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Prepare to Jump, Ephesians 5:15-20 In Ephesians 5:15-20, Paul gives us a warning and a charge. God has so much waiting for your future – are you preparing to jump wherever He calls? **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am honored to walk with you as we open the Bible together and ask God to show us His heart. If you are new to Women World Leaders, I want to offer you a special welcome. We are a ministry that strives to help others walk in their God-given purpose. To learn more about Women World Leaders, I’d like to invite you to visit our website, womenworldleaders.com, where you can find out more about the ministry. Besides our trio of podcasts each week, we also offer a quarterly magazine, events, daily devotions, leadership training, and an opportunity to partner with us. It’s all there on the website, womenworldleaders.com. We’d love to connect with you! I hope that whatever you are doing today, you are having a great day. Know that God is smiling as you stop for a moment to focus on His Word! Today’s study comes from Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 15-20, but let me begin by praying for us… Dear Heavenly Father – we come today to hear from you. Father, I don’t know what your precious child who is listening today is going through, but I know you do. You see her, you love her, and you have promised her that you will provide everything that she needs today. So God, I ask that you allow the weight of the world to slip away from her shoulders right now. Your yoke is easy and your burden is light – and what you have for your daughter today is more than she could ask or imagine. So I ask you to speak your words through me – that she will feel your assured presence, your gentle touch, and she will hear you softly whisper her name in love. We give you this time and we thank you for your presence. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. In the New Living Translation of Ephesians 5:15-21, the apostle Paul teaches us… So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this passage, Paul is continuing his instruction to the Ephesians, and to us today, on how to establish and keep unity in the body of Christ. In Ephesians 5:1 we heard Paul tell us to be imitators of God, because we are his dearly beloved children. Today, because of that status as God’s children and his desire for us to be holy as He is holy, we get some further instruction. I love that God NEVER gives up on us and NEVER stops teaching us. I don’t know about you, but I know that there have been some moments over the last week when I have NOT imitated God – in fact, I have failed miserably. But today I am reminded that God hasn’t given up on me – He continues to love me and instruct me – giving me His wisdom and His strength, that I might get up and try again to imitate Him. We serve a gracious and merciful God! Paul says “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” What does it mean to be careful how you live? One thing it means is to prepare to keep your eyes on Christ. We can prepare by prayer, bible study, worship, and thanksgiving. Have you ever done a home-improvement project? If you have, you know that things go MUCH better when you prepare! Making a list of the materials you will need and heading to the home improvement store may take some extra time, but in the long run,...