Heed the Warning Signs

The following thoughts are not meant to cause consternation of any kind.  My desire is that these words become food for thought to help anyone that takes them to heart.  The Lord wants our life to be filled with positives rather than negatives and for this reason He uses warning signs.  They are a benefit to those that heed them.

Signs are posted in numerous places for a myriad of reasons. This writing refers to signs that are meant for our protection and safety.  To ignore them is like “biting the hand that feeds you” as the saying goes.

Regarding signage, it is not wise to look the other way and not focus on exactly what a sign is pertaining to.  It may prove to be hazardous to one’s health if consideration of the information is ignored.

When I was a headstrong teenager looking for adventures, I ignored the warning sign, “NO TRESPASSING—DANGER” as I entered a restricted area with my two friends.  We foolishly explored old, coal-mining caves located in the ghost town named Nortonville.

The mines were about 5 miles south of Antioch, California and 5.5 miles north-northeast of Mount Diablo.  The town was named after its founder, Noah Norton, in 1855.  He, along with three partners, started the Black Diamond coal mine in 1860.

The brick foundation of the mine’s hoisting system and an old cemetery known as the Rose Hill Cemetery are all that remain.

After a dispute with other mine owners, the company stopped production and moved all the coal miners from Nortonville to another of the company’s mines at Black Diamond, Washington Territory. 

The Black Diamond mine in Nortonville was closed in 1885.  It was posted and off limits to the public, because of the dangers that were everywhere.  The risk of injury or death was certainly in the realm of probabilities.  Methane gas was quite prevalent in the mines; a hazardous poison if inhaled.

Sadly, on December 4, 1980, four teen-age boys, looking for a good time exploring Nortonville, were found dead from methane gas poisoning inside one of the abandoned mines in the area at a depth of one mile.

Little did the boys know when they disregarded the “NO TRESPASSING” sign that their young lives would suffer the ultimate consequence for not heeding the warning.  All they wanted to do was have a little fun, but it cost them their lives.  It is mind wrenching to think that it could have been me and my friends that died the day we ignored the posted signs and explored the mines.

Warning signs posted at an abandoned mine or cave entrance, freeways, roadways, caution notes that accompany electrical tools and appliances, are there for a reason—to help us stay safe.  It’s when we ignore these warnings that danger knocks at our door.

I consider “The 10 Commandments” to be “WARNING” signs that shield us from harm and evil when we abide in these Spirit-filled laws of God.  They are found in the Bible, (Exodus 20:1-17).  As a Christian, when I obey them, I keep myself safe from all alarms and in right standing with God.

The Bible says: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).  When a person obeys the laws and warning signs, that individual is secure in God without sacrificing good health—physically, mentally, and spiritually.

There are other signs not seen with the naked eye, but through our sense of awareness.  I call it my sixth sense or more appropriately, my ’God sense’.  They are unspoken feelings that something isn’t quite right, or things don’t add up, or something’s about to happen.  I do believe it could very well be the angels of God warning us.

(Psalms 91:11, 12), “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” (vs 12) “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

Here’s an example: I’ve had feelings not to get on an elevator when suspicious characters were waiting for me to step in.  I listened to the voice speaking inside my mind and went with my feelings to wait for the next elevator. 

Silly?  I think not.  When God speaks, we must listen and obey.  We are blessings ahead.  Women should adhere to this feeling, especially if they are alone.  It’s better to be safe than sorry in the day in which we live.

When exploring the coal mines, I remember heading up a narrow path to one of the mines and having an extremely strong feeling to turn around and not go into this mine.  I’ve had these types of feelings before and acted on them.

To this day, I don’t know if this was the mine that authorities and searchers found the four boys years later.  I’m just glad I heeded the mental warning and turned around that day.

You are probably replaying past experiences that may be similar, where something was just not right and you went on your feelings and heeded the “WARNING” you felt, and all went well.  I believe it was God posting the “CAUTION” signs in our minds.  I absolutely believe that God speaks to us in this manner, through our God sense; the sixth sense.

The world has a lot of pleasure in the simple things of life.  But like the four boys that wanted to enjoy the day having fun, we must guard against the wrong kind of fun.  It can come at a cost if we do the wrong things or frequent the wrong places.

We need to allow God to place a supernatural watchman at our mind to help us heed warning signs that keep us spiritually sound before the Lord.  God is life and life more abundantly when we “Heed the Warning Signs.”

Written by,

Papa Boyd