Access Denied Warnings

Access Denied Warnings

Scripture Reading: Revelation 22:1-13

“After banishing them from the garden, the Lord God stationed mighty angelic beings to the east of Eden. And a flaming sword flashed back and forth, guarding the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24 NLT)

Both government and private sectors have highly classified information on computers that requires a special code or password to access the data. When someone attempts to gain entrance, the computer with flashing lights on the screen sends a message that says Access Denied. Hackers bent upon illegal entry will spend hours trying to circumvent the law and gain access to information that they have no right to obtain that may cause extreme damage to our national security, business ventures, and people’s lives. Such an invasion occurred recently when the credit security of Target customers was compromised and one hundred and ten million people were affected.

     People who ignore access denied signs on high voltage panels, toxic waste reservoirs, and other dangerous byproducts are susceptible to physical endangerment including death. Many over the counter products have warning signs to protect the consumer from ill effects. These access denied warnings are printed on labels to keep the consumer safe.

     Warnings are not always painted on structures or printed on labels. Sometimes they are given to a person verbally. I remember my mother warning me as a young boy not to climb up to the shelves on the back porch where she did the washing. Of course, you know what happens when you tell a child not to do something. Curiosity got the best of me and I climbed up on a chair ignoring her warnings to see what interesting things were on the shelves. Disobeying her warnings led to drastic physical discomfort. I tipped over a bottle of boric acid that spilled onto my eyes, and began screaming at the top of my lungs. My mother ran out and rushed me over to the cold water faucet to wash my eyes out with water. Fortunately for me, no permanent damage occurred and I learned to heed my mother’s warnings. It pays to pay attention to the warning signs that God places for our protection and safety as well.

     Throughout the word of God we see commands that have the equivalent of access denied warning signs. One such sign is found in Gen. 3:24, “A flaming sword flashed back and forth, guarding the way to the tree of life.” Eating of this tree would have left Adam and Eve in a permanent state of sin with no hope of salvation.

     Access denied signs are a product of God’s grace. Paying attention to these warnings will save you untold heartache, and keep you in a right relationship to your heavenly Father.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the many warning signs you give in your word to keep us safe.