"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as unwise, but as wise;" (Eph 5:15, KJV)
How are we to walk? What does "circumspectly" mean? The Latin word used here, and transliterated in the KJV means "looking around." Years ago, I was on an aircraft carrier. A friend of mine was taking me up on the flight deck during a launch. After we got properly dressed, he reminded me of a poster I had often seen on the carrier. The caption on the poster reminded everyone going on the flight deck to "KEEP YOUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL." The flight deck is a dangerous place if you are not constantly aware of your surroundings--all your surroundings. While on the deck, I stayed as close to my friend as a cojoined twin. And I was constantly looking around. With jet engines going behind and before, unbelievable noise and constant motion, the only way I figured I would get off that deck alive would be to "walk circumspectly." I knew from experience that the posters were probably up because somebody didn’t so walk, and somebody died.
This world is like a flight deck. There are constant dangers all around us. We can’t always hear them coming. If we don’t walk looking around, something will catch us unaware. The dangers we can see are the least of our worries. We can handle them. It’s the vehicle behind us or the wire on the deck beside us that can run into us or trip us up. On more than one occasion, Jesus said that if the householder was aware when the thief was coming, he would be waiting for him. This was in a different context, that of the end of the world. The principle, however, is the same in relation to sin. If we knew when temptation was coming, we could be ready for it. Unfortunately, we don’t always have advance notice. Sometimes it tries to sneak up on us when we are distracted, or the noise and the motion around us mask the danger lurking at our feet. Sin is a jet engine waiting to suck us in and spit us out the back in tiny little pieces. If we walk looking around, we can see it coming and step out of the way. If it’s too close to step out of the way, we can signal God to shut down the engine. He promises he will do it.
On the flight deck of the world, some have not walked "circumspectly," and some have died. Don’t let it be you! Keep Paul’s advice in mind. KEEP YOUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL.