OK. So the last four days of devotions have shouted, “Beware!” Today’s warning is the warning of all warnings, especially for those times when we are tempted to disregard them. (The words take heed and beware are used interchangeably in the Scriptures.)

The skeptic hears the warnings and always says, “I’m stronger than that, I am the exception, that won’t happen to me.”

It often leads to seeing how close we can get to the fire without being burned. How far can we go in physical intimacy with another person without it becoming sin? How close to the truth do we need to speak without it being taken as a lie?

We find ourselves on a slippery slope like a kid with his toboggan. Once he crosses the crest of the hill, it is all downhill from there … without brakes.

In today’s verse, the apostle Paul is saying that the person who ignores the warnings actually enhances his vulnerability. He thinks he stands — he is living on a false self-perception.

In another letter, the apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). If I plant weeds I will harvest weeds. It is easy to think that if I disregard the warnings and do blow it, there is always forgiveness to fall back on.

Forgiveness is available, but every sin still has built-in consequences — broken relationships, shame, damaged reputations, lost opportunities.

Overconfidence is arrested by humility, recognizing that with my bent toward independence, I need Jesus. I need Him to convict me, to reveal my false perception of invincibility and to open my eyes to spiritual realities.

It is a consistent and intentional daily time with Him in prayer and Bible study that keeps one’s walk with God on course.

Athlete, beware! The warnings that God has recorded in the Scriptures serve you well.