Matthew 15:8 (New International Version)
'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Where is your heart? Although we may go to church, many of us may be focused on "bigger" priorities at the moment. We are consumed with thinking about other things. These things are distracting us from the best thing that we could be dong - winning souls for the Lord.
Satan does not want us to accomplish things for the Lord. He is going to put all kinds of obstacles in our way. When those obstacles and challenges don't knock us off course, he is going to try and distract us personally. We need to be aware of ways the enemy may try to distarct us. When we are striving to livr for the Lord and do the things He wants us to do, distractions may get us off track. Maybe in your personal life the enemy is distracting you by all of your daily activities. In your devotional life, perhaps you are being distracted from serving in church. You may already be a member, but Satan is trying to get you from being a godly husband or wife? Believe me, Satan is cunning and his distractions may sound reasonable to us. But don;t fall for it!
1 Corinthians 7:35 (New International Version)
I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
Do you remember the story of Nehemiah? I encourage you to study the 6th chapter of Nehemiah to see some of the distractions he faced and learn how he dealt with them. Nehemiah did not allow distractions to derail him while he was building the wall. He kept working! His priorities were right. He had his mind set on doing what God had called him to do.
Nehemiah 6:3 (New International Version)
so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?"
His discernment was keen because he understood their real motives. His response was courageous, although he was afraid. he had established this pattern early (see Chapter 2). The issue in dealing with fear is not whether or not you feel fearful about things, but what you do in response to that fear. Nehemiah had courage. He asked God for strength!
Nehemiah 6:9 (New International Version)
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed."
But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."
He knew that he couldn't do it alone. He asked God for the strength to keep him from giving in to the distractions that threatened him. He trusted God to vindicate him in the end. In less than two months, God built the wall through Nehemiah and the people he led. What incredible thing is God trying to do in your life? Have you been allowing distractions to keep you from moving forward in doing what God wants you to do or being who God wants you to be?
There are lessons here for us as a church, for we face the risk of distraction. But we dare not allow ourselves to be distracted from God's purpose for us as individuals, or as a church. Recognize that it is satan who is trying to distract you and pray that the Lord would strengthen you to continue to pursue His will for you.
Ephesians 6:12 (New International Version)
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Our job is to reach the lost at any cost, and we can't let distractions veer us off course. We must eliminate the distractions. God will only work through those who have eliminated the distractions so that they can hear His voice. God is looking for people who will keep their purpose clear, their lives uncluttered, and free from the things of the world that will divert their attention away from His still, voice. The only way that you can hear the voice of God is through prayer, fasting, spending time in the Word, and eliminating distractions.
Now, I can't help but think that we are no better than Jesus' first batch of disciples. Honestly, how well do we pay attention to Jesus? How easily are we distracted from seeing Him move in our lives, from hearing His voice as He gently guides us through life's hurdles, from sensing His presence as we perform our mundane activities each day? We come to church. We pay attention to song choices, and preaching messages, and noise from other people, and who's here and who's not here, and what we will eat when we get home, or how we will entertain ourselves until we come back, or what responsibilities that await us when we are done, and so on. Why do you think that sometimes the church is the hardest place to think about spiritual things? Because Satan will do anything to throw your mind off important things. Satan will use anything he can to distract you from really seeking Jesus.
It takes the Lord to open our eyes to who He is and what He wants to do in our lives, but stuff can distract us from seeing Him. Busyness will steal our time. Sorrow will steal our joy. Hopelessness will steal our future. But we must press on! I encourage you to keep your focus on the Lord and eliminate distractions!
