Don't Go It Alone

 The way of fools seems right to them,
    but the wise listen to advice.

Proverbs 12:15

My husband had a heart attack last month. He's relatively young with no health issues. He doesn't have a history of heart disease, and his cholesterol levels are normal. Yet he had an artery with 99 percent blockage.

For four days, he experienced the pain of what he thought was acid reflux -- which he has had for years.

Looking back, he now realizes he had angina -- chest pain from his heart not getting enough oxygen. For him, angina felt just like indigestion.

And have I mentioned that he is a physician?

He's no cardiologist, but I'm quite sure he was tested at some point about the signs of a heart attack.

I'm even pretty sure if one of his patients had come in with the same signs, he would sent them straight to the hospital.

Yet it took him four days. Why?

Because his symptoms didn't quite fit the standard.

He didn't want to cause a fuss for no reason.

He was convinced the pain was in his esophagus, not his heart.

He couldn't see his pain objectively. 

And aren't we like this with sin sometimes?

We don't recognize it -- especially when it's close to us.

Maybe we've become surrounded with sin. Maybe we confuse sin with love. Maybe we just don' t know what God's word says about it.

That's exactly Satan's plan. Just go back to Genesis to the serpent's conversation with Eve.

And Eve did exactly what we do many times. She tried to handle it alone. She didn't go to Adam. She didn't go to God. She thought she knew what was right.

I love this Proverb about seeking wise counsel. Sometimes we get confused.  Sometimes the Bible is difficult to understand. That's where we need a solid, Bible-believing group of friends to help. That's why we need the church.

We need other Christians to help us make sense of things when we can't. We need backup to save us from our own mistakes.

Do you have a group of friends who can help you when times are confusing and difficult? Ask God to provide those people in your life. Make sure you're involved in a small group Bible study and your local church. It really can make the difference between life and death sometimes.

Stacy