Be Watchful

I was teaching the children during Sunday school class, and the topic for discussion was about a woman who was caught in adultery.

There I told them that the woman was wrong to have committed adultery, but the reason she was brought to Jesus was to trap him with his words. They wanted to know if he obeyed the Jewish laws, and if he had obeyed, he would still be blamed for ordering the people to stone the woman to death according to the Jewish laws.

Jesus, however, knew their thoughts. He stooped down to write on the ground while pretending not to hear them speak. He did that until the question was raised again. Then he said to them, "Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone." That reply put an end to their conspiracy because everyone left except the woman caught in the act of adultery.

Read: I Almost Resigned as RCCG General Overseer - Pastor Adeboye

Here is the thing: You should always be careful whenever you are having a conversation with people. If possible, try to be selected by the people you engage. Some people converse with you just to hear you reveal things they don't know. Some converse so they can get something to use against you.

Just like the teacher of religious law and the Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus with His words, some people try to trap us with our words. There is this popular slang in pidgin: "No evidence, you go explain tire." This is what eventually happens when you get trapped by your words. They twist your words to suit their evil plans for you.

Similarly, you must have come across several headlines that stirred controversy online. This practice is most common among celebrities and well-known people. Blogs write out the parts that are controversial just to drag traffic to their blogs. But when you read the full story, you'll find out that the whole story is not as serious as the headline looks. It was catchy just to draw traffic.

Take a look at this example. "A popular female gospel singer drags her husband online." With this kind of headline, people will be quick to judge the woman with the headline. Until you got to read the whole story, only to find out that the woman playfully mentioned her husband's name in a lovey-dovey post.

In addition to all that has been said, if you decide not to respond to something, you're unconsciously setting yourself free from the intentions of those who question you. These intentions might be unknown to you, but with a discerning spirit, you'll be able to know the reasons behind every question that was asked.

Another topic that was raised for discussion was, "Why is the woman the only one caught in adultery?" That will be discussed extensively in my next article.