for “heed” is shamar in Hebrew, and means to keep, tend, watch over or retain. In Greek, that same word is epecho, meaning to hold upon or to give attention to. Anytime we come across that phrase in the Bible, it is a reminder to pay attention. Guard yourself, for this is an area that trips many people! Don’t forget it, for your life may depend upon it! Let’s look at a few of those instances:


9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, 10 especially concerning the day you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’
Deuteronomy 4:9-10


In this passage, God reminds the Jews of the importance of His Law, which He gave to them on Mount Horeb. Teaching that law to the next generations will pass the warning forward, for we know that by walking in the fear of the Lord, we will honor His commandments, yet when we walk in complete disregard of His Law, we can have no relationship with Him. That is more deadly than a bridge out on a lonely stretch of road!

“Mankind is notoriously too dense to read the signs that God sends from time to time. We require drums to be beaten into our ears, before we should wake from our trance and hear the warning and see that to lose oneself in all, is the only way to find oneself.”—Anonymous

Fortunately for us, God created us and knows our limitations. Though most of us think we are much more intelligent than we really are, we demonstrate that lack of intelligence by not responding to God’s warnings. Yet as believers, He continues to warn us. Typically, those warnings get louder or more painful as we continue to ignore His words. Yet if we ignore God long enough, those warnings are likely to cease:

Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
Luke 8:18


As believers, we need to quit accelerating through those yellow lights, the cautions that the Lord places in our paths. Additionally, write those warnings on your hearts, as they will continue to have an effect on each of your lives! It is easier to stop when we are not moving so quickly, so the first step is to slow down! It is in those quiet places when we hear His voice the loudest!


Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
1 Timothy 4:16