A new sign was recently placed at the entrance to the trails I hike each week. It is a sign that clearly specifies what is prohibited on the trails: horses and mules. It was the distinct prohibition of mules that caught my attention. Apparently, someone thought it was OK to ride their mules on the trails, and a warning was issued because their presence was creating a negative trail experience.

The hiking trails become delicate during some seasons of the year because of rain. The hoof prints of horses and mules can deteriorate the condition of a trail, making them hard to navigate for a hiker. Their presence also leaves piles of animal waste that hikers must step over when they navigate the trails.

The trail sign reminds me of the warnings issued by the writers of Scripture, who similarly warned about what can degrade a life of faith. At the top of the list of spiritual trail warnings is always to let love motivate our behavior. Following the primary warning about living in love are the distinctive guidelines we must adhere to in order to display a lifestyle that represents that kind of love.

Like the trail sign that I saw, God’s warnings can be specific, like don’t lust, don’t commit acts of homosexuality or adultery, don’t be greedy for money, and don’t allow false teachers to remain in the Church. There are other specific prohibitions in Scripture that we need to understand if we are going to live a life of faith. These warnings keep the trail of our faith intact and do not leave behind the evidence of a violation of God’s word.

Peter wrote a trail warning for our lives, explaining the reason for issuing the warning: “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

Some things should not happen on the trail of our faith. To violate those warnings can put our souls in peril and leave behind a failed testimony of our lives. We’ve been called to something much higher, a clear and debris-free trail that God’s holiness has groomed for us to travel.