One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. – Proverbs 14:16
The old saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, is very much true. Thinking a few minutes ahead and being cautious will save you countless years of misery and stress!
Cautiousness is being sensitive to dangers, God’s timing, providence, and the knowledge He gives us…so we do not rush into things when the timing is wrong, or the situation does not merit it. It is keeping a control on our passions and excitement so we do not take ourselves and others to places or situations we are not yet ready for.
Haste, recklessness, irresponsibility, and careless attitude, are all opposites. These allow our excitement and boldness to control us, not the reality of the situation or the allowing of the other characters to work in harmony.
The word translated as “cautious” here is from the same word as the “fear” connected to “the fear of the Lord. This implies a respect or reverence, in contrast to something careless or arrogant.
When are we to be filled with cautiousness? First, we are to be cautious with the preferences and choices we make in our personal lives and ministry. Second, we need to be able to form solid opinions and then act with intelligence, prudence and effectiveness. This will mean we are giving serious attention and thought to what is going on, and what we are doing in, and around our lives. Third, being cautious means we will not take unnecessary chances or put ourselves or others in unnecessarily dangerous or bad situations. Fourth, being cautious is a management tool we use to control our attitude and words, as in how we come across to others. We must take careful heed, so we are our best in words and deeds, not allowing our emotions or the situation dictate our behaviors.
A cautious person does not act on pure instinct (2 Peter 2:12), failing to think (Proverbs 14:12). Rather, he gives careful thought to every situation. Instead of turning into a sinful situation, he turns away from it. A foolish person plunges recklessly into sin.
Samson foolishly immersed into a reckless situation with Delilah. His thoughtless action cost him defeat, disgrace, and death (Judges 16:4-30).
King David played the fool by succumbing to lust for Bathsheba. He summoned her and committed adultery with her, (2 Samuel 11:1-5) and then later he killed her husband to cover it up. David brought many negative consequences upon himself.
Our Lord Jesus epitomizes cautious wisdom in every situation, including the situation in which one is tempted to do evil. Matthew 4 presents the scene in which the devil tempted Jesus when He was physically weak after fasting forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. Every time the devil tempted Jesus, He warded off the situation by quoting Scripture. Instead of recklessly diving into a compromising situation, we, believers in Christ should follow His example and take the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word (Ephesians 6:17).
By understanding cautiousness, we can gain better information and advice before we make decisions. Also, we can think before we act so we do not rush into something that is precarious or hazardous, or that will put us on the wrong track in life. We will be able to see what and how the options and decisions we make play out in the future, how they affect us and others-both now and also down the road. We can be sensitive, avoiding people who are not right for us, who may influence us to make bad decisions. When we are seeking God’s ways, we are on the right track; when we are seeking our emotions and desires, we are apt to be on the wrong track of life. If we permit unrestrained passions to direct us, we take our life in the wrong direction. We will then miss vital opportunities, and what Christ really called us to.
Cautiousness is not the opposite of boldness, nor is it an excuse to slow down to the point we are not doing anything, and our fears and misgivings take over. Rather, being bold and being cautious are two characters that work together so we can live a life with clear judgments—making good decisions and moving forward so that we are glorifying our Lord who brings us better prospects and opportunities.
But God wants us to slow down, to be on guard when we are driven by excitement or passion. When we start to think in the ways of the flesh—pride, ambition, or success for example—we must stop and give those thoughts to Christ, asking Him for the wisdom to proceed with caution.
Just as with any spiritual gift, the enemy will look for ways to combat it. Satan could tempt you with fear or even haste. Sometimes the enemy will tell you the lie that you must hurry or you will miss out.
God’s ways and plans are better than ours. We tend not to see how all things work together and how people and situations are influenced by causes and motivations. We need to trust in God and His way, because His is better than ours.