Rick Barnett // A Call for Caution

Pastor Rick Barnett shares out of Colossians 2:4-8, talking about how believers need to be careful of what we're consuming these days. He asserts that the enemy will use various tactics, from appealing to our intellect/pride to attacking our emotions. It's so important to protect our eyes, minds, and hearts, yielding them to the Lord, but also using wisdom in what we allow to influence us. He reminds us that the enemy isn't passive, but actively seeking to steal, kill, and destroy the people of God. Pastor Rick stresses the importance of spending time in prayer and in the Word of God in order to combat the deception of the devil. Who's voice are we listening to? What is leading and influencing us, and where is it taking us? While Satan wants to isolate and disrupt our unity with Christ and the church, the best way to fight this is to abide in Jesus, and fellowship with other believers. If our eyes are on other things (current events, social media, etc.), then they're not on the Lord. There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity, it's a daily and intentional walk with God. "The goal of deception is to empty us of eternal things by distracting us with earthly things." Be vigilant! This world is not our home.