Looking for trouble? Think wrong things. As one thinks in his/her heart so are they (Prov. 23:7). Jesus said evil and good come from within (Mark 7:18-23). That’s where it all starts—in the heart.
Go to wrong places. If you’re looking for trouble, then that’s where you’ll find it (I Thess. 5:22). God says to resist the devil, not dance with him! (Jas. 4:7); however, if you’re looking for trouble, you can find it.
Read the wrong things, that’s a sure guide to trouble. Reading the Bible daily would not be advisable if you’re seeking trouble (I Tim. 2:15). Would Jesus like what you read, write and post online?
Running with the wrong crowd will help you find trouble (Mark 14:67-71). This is highly recommended if you’re interested in sinful living (I Cor. 15:33). It helps to run with the devil, then you’ll quickly begin to look, act, and smell like him.
Ever thought about it? Talking about wrong things is a good way to find trouble (Matt. 12:37). Foolish talking, jesting, gossip, cussing, dirty stories (Eph. 5:4) will help to draw out the bad folks from the good. “Birds of a feather flock together.”
Listening to wrong music helps direct one to trouble (Psalm 147:1). “Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes the laws,” is attributed by some to the philosopher Plato. Whoever observed this had it right. Music has a unique effect on mankind by design. That is why you would never want to sing or listen to psalms, hymns and spiritual songs when looking for trouble.
Stop listening to your parents is a sure way to trouble. You can know this because God said to listen and obey them (Eph. 6:1-3). Want perilous times? Be disobedient to your parent (II Tim. 3:1). Your parents just might tell you something good and right, you wouldn’t want that when seeking trouble.
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8).
Malcolm Hill
adapted by David Hill
Northeast Church of Christ, May 26, 2024
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