Walking Circumspectly

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied.

Today we’re going to talk about Walking Circumspectly. Let’s turn to Eph 5:1, Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Verse 15,  See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. The word “circumspectly”: it means cautiously, warily, or discreetly. The original Greek of these verses reads this way: Take heed, therefore, carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise. “Take heed” means look, see, discern. “Carefully" means exactly, strictly, distinctly. So we need to take heed, therefore, carefully how we are walking, not as unwise, but as wise; and then, redeeming, redeeming the time, for the days are evil. “Redeeming” means to buy up, to ransom or to rescue from loss, the time. 

Let’s turn to Rom 12:1&2, Hallelujah!  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The word “holy" means separated unto God: separated from this present evil world unto God. Present your bodies a living sacrifice; prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Let’s turn to Mat 7:21, Jesus said, Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! 

We need to redeem our time in order to do this. What are we doing with our time? We need to buy up, ransom, and to rescue from loss our time, for the days are evil. What are we spending our time doing? Are we taking the time to read the Word of God and meditate in it every day? Let’s turn to Psalm 1, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law (His Word), he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Make no mistake: if you want to continue to live ungodly, you will perish. Are we taking enough time to pray? We’re talking about how we spend our time; we’re talking about redeeming our time, because the days are evil. Let’s turn to Daniel chapter 6. By the way, Daniel was a busy man. He was in charge of the whole kingdom of Babylon. Verse 10, Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. This tells us that Daniel, every day, for many years, knelt down and prayed toward Jerusalem; he was in the captivity in Babylon, and he prayed toward Jerusalem. And he took that time, three times a day: morning, and at noon, and at night, praying to his God. How much of our time is spent wasted on things that are unprofitable?; things that are evil; things that are defiling? Do we understand what the will of the Lord is?  Jesus said, in Revelation, He that overcomes… Do we really believe that we will overcome and be ready to meet Him, He’s coming very soon, if we are not walking circumspectly? The scripture says, Prove what the will of the Lord is. Jesus said, Only those that do the will of His Father will enter into the Kingdom of God. Are we discerning carefully what is going on around us?; what we are allowing in our lives? Our flesh loves to be entertained and to find out what is going on, what is new, etc. 

Let’s turn to Gal 5:16,  I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. We must do this! Rom 8:12, Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 

 Gal 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Jesus loved us so much that He literally gave Himself for us on the Cross to save us from our sins and give us eternal life in His glory.   Are you truly thankful?   Do you love Him?  It is your love for Jesus and the Father that will enable you to overcome this world; these evil days, your own flesh, and to walk circumspectly, understanding and doing the will of the Lord; to walk in the Spirit and trust Him and follow Him. 2 Peter 3:14, Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless… If you love Jesus, you will be diligent to walk circumspectly in this evil time. If you love this world, the love of the Father is not in you, and you won’t understand what His will is, and you won’t make it.  However you are walking, there is no condemnation: if you will humble yourself before the Lord, and come before Him in repentance and faith, acknowledging the truth of how you are walking, and ask Him for grace to help you to do this, and mean it: to put away the videos, the books, the pleasures of this life; the things of this present evil world, and to read and meditate in His Word, and pray and seek Him with all your heart. If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him, and you will understand what His will is, and He will help you to fulfill it, if you are willing. But if you will not humble yourself before Him to turn from your idols and your covetousness, from the pleasures of this present evil world, to love Him and serve Him in truth, then you will perish. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Remember in the scriptures, that the Father has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. The Father loves us so much that He gave His Son for us to save us from this evil world, to save us from our sins and give us eternal life with Him in His glory! Turn from your wicked ways! Turn to Him!  1 Sam 12:24, Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.

Thankyou for listening to 15 Minutes With Jesus at  roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen.