Uncovering the Mines

Scripture: Hebrews 5:14 “Solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

The night before the Desert Storm troops were to begin their land invasion, trying to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein, a supernatural intervention took place that the troops will never forget. That night there was a sudden shift in the wind. Usually the wind would blow from the north, but it unexplainably shifted to blow from the south. One of the Saudi officers commented, “It NEVER blows from that direction.” Guess what? They can’t say never anymore. When the invasion began the next morning, the allied troops witnessed an unbelievable sight. Right in front of them, there was a huge , now exposed minefield. You see, those mines had been concealed under the sand and would have destroyed many soldiers, but that unprecedented wind had uncovered the mines so they knew exactly where to step. God’s Word comes to us from Hebrews 5:14. It says, “Solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” The ability to distinguish good from evil is called discernment. It is getting tougher and tougher to be able to see sin in disguise and not step on the land mine. Discernment is exactly what our kids and we need, whether they are kids in your family or in your church. Some of us try to equip them to live in this moral minefield by giving them a list of do’s and don’ts for every occasion. But no one can come up with long enough list to cover everything kids are going to face.
Our world is a moral minefield, and our children are daily going into it. It is easy to be destroyed, to step into something we never meant to. By the time we see the danger, we have stepped on it and it’s too late. It is better to focus on blowing away the sand that covers sin and its consequences. We need to train those we influence, like our children, to be able to distinguish between good and evil. Instead of trying to teach what every moral choice should be, we should teach how to make the moral choice. Here are 5 questions that can expose wrong for what it really is:

1. Will it devalue my body? Something is wrong if, in any way, it devalues or degrades this body of mine. Why? Because 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” God lives in that body, and anything you do with that body, you drag Him into. So ask yourself, “Will it hurt my body in any way?”
2. The second question that blows away the sand on the landmines is, “Will it let darkness into my mind?” Proverbs 4:23 says, Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Don’t be softened up for an invasion of your mind by letting some dark thoughts and ideas get in there through what you watch or listen to.
3. The third question is: “Will it hurt my reputation?” Proverbs 22:1 says: “A good name is more desirable than great riches.” Protect your name.
4. Will it hurt the people I influence? Romans 14:13 says, “Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”
5. The 5th question is, “Will it hurt Jesus, who is watching what I’m doing? Ephesians 5:10 says, “Find out what pleases the Lord.”
   There are land mines in the world that we and our children walk in, and they are covered with bright sand that makes the destructive potential invisible. But God blows away the covering with the wind of His Word. (Thank you, Lord!) Learn to recognize a moral minefield, and then invade the darkness.