“So then, Your Majesty, follow my advice. Stop sinning, do what is right, and be merciful to the poor. Then you will continue to be prosperous” (Dan. 4:27 GNT).
Too often when life is going well, we miss the warning signs of an impending fall.
Pride blinds us. So does the spotlight.
It’s why I tell people who’ve seen some success in life that they need to go home and change some diapers, mow their own lawns, and wash their own dishes. When you have some success, make sure you keep in touch with your roots so you don’t miss the warning signs of a fall.
Nebuchadnezzar’s life is a clear picture of this. God cared enough about this pagan king to warn him about what was coming his way in Daniel 4. The Lord didn’t just remove him from power. God gave him a dream, he brought Daniel to interpret the dream, and Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar what was going to happen and how to avoid it. Read it for yourself. You can’t get much clearer.
Daniel told the king, “So then, Your Majesty, follow my advice. Stop sinning, do what is right, and be merciful to the poor. Then you will continue to be prosperous” (Dan. 4:27 GNT).
Daniel gave him three steps: Stop sinning, do what’s right and be merciful to the poor. Success would follow.
But the king missed the sign.
Is it possible you are missing one, too?
It could be conflict in a relationship. You’re just passing it off as the other person’s problem, but God wants to show you that you’re off track in some area of your life.
It could be a temptation you’re battling against because you’re continually putting yourself in a bad situation.
Maybe it’s chaos and confusion in your life. Both are signs you’re not well-connected to God. You’re trying to do life on your own terms.
And God’s trying to tell you through these warning signs: “Halt! Stop sinning! Come back to me!”
If you’re heading down the wrong path, God will warn you because he loves you too much to not give you a warning.
Talk It Over
- What warning signs have you seen people miss? How have you seen them fall after missing the signs?
- What kinds of warning signs do you think people miss the most often, and why?
- How have you missed warning signs in the past? {eoa}
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also founder of pastors.com, a global internet community for pastors.
This article originally appeared at pastorrick.com.
Curt Landry 
Michael L. Brown 
Rabbi Eric Tokajer 
