Safety

Safety products and safety training is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. Companies continually train their employees in an effort to promote a safe workplace and to prevent injuries and deaths. Training is done regularly and repeatedly so that the information taught is hopefully retained and acted upon.

Just as companies seek to keep their employees safe, your pastors/elders seek to keep the flock Jesus has entrusted to them safe from harm. The Bible teaches us that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. It is our desire to do our best to instruct you, care for you, pray for you, and when necessary, even correct you so that when the enemy comes, you can stand firm in your faith in Jesus Christ. It is God’s Word and your faith in Jesus that gives you the strength to overcome sin.

Just as the safety industry is trying to avoid and prevent accidents from happening, Christians likewise should be trying to avoid and prevent sin in their lives. We must be trained properly and repeatedly. Once trained, we must prepare and practice. So, what does preparing and practicing look like? It’s spending time studying God’s Word, praying regularly, living in community with other believers, living on mission. If you fail (and we all do) and sin enters into your life, but your faith is grounded in the gospel and you’ve been practicing your faith, you’ll be prepared to recognize sin and be brought to repentance, that is, turn from the sin, and run to Jesus. You see, sin can be like an addiction, the more it gets a foothold in your life, the more difficult it is for you to run away from.

Proverbs 18:10 tells us, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”

My hope is that you are seeking God’s guidance and direction in your life and that you are surrendering your will to the Holy Spirit so that you may be molded into the Christian God wants you to be. Remember, it’s not by anything you have done that has brought you to the saving knowledge of Christ, but rather Jesus, by his grace, calling you to himself. Jesus paid your debt for the sin in your life; therefore worship him and bring him glory by living your life in such a way that others will be drawn to the safety and protection of our Lord and Savior.