Pay attention to ALL the signs!

So recently guys, the "red flags" became a quick social media trend. And while it was comical in a sense, the truth is that in real life, red flags are VERY relevant. So are green flags! You know, the signs that show you that someone is worth pursuing or keeping around? I like to think of red and green flags as signs. They are signs from God that are to help us make good decisions. So why do we continue to struggle in our decision making? Well...that's a very good question. Maybe the answer could be that we are not paying attention to the signs that are given to us. However, it is so important t pay attention to signs that are before us. Not just because it helps us to make better decisions, but also because paying attention could SAVE you from big and small dangers.

In Ezekiel 3:20 [NLT] it says " If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins." In this verse, we see that warning comes before destruction. Typically when danger is near, in the Bible there would always be some type of warning or sign sent. The same thing would happen if something good was going to happen. When I think of a good sign, or "green flag" I think of the ram that was in the bush for Abraham. Or how the angel Gabriel went to Mary before she conceived Jesus. The point is that usually before something happens, we get signs telling us before it happens. But what happens is that we don't pay attention to the signs because

1. Our emotions get in the way! Because it's not what we want and doesn't make us feel a certain type of way, we ignore it.

2. We can't accept the sign for what it is. So instead we keeping asking or waiting for more signs (even though God has clearly shown us the right/wrong way)

3. You're stuck in your own head, mistaking your thoughts for God's voice. It's hard to hear God's voice when you've already decided what he's going to say.

I want you to think of a wet floor sign. When you see a wet floor, it gives you the wisdom to avoid that area right? Well, let's say you ignore that sign and walk or worse, run in that area anyways. What do you think will happen next? You'll most likely fall and hurt yourself! And the person who put the sign there would probably wonder why you chose not to obey the sign. God works the same way. Sometimes he gives us very clear signs. Like he may reveal to you that the person you are dating lied about something serious; that's a sign that they are probably not trustworthy. But just like with the floor sign, we continue to ignore the sign, and then later suffer the consequences.

Listen, while I know it's hard to pay attention to the signs, we have to! By paying attention to red flags or signs that are warning us, we save ourselves from bad consequences, missed opportunities and even danger. And remember...there are good signs too! Maybe God is giving you a sign or "green flag" to apply for that job, or to ask that person on a date. However, just like there are consequences for ignoring warnings signs, there are consequences for ignoring good signs too! Do you really want to miss out on a blessing God has for you all because you're not paying attention?? I know I don't!

At the end of the day, there are always going to be signs given by God to help guide us on this earth. It's up to us to follow and pay attention to the signs. Whether the signs are to prevent something or promote something, it is crucial that we take them serious!

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