Things happen in life that can have important spiritual lessons for us if we will just stop and think about them. On Friday the 28th two totally different events happen to me, both of which could have had serious physical repercussions. First, early that morning I decided to give the shower stall a good cleaning. In doing so I did something that almost became life threatening.  I mixed a mold and mildew cleaner and vinegar together and it produced gases that were potentially life threatening if breathed very long. Thankfully I realized what was happening and got to fresh air.  The second event happened Friday afternoon when I was returning home from Gardendale on Hwy. 31 during a brief heavy rain storm. Even though I had slowed because of the conditions I still hydroplaned and it took both lanes for me to get the car under control and going in a straight line again.

Let us consider some of the spiritual lessons I thought of from these two events. I will start with the poisonous gas. The first lesson is we need to read and study the word of God carefully and glean the whole truth to be gained in regard to our salvation. Truth mixed with a little error can be spiritually fatal. Almost without exception the doctrines taught by the denominational churches have gleanings of truth, the mixture may be any where from 95+ % truth and less that 5% error to 95% error to 5% truth. Regardless of the percentage the result is the same, spiritual death if consumed! (Gen. 3, James 2:24) I knew some chemicals cannot be mixed, but I did not read the warning label on the bottle. It said specifically not to mix the chemicals in the bottle with vinegar!

A second lesson is that life is uncertain.  We do not know when something totally off the wall unexpected might happen and life on earth would be over, life can be very short. (James 4:12-17) Whatever the cause of one’s death the important point is are we prepared for death and eternity? If I had not got out of the fumes of that gas when I did I most likely would not have survived. If we are not prepared for death when it comes we will not survive the judgment!  Another spiritual lesson is that some things just cannot be mixed safely. We cannot mix sin and righteousness. If we attempt to do so the spiritual result will be deadly. (1 Cor. 15:33,  2 Cor. 6:14-17)  We cannot serve God and the devil at the same time.

Another spiritual lesson from the poison fumes is that God gives a way of escape from the dangers of sin and temptation. To those who have never been obedient to the gospel and become children of God, God provides the answer to how to become a Christian in clear language in the New Testament. The language on the mildew bottle was clear, but I did not heed what it said. Likewise one has to heed what the Bible  says to have the forgiveness of sins. To those who are already  Christians God provides us a way to escape the deadly consequences of trails and temptation (1 Cor. 10:11-13) but we have to avail ourselves of God’s way of escape, the results are deadly if  the way of escape is not used.

A final lesson from the gas fumes is that as I will warn every one possible of the dangers of mixing unknown chemicals together. The spiritual lesson is that we should out of love and concern for the souls of those lost  tell them of the dangers of sin and encourage them to take the free way of escape that is in Christ and obedience to God’s word.

The first lesson from the hydroplaning on the water on the road is that one can never take too many precautions to be safe. The spiritual lesson is the same one can never take too many precautions were Satan and sin are involved. (1 Thess. 5:21-22, 1 Pet. 5:7-10)  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matt. 26:41)

Another lesson is having the knowledge of what to expect in certain conditions or circumstances in life is needed.  If you get caught up in a trying situation, do you know how to react? Many car hydroplanings  result in deadly wrecks because of wrong or over reactions. We often get ourselves in spiritual trouble because we react before thinking the matter through.  We need to know our surroundings, that often times determines what we should do. Some times we can confront the spiritual adversary and some times we need to wait until we are in a different environment. When I slowed I looked to see if there was another car near me. I knew there wasn’t and I could use both lanes to control my car.   A tip if you are not already aware of it, front wheel drive cars will often lose grip in the least bit of water and then grab when they hit a dry surface and jerk in the direction the tires are turned.