We turn again to Ephesians chapter 5. We've been here for a number of Lord's days in our family worship service. We're here again, Ephesians chapter 5, as we continue in our studies on our walk with God, considering what it means to walk with God and the walk that God expects of us, our conduct in this world. So let's read from the verse 6 of Ephesians chapter 5. The Word of God says, let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them, for ye wear sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them, for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatsoever doth make manifest his light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Amen, we'll end our reading at verse 21. Let's briefly pray. Our Father, we come now to the preaching of thy word. We pray for the help of thy spirit. We pray that, Lord, each person who knows thee, O God, that they'll hear thy voice, that they'll be instructed, and those who know thee not, we pray that thou wilt open their ears and their eyes and their understanding for the very first time, and bring them, O God, to saving faith, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, come and now fill me with thy Holy Spirit. Help me to rightly divide the word of truth. May we not put our own spin, some kind of slant on the word. But Lord, may we just receive it as it is on the page of scripture. And Lord, may we have hearts prepared, good seed beds, ready to receive the seed of thy word, this incorruptible seed, that it might bear a harvest in our lives in the days, the years, the decades that lie before us. We pray this in and through our Savior's name. Amen and amen. Character dictates conduct. What we believe ought to influence how we behave, who we are, governs what we do. Really, these are the things that the Apostle Paul has been trying to get across to his readership in this sixth chapter epistle. Already in this chapter, number five, the Spirit of God, through the penmanship of the Apostle Paul, has exhorted the believer, first of all, to walk in love in verse number two, and then to walk as children of light in the verse number eight. This afternoon, we come to consider another way, a third way, in which the Christian is to walk, a walk that is brought to our attention in the words of the verse number 15. See then, Paul says, see then, that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, as children of light, who walk in the light of God's word, We are then to walk circumspectly, walking in the light as children of light will then lead us to walk circumspectly. Today we want to consider then this divine directive to walk circumspectly. I say it is an issue that is not often spoken of from pulpits today, but let me say it is an issue that is essential when it comes to the conduct of Christians in a society like ours. A society that is morally imploding in upon itself, it is essential. that the children of God walk circumspectly. I remind you that the city in which these believers to whom Paul was writing this epistle to, in which they resided, the city of Ephesus was really not very much different like the towns and the villages and the cities that populate our nation today. I want you to listen to a description of first century Ephesus. It was given by a minister by the name of the reverend Charles Naylor. And let me ask you as you think of it and as you listen to it, does it sound familiar to you at all? He said, Ephesus was one of the great centers of paganism. It was adorned with costly and magnificent heathen temples. It was rich and voluptuous. Both private and public life were utterly corrupt. Even the religious practice of the Ephesians were unspeakably vile. This city, he said, was a moral cesspool, a sink of pollution, filled with all corruption and raking with vileness. He went on to say it was a second Sodom. Vice stalked abroad everywhere and was honored and worshiped. Beloved Ephesus 1 AD, is Britain 2023 A.D. Ephesus 1 A.D. is the United Kingdom Northern Ireland 2023 A.D. And yet it was in the midst of that cesspool of iniquity that God strategically and God providentially placed a company of Christians for the purpose that they might impact that generation and impact that society for God. One of the ways that that purpose was going to be accomplished by this local fellowship of believers was by the sense of God connected with the local church walking circumspectly in such a society. Such a way of life would have been totally different from how the ungodly were conducting their lives in the city of Ephesus. And that would have made the Christians stand out from the rest of Ephesian society. By their different living, many an ear, I believe, would have been one for the gospel. By their different living, many an ear would have been one for the gospel. And so Paul, as he thinks of the city in which this fellowship of believers was meeting. This ungodly, sinful, morally corrupt society. He tells him in the midst of that, don't withdraw yourself from that society. Don't, as it were, take yourself out of that society and live in some kind of commune, but rather in the midst of that society, God requires that you walk circumspectly. It is no different for us. We live in such a society, and God would have you, if you're a Christian, to walk in this way. And so we need to ask the question, what is it to walk circumspectly." What does it mean to walk circumspectly? That's our first point for today's message. It will be the largest point of the two that we'll consider today. We need to look at the Word. that we find in the verse number 15. See then that ye walk circumspectly. Now I'm sure that this past week you never used this word, never came into your vocabulary, you never said to your wife or to your husband or to your children, you never employed this word circumspectly. Maybe you did, well you can tell me at the door. We would use words more prone to use, we would use words like the word exactly. or the word diligently, the word perfectly, correctly, or accurately. Webster, in his dictionary, defines the word circumspectly like this, cautiously. See that ye walk The word circumspectly comes from two Latin words, which means looking around, looking around, being alert, eyes wide open. That's the thought that we have from this word circumspectly. It means to walk carefully, to walk with exactness. The Greek word carries the idea of precision, accuracy. See that you walk precisely, exactly, with exactness. Circumspectly describes a walk or a manner of life that is agreeable then to a prescribed rule. And we all know what that prescribed rule is. It's not our thinking, it's not what we believe that a higher Christian should walk, but the prescribed rule by which we walk, by which we have our lives governed by, is by the Word of God. The Word of God is our sole rule of faith and of life. practice. And so this circumspect walk is a walk that is agreeable to the prescribed rule as it is set forth in the Word of God. One preacher said to be circumspect is to look carefully from side to side, to be alert, to be alert to what is going on. You see the Christian is walking through a minefield. That's what we're walking through in this world. We can't just go traipsing through the world like it was just a meadow of daisies. I tell you, there are mines. It's a minefield that we're going through and we're walking through. I say we're walking through enemy territory. As it were, we've been placed behind enemy lines. And we need to be on the guard against, as it were, the devil's snipers, and the devil's traps and pitfalls that he's placed in our way. And because of that, we need to walk circumspectly, carefully, exactly, accurately, ever watchful, always on alert, vigilant. Vigilant. I believe that this word circumspectly can be well described using an illustration. And this illustration is so familiar, I'm sure you've heard it. I heard it as a child. It's stuck with me ever since. I trust it'll stick with you if you haven't heard it before. I'm sure we've all witnessed the scale of a tame cat walking over maybe a fence. We have a neighbor and they've got a cat and I've sat sometime eating my breakfast, and I've watched that cat just walking over the top of the boards of that particular fence. You think about the thickness of a board, and that's on a retaining wall, so you're probably talking the height of the gallery there, and that's not an exaggeration. There's a retaining wall, the back of the manse, and then there's a fence on top of that, and that cat has walked across on a number of occasions, has walked across the ridge of the manse, garage as well, to see that cat walking over the top of it. That cat is walking circumspectly. But if you can cast your minds back on those of an older generation, before health and safety was ever a thing, you'll know that it used to be that the back walls or in the back gardens or the backyards of people's homes, there would have been a wall, and on top of that wall, cemented into the top of the wall, there were shards of glass. I lived in Belfast, and that was how you saw many, whenever I was at university, that's how you saw many a home, shards of glass placed along the top, put in this way, cemented in to that particular wall. And as a cat went onto that wall, you saw the cat just placing its feet precisely, accurately between the shards of glass. That cat was walking circumspectly, not randomly, not going ram dash, we would say, over the wall, but there was precision, there was forethought, there was accuracy, and as it made its way across, it found a safe path over that particular wall. And that's the image that we should have in our minds when we read this particular verse about walking circumspectly. We are to walk in a way that doesn't put us in front of hazards, not in front of dangers, but rather takes us away from danger and takes us away from hazards. This same word is used in Matthew chapter 2, and this is only by the way. The wise men came to the city of Jerusalem to find the Christ child. Herod, on finding out that the Savior, the Son of God, was to be born in Bethlehem, he gives the wise men counsel over there in Matthew chapter 2 and the verse number 8. And this is what he says to them. He says, go and search diligently for the young child. And when you find him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him only. It is the word diligently. It's the exact same Greek word as we have in Ephesians 5, 15. Circumspectly. Go and search circumspectly for the child. Diligently for the child. With precision. Don't miss a home. Don't miss a street. Go into every house. Make sure you eventually find Him. Go with forethought and exactness. Don't go on some haphazard direction, but go and search for Him circumspectly, diligently. And so there is, as I've said, the thought of preciseness or exactness in this word, circumspectly. And since that is the case, Then this word does away with the foolish notion that some Christians have that they can live their lives just any way they like. You see, the Christian, according to Ephesians 5 verse 18, the one who has been predestinated, the one who has been called of God, elect, the one who has experienced redemption, all of these things we find in Ephesians chapter 1, the Christian is to walk precisely according to the prescribed rule within the Word of God without deviation. Without deviation. In my mind, whenever I think of walking circumspectly, there is the picture of a person who is exercising tremendous caution and extreme exactness in their Christian walk. It's the walk that resembles a person or the caution of a person who'd be walking across a tightrope, where even the smallest misstep would result in that fall, the fall that would be fatal. A tightrope walker is walking circumspectly, with exactness, with precision. This mindset that I, as a Christian, am to walk circumspectly is then opposite to the typical mindset that is found in all too many believers today. Today, we tend to find Christians, and they're not walking circumspectly, no, they're walking carelessly. They're walking in a way that is, we would say, flippantly with a shocking lack of discernment. The Christian is not to take their eye off the ball. They're not to walk about the world in some kind of daze or to fall into some hypnotic state or to lapse into some kind of temporary or permanent holiday mode. No, rather the believer is to be ever watchful and circumspect when it comes to their daily walk and to their daily conduct. The Word of God has many examples of individuals who walk circumspectly. The vast majority of their lives only for them to let their guard down momentarily. It resulted in them marring and tarnishing their testimonies. I'm sure you can think of many. King David is, I suppose, the most obvious. David failed to walk circumspectly that particular day when he found himself on the roof of the palace He looked across the city and there he saw another man's wife bathing. He lusted after her. He took her, committed sin with her. And then he would see to the murdering of her husband in an attempt to try and cover over his sin. Letting his guard down even momentarily resulted in David blotting his testimony. A testimony up until that moment of time was exemplary. Let none of us think, not even this preacher, let none of us think that we could not be susceptible to falling in a similar spectacular way. To avoid doing so then, brethren and sisters, we need to walk circumspectly, with exactness, with precision, according to this exact rule that God has given within His Word. And whenever we do fall, Thank God we can still remember that there's forgiveness with God. There's forgiveness with God. David found it to be so in his life and that if we confess our sins that he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, elapsing, circumspect, walking is not the end, is not the final. For a child of God, thank God through repentance, And by the seeking of cleansing in Christ's blood, that person can again be renewed to fellowship with God and can begin walking circumspectly again. While David gives us an example of an individual who did not walk circumspectly, surely, surely Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gives us and provides us with the greatest example of a person who walked circumspectly. Consider his circumspect walk. He walked exactly. He walked diligently. He walked perfectly in this fallen and in this sinful world. He did not deviate from the law of God, for He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law. Jesus Christ is the only man who ever walked in perfect agreement with the Word of God, fulfilling every commandment and statute of God perfectly. When it came to the end of His earthly ministry, The Savior made a claim that was undisputed, and here it is. The prince of the world cometh and hath nothing in me. If ever there was an individual, if ever there was an individual who would have wanted to identify a flaw in the Savior's life, it would have been the prince of this world. If ever there was one who wanted to find a blemish in the life of Jesus Christ, it was obviously the devil. But after close scrutiny and precise examination, the wicked one could find nothing to charge the Son of God with, to his great dismay. And to his consternation, the Savior's arch enemy had to confess that the Son of God had an impeccable circumspect walk before God and before man. In both arenas, he had a circumspect walk. He walked with God and he walked before man perfectly, precisely, circumspectly. Now, while you, brethren, and I will never Be able to walk as precisely and as exactly as Jesus Christ walked. That is not to say that we're not to strive for such a walk. Scripture directs us to walk as Christ walked. We thought about that before. And a circumspect walk is therefore a Christ-like walk. And that should be incentive enough for us to walk in such a way. I want to walk like Christ. He walks circumspectly, then I'm going to walk circumspectly. I'm going to walk with this precision. Can I say then by way of practical application and personal application, that the minister of this congregation is to walk circumspectly. And so I speak to my own heart and I ask myself the question, did you walk circumspectly? Reverend Stewart, did you walk circumspectly in the last week? I tell you, I need God's help daily. And how I am to come out and how I am to come in among the people, there must be on my part personal, domestic, ministerial integrity, exercised by myself as the minister of this congregation. If ever there is a man upon earth that should walk closely and walk circumspectly with God, it is the minister of the gospel. If he feels, if he falls, Then the tremendous damage that is inflicted on the testimony of Jesus Christ is almost immeasurable. And so I say pray for me. Pray for your minister. Many of you do, if not all. But redouble your efforts. I pray that you walk circumspectly according to the rule of God's precious word. I tell you that the temptations that you face are the temptations I face. I'm not a robot. Not some kind of super human being. I have my temptations. There are things that cause me to fall and to stumble. There are things that I need to repent of. Things that I could be guilty of committing. You need to pray for me. Ministers need to walk circumspectly. The officers of Christ's church are to walk circumspectly. Placed by God into the leadership role of a congregation, elders and deacons ought to have an exemplary walk before God and man. Therefore, all questionable and doubtful practices must be forsaken by such. The highest standards in public and private life are to be followed. And deep spirituality, not carnality, is to mark their lives. Circumspect walking is required by all offers, bears within the church of Jesus Christ. Minister, elders, deacons, walk circumspectly. Walk circumspectly. I go on and say Christian workers are to walk circumspectly, whether that be a Sunday school teacher, a youth worker, a children's worker. We are to remember that those that we work among, whether it's the general public, whether children, teenagers, young adults, they're all looking at our conduct and we should not give any of them an opportunity to point the finger and question the truth and the doctrine that we ascribe to. So Sunday school teacher, youth worker, children's meeting worker, walk circumspectly. This is God's directive. Christian father and mother, you ought to walk circumspectly. There are little eyes watching on, mum and dad. Aye, and bigger eyes too. Bigger eyes too. Maybe bigger eyes that are more discerning than you think them to be. They're watching on, mom and dad. They're watching on. What kind of life are they seeing? I know it'll not be a perfect life. Of course it'll not. Don't you be thinking, young person, that your parents are going to live a perfect life. Only one man ever lived a perfect life, and that was Jesus Christ. It's not going to be a perfect life, but is it a circumspect life? Is it a life that conforms itself to the exacting rule of Holy Scripture? Or could they say, could they say, my mother, my father are hypocrites. They say one thing and do the other. You're not walking circumspectly. Let me broaden it out. If you fall under none of these categories, let me say every Christian, every Christian, every Christian is to walk circumspectly and to do so within and without the church. Not just as you come to God's house, but outside the church, your day-to-day living, walking circumspectly at school, at university, at college, walking circumspectly in your place of work, in your home, in your community, in the house in which you live, walking circumspectly. Do you remember the little man? In the nation of Israel, he was Achan. That was his name. He failed to walk circumspectly. He didn't walk according to the exact rule of Scripture because God had directed not for anyone to take any of the spoil of the city of Jericho. That was all belonging to God. But little Achan decided to, because of his greed, decided to take some gold in the Babylonish garment and hide it, hide it in under his tent, hoping that nobody knew. But yet his careless living led to the defeat of the entire nation. Don't you, for one moment, do not think that your life does not affect the testimony of this church. You may say, but I'm just a little unknown person that comes into God's house and leaves God's house and really doesn't bother anybody and really doesn't give the minister any hassle. I tell you, your life impacts the testimony of this church. Free Presbyterians! Well, if that's what a free Presbyterian is, I want nothing to do with them. It's not about being a free Presbyterian, it's about being a Christian. If that's what a Christian is to be, well, I want nothing then to do with them. I tell you, how we walk and conduct our lives as Christians impacts how much this church advances and thrives. And so if there's been some kind of slippage in your life, I don't know what it is. Maybe you're a gossip. Maybe you're a gossip. You're not walking circumspectly. Maybe you're an agitator. Maybe you're an individual who's hard at home, callous at home. Maybe you're an individual who's living openly in sin. And you have no problem about posting it on social media. You know, you're that silly. You're that silly that you don't even have enough sense not to put it on social media. But God sees it. God sees it, and God sees my life, and God sees your life. And you have stopped walking circumspect. I tell you, you're in a road of danger. You're in a road of danger. And so if there has been slippage, repent of it. Put it right. The blood of Christ will cleanse you. God's people will be glad to have you back again in fellowship with God. Of course we will. To have one among us again. What an encouragement it will be. And so walking circumspectly, we come to see, is the wisest way to walk as a Christian according to the apostle within the verse, we read, only fools, and that's Holy Ghost language, only fools will choose to walk in a non-circumspect way. Because the text goes on to say, see that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Those who are wise will walk circumspectly. You know, if we saw a person walking along a cliff edge blindfolded, we would call that person a fool. That's foolish. To walk along a precipice blindfolded? That would be an individual who's a fool. Why? Because to walk in such a dangerous place with impaired vision would dramatically increase the risk of that person falling to their death. Well, let me say the Christian who walks contrary to the teaching of God's Word is no better than the blind man who's walking or the blindfolded person walking along the precipice. You place yourself in terrible peril, terrible peril. The straight and narrow path of God's Word, then, must be the pathway that we walk upon and we pursue. Now, you may say, preacher, you're a terrible killjoy. You're very restrictive in your preaching. I tell you, I'm trying to spare you heartache. That is my motive. I'm trying to save you tears. and disappointment and frustration. I know kill joy. I want to bring you into joy. And to bring you into joy is to bring you from a non-circumspect walk to living circumspectly. To walk according to the rule of this word. You know the ungodly, they live their lives as fools. They have no rule of conduct by which they are guided. They simply do what they please. They have no boundaries that curb their behavior. They walk presumptuously without fear of danger. But the Christian, the child of light, is one who walks wisely, guardedly, carefully, circumspectly, aware that there are dangers on every hand. Dr. John Gill wrote in his Bible commentary, wise men walk according to the rule of God's word. May Christ their pattern, have the Spirit of God for their guide, and walk as becomes the gospel of Christ, inoffensively to all men, in wisdom toward them that are without, and in love to them that are within, as pilgrims and strangers in this world, looking for a better country, and so as to promote the glory of God and the good of souls." I tell you, if we took that statement home and by the grace of God asked God to help us to put it into practice, I think we would be busy enough for the rest of our lives. Do we walk in wisdom? Or does the way we conduct our lives indicates that we're fools, we're foolish? You know, it's very interesting that we can be very circumspect. We can be diligent when it comes to other things in our lives. We're very diligent with regard to our work, aren't we? We don't want to offend the boss. We make sure that we're there. We put in a good shift through the day. We're very diligent in doing that. We're very diligent with our money. We make sure that we have enough to live by, and we put a little bit of investment in for our children, putting in a little nest for them, hopefully, and enough to see the funeral go by. And we're very diligent with our money. We're very diligent with our hobbies. We dare not miss the gym. for a number of weeks, or we dare not miss the football, or we dare not miss the golf. We're very diligent. We make sure that we get that sorted out and we put that. We're diligent with our homes and our families. We're diligent with our appearing. We're diligent with all of these things. But let me ask you, are you diligent with regard to your Christian walk? I'm not saying that for some of these things that you're not to be diligent. But I'm asking you, are you as diligent, if not more diligent, circumspect when it comes to Christian living? Brethren and sisters, we need to treat being a Christian as a serious matter that it is. We bear His name among the ungodly. And what do they think of His name? What do they think of Him? why we're to walk circumspectly. That's her second and brief point. Whether Christian is to walk circumspectly because the days are evil. Yes, we redeem the time because the days are evil, but I believe that this redeeming of the time also corresponds with what comes before in verse 15. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as foolish, but as wise, redeeming the time. Redeeming the time, why? Because the days are evil. The evil day in which we find ourselves necessitates that every Christian walks circumspectly. With inequity abounding in every hand, there is much need for the Christian to walk in such a way. In an age in which we live requires circumspect walking on our part because there are so many traps and dangers and pitfalls that can ensnare us. We need to have our wits about us. We need to be vigilant, circumspect, lest we allow the sin and world and the flesh to overcome us and tarnish our testimonies. If we're not cautious and attentive to what's happening around us, we can be easily blindsided and fall headlong into any number of dangerous traps that the devil has laid for us. Let me give you two reasons why we should walk circumspectly. We should walk circumspectly because of our enemy, the devil. who is the arch enemy of the child of God, wants to destroy your testimony and negate any influence that you have for God in this world. Peter said in 1 Peter 5 to be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walking about seeking whom he may devour. When we understand that the devil is actively trying to cause us to fall into sin, then we see the need to walk circumspectly. Paul in 2 Corinthians 2 verse 11, he states of Satan getting an advantage of us. For we are not ignorant of his devices. The devil wants to draw you into sin. Circumspect walking will counteract then his ability to do that. It is whenever we let down our guard and we succumb to the devil's devices, then we find ourselves falling into sin. Walking circumspectly lessens Satan's opportunity to get an advantage off us. Don't put yourself in front of sin. Keep yourself away from sin. Keep yourself from that which is even the appearance of evil. Stay away from it. Avoid it. The enemy. In the second place, we should walk circumspectly because not only of our enemy, but because of our example. 2 Corinthians chapter Number three in the verse, number two, ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men. Paul writing to these saints, he says, you're our epistle, you're like a book. And people are reading you every day. They're looking on, they're watching you. Your example, whether you want to admit it or not, all of us are influencing others. People are watching how we live our lives. Sure you know that. Go into the canteen. If you're in some kind of factory and there's Christians there, and they're living in such a way that is not befitting the gospel of Jesus Christ, I tell you, they become the talk of the canteen. If that's Christian living, then I want nothing to do with it. Because everyone is watching. You're being watched. You're being watched. We can either use our influence to encourage others to walk with God or discourage them from not walking with God. If we walk circumspectly, then those within our sphere of influence at home, at school, at work, in church, will be influenced by our example. Recognizing the power of one's influence should motivate then the Christian to walk circumspectly. Dare I walk in any other way? As those are watching on. those are watching. A study once disclosed that if both parents attend the church on a regular basis, 72% of their children remain faithful. If only dad, 55% remain faithful. If only mum, 15%. If neither attended on a regular basis, only 6% remain faithful. Folks, the statistics speak for themselves. Example is more important than words. We all, because of our influence, have another. We need to recommit to walk circumspectly. The Puritan preacher Thomas Watson, he said, the veneration of God causes circumcision of heart. and circumspection of life. When you understand who God is, then you and I will walk circumspectly. We will walk circumspectly. A correct view of God will result in a correct walk with God. The journey to heaven is fraught with many dangers and many snares. Let us then, by God's grace, let us resolve to walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, leaning hard on the everlasting arms of our everlasting God. May God challenge this heart and your heart as we have sat under the Word today. Let's pray together, let's pray. We're so glad to see you here today. We encourage you to come again tonight, especially if you're not a Christian. All of these things will be really, you may have understood them, yes, but you can't really put them into practice until you start the walk of faith. You need to become a Christian. And so to simply try and do this as a non-Christian, you're going to get yourself very frustrated. You're not going to be able to do it. You're going to struggle with this. And so you need to become a Christian, and that's why you need to come and hear the gospel, because it's through the gospel that you'll become a Christian. Faith will come by hearing, hearing by the word of God. So come again tonight. You say, I don't normally do that. Well, that doesn't matter. You come tonight. We'll be here to preach the gospel. May God bring you to himself. May God help us all as we think about what it is to walk in circumspectly. Our loving Father, our gracious God, how thankful we are for thy word. We thank thee for thy word that desires to help us to live the abounding Christian life. And Lord, therefore, to walk circumspectly is a way by which we will be able to see this worked in our lives and therefore help me, help me to walk circumspectly. We think of the damage that is done when a minister fails to walk in this way. Oh God, may it never happen. Spare me from scandal. spare me from sin, secret, open sin. Lord, sanctify this heart of mine and help me to walk circumspectly." Recognize again the answer to such a walk is found again just a few verses on Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. Fill us with Thy Spirit. Help us to walk circumspectly and carefully. We pray these, our prayers, in and through Jesus, precious name. Amen.