Remember the Next Morning

Remember the next morning before you do or say anything now!

My senior year of high school I had the blessing of spending over eleven months in rural Finland as an exchange student. During that time a popular public-service announcement would appear frequently on TV, in which a big, strong, guy would declare in resonant bass tones in Finnish, “Remember the next morning!” Everyone watching and/or hearing understood that he was warning people to not drink too much alcohol, whether at social gatherings or by themselves, because the accompanying consequences would certainly manifest before long.

Many years have passed, but I’ve never forgotten the warning—not because I’ve ever gotten drunk or anywhere near it, but because it’s a great reminder to consider the implications and consequences of what we’re about to do or say. For example:

1. An angry outburst or retort—We all get triggered. People “push our buttons”. It’s really hard to not just react accordingly. But here’s what can happen if we do—We get fired; people lose respect for us; we get blamed for the trouble that’s caused; we get fined and/or kicked out (think of coaches and players); we get heart and stomach trouble; etc. What we don’t get is our desired result.

“’But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.’” Mat. 5:22

How do we avoid this? Whole books have been written on this subject of anger-management, but for here we can start with mindset and attitude—how we view other people leads to how we interpret their words and responses toward us. Also, what we prioritize. If we consider our health, reputation, and relationships more important than venting, that will help us hold back from angry outbursts and retorts. That’s good sense.

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” Prov. 19:11

2. Giving in to carnal temptation—to indulge in substance abuse, cheat on our life-partner, overeat or eat that harmful food,  be lazy, etc. Temptation, by nature, means something hard to resist because it appeals to our nature. But here’s what can happen if we give in—stupid behavior; accidents (that could be fatal); broken relationships and family; shame; poor health and possible hospitalization, even death; poor performance ratings; being let go.

To avoid this, ask ourselves, “Is it worth whatever we’re about to give into?”  We can also enlist the Lord’s help, as well as others, to help us not give in. They’ll give us the support and accountability we need to withstand temptation. Even knowing He will give us a better way, a way out, gives us the spiritual and psychological strength to resist those urges.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so you can endure it.” 1 Cor. 10:13

3. Information sharing—aka gossip, slander, sabotaging others because we don’t like them, are jealous of them, and/or want to get ahead. At first it can feel so good and even produce desired outcomes. But in reality, it’s a boomerang, coming back on the head of whoever shares incriminating information. If we do this, it makes others not trust us, not want to work with us, want to get back at us, etc. In other words, we make a lot of enemies that way. Those people will then avoid us, refuse to cooperate with us, block us from getting promoted, complain about us to leaders, and perhaps take revenge on us. Not the way to make friends, influence people, achieve professional goals, or have a pleasant life!

We avoid all this strife and enmity by not spreading rumors. This doesn’t mean covering up evil when it needs to be brought to light. It does mean keeping things confidential for the right reasons, for the sake of good relationships.

“Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.” Prov. 11:13

It also helps to remember that when we slander/gossip, we’re breaking God’s law—and He’s the Judge!

“You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.” Lev. 19:16

Add to this list as you realize other cause and effect implications adversely affecting your life. Then stop, think, and remember the next morning—the “harvest” of what we did or said earlier.

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Gal. 6:7-8

Our Best Defense

“I have stored up Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  (Ps. 119:11 ESV)

Other versions read “I have hidden your Word…”

Personally, I prefer the idea of “storing up” to “hiding”.  Hiding implies that I may not remember where I hid it, and won’t be able to find it when I need it!

Seriously, though, the concept of “storing up” brought something to mind this morning when I read Ps. 119 in my One Year Bible—

It reminded me of a stockpile of defensive weaponry. Anti-aircraft missiles, shields, you name it. 

Then (being old enough to remember) I thought of the “Star Wars” Defense System initiated by Ronald Reagan in 1983. According to the Atomic Heritage Foundation:

“During the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan initiated the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), an anti-ballistic missile program that was designed to shoot down nuclear missiles in space. Otherwise known as “Star Wars,” SDI sought to create a space-based shield that would render nuclear missiles obsolete.”

In other words, instead of trying to outdo the enemy with more capability of evil and destruction, it would be more effective to let the enemy know they couldn’t touch us with any of their destructive weapons. No use even trying.

Whether the SDI would have actually worked is still a matter of debate. But what everyone agrees did work, was how just mentioning it scared the enemy into giving up on world domination. They figured, “What’s the use of more missiles if they can’t penetrate defenses?”

Before going farther, let me clarify— While we needed to contain Soviet expansion, the Russian people in general were never our enemy. Granted, there were some bad dudes in leadership, but even they were never the ultimate enemy.

The ultimate enemy was, is, and will be, until the end of time, the devil and his minions. 

And while the SDI couldn’t save us from destruction, the Word of God can.  Each verse and passage we read, meditate on, memorize, and strategically store in our hearts builds our defensive “force shield”—protecting our thoughts and emotions from the Enemy’s temptation “missiles”.

He’ll still shoot them. And they may “hit” us externally. But with our Scriptural force-shield effectively in place, they’ll just bounce off and fizzle out, before “detonating” into sin.

Such temptation missiles include:

~Jealousy/Envy

~Unrighteous Anger

~Bitterness

~Carnal Desires

~Gossiping

~Contentiousness

~Any unwholesome speech

~Negativity

~Discouragement/hopelessness

~Anxiety

~Depression

~Apathy

~Laziness

…Anything else that produces bad thinking, action, or lack of doing what needs to be done.

Jesus likens to the devil to “the thief [who] comes to steal, kill, and destroy… (Jn. 10:10a).” Jesus, our Good Shepherd, on the other hand, has “…come that [we] may have life and have it abundantly. (Jn. 10:10b)”

Sadly, many people don’t realize this, because the devil, a skillful and experienced “liar and the father of lies (Jn. 8:44). has convinced them of the opposite. That’s why they (and sometimes even we) sometimes hold back from giving our whole hearts and lives to the Lord. Or we temporarily take parts back and do things our own way instead of His!

Why? Because we’re afraid we’ll lose out in some way. Why? Because we’ve been deceived into believing the Lord is going to take away whatever we really need if we give Him our lives. The truth is, He came to give life, not take it away!

Whatever temptation we give in to reflects where we lack trust in the Lord. The devil uses that as a means of finding our weak spot and destroying our lives and relationships with Him and others.

Scripture provides us with strategic defense against anything the enemy can throw at us, whether obvious or by stealth (the latter being even more dangerous). How?

First, it gives us a greater and true knowledge of the Lord—His character, power, and love for us. The more we know Him, the more we trust Him.

Second, it acts as a radar to help us discern an “incoming enemy attack”, disguised as either a message from the Lord or our own thinking. 

Third, as mentioned above, the more Scriptural defense weaponry we have stored up and ready to use, the greater and wider-scoped our defense against sinning will be.

Which Scriptures for which temptation? I’ll let you search and discover, meditate on and store them in your heart, so you have your own “SDI” against the real enemy!