They don’t claim to be prophets, more like marketing agents or advertisement executives. They may not claim to speak for God, but they do an excellent job of turning our attention away from Him. I believe the enemy likes to work smarter, not harder. By this I mean he knows he doesn’t have to plan and manipulate Job-like (AKA: extremely terrible) circumstances for Christians to become ineffective. If he can simply distract us from loving the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, the result is often rendering us impotent.
While I don’t personally know many of you reading this, let me ask you to please get vulnerable. Pretend we are sitting in front of a cozy fire (sans kids!) with a cup of coffee in our hands and allow me to ask you… do you know your “Achilles heel”? Do you know what easily distracts you from living for God’s glory? If you asked me I’d be honest and tell you it’s nutrition and exercise. Those are certainly not bad things. But if I let them consume me, or make them a priority over God, they’ve become an idol. And that’s not good. I know for some of my friends it’s social media or their kids. Loving our kids is a wonderful thing! But if we place them on a pedestal before God, we’ve put them in a position God never intended them to be.
I would encourage you to take a moment and think about some of your weaknesses the Devil can easily tempt you with. Next, I’d encourage you to look up some scriptures to meditate on when you feel an attack from the enemy. Maybe having an accountability partner is what you need. Don’t let the enemy rob you of your effectiveness for God’s kingdom. Put on His armor and stand ready for battle!
God bless!
Noree
Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/apple-coffee-computer-desk-356056/
As a petite, skinny, freckled-face girl of eight or nine, our family travelled to St. Simon’s Island, GA, for vacation one summer. Playing in the ocean with my siblings, floating on inner tubes, and riding the waves brought much pleasure. But there was one day the sea was rougher than usual due to strong winds. I can remember attempting to paddle out on my float when suddenly the churning surf capsized and tumbled me relentlessly with its power. Not knowing if I was right side up or upside down, I eventually surfaced sputtering and spewing salty water that had gone up my nose. With eyes stinging and bathing suit full of sand, I fought to maintain my footing against the waves. My little frame, working hard to get back to shore, plunged forward with the waves only to succumb to the backward pull of the current. Finally, with great determination (and fear for my life), I made it to the shore, decided to call it quits, and promptly headed for the calmer waters of the hotel pool!