Are you in the midst of a relationship with someone who is heading toward a cliff in their decision-making? When people in our lives are unguarded, unsuspecting, and gullible, God calls us to get involved. He wants us to warn the unwary. Solomon penned: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?” (Proverbs 21:11-12).

As believers, God asks us to rescue the naïve from choices that would devastate their lives. He wants us to hold back friends who are about to walk off the edge. We cannot conveniently claim ignorance. God knows the content of our hearts, even if those around us do not. He is the protector of life, who is ready, willing, and able to use us to restore our closest friends to Him. St. Augustine taught, “Without God, man cannot. Without man, God will not.” We must surrender to the privilege of being God’s instruments of transformation.

Do you have a friend pondering divorce? Is someone close to you about to make a foolish financial decision? Are you watching idly as someone you love continues down a path of addiction and destruction? Reach out and warn them about the impending disaster. Offer a new direction, one where they can experience God’s blessings, rather than the devastating consequences of their foolish choices. Make yourself available to meet once a week for the next three months to offer wisdom and inspire change. The first step is the most difficult, but the Holy Spirit will guide you, providing the right words at the right time to bring healing.

Episode 98: 30 Sayings of the Wise: Faith from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.