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It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent (Philippians 1:9-10, ESV).
The evil spirits of this age specialize in confusion and distraction.
Guaranteed, if you have something important to do today, even knowing that you have a task assigned by God, you will be distracted.
There are various forms of distractions – momentary, life-altering, and insidious.
Momentary: An unexpected text or an unpaid bill. Instead of focusing on what you heard from God in morning devotions, you are now spinning anxious thoughts.
Life-altering: In the end-times, trials will come with increasing frequency and intensity. Consider COVID and the altering impact on the world. All of us could get up in the morning and have something that day – unexpected – that changes the course of our lives.
Insidious: The evil one knows you and your generational sins better than you do. He’s planning and plotting against you. He will spring the trap, in his timing, and rush in with temptation, discouragement, and actual demons.
Do not fear!
The Apostle John, aware of Satan’s schemes, simply writes…
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
Discernment is the key to victory.
Recently, I was in a consulting situation. In difficult discussions, usually one word or sentence spoken by someone is key to a redeeming solution. But you must hear it.
I didn’t!
The Spirit bumped my shoulder. I was distracted and thinking about dinner and not listening closely. Some grace should be extended to me since it was four hours into the conversation.
However, I didn’t hear because I was distracted.
Thankfully, that morning I had prayed, “Lord, help me discern what I need to know today.”
God bumped me on the shoulder, and I sensed the Spirit say to me, “Pay attention, ask him to repeat what he just said.”
I did, and he repeated, and that was the solution. In my distraction, I would have missed it.
Multiply this one incident into the thousands of words, texts, thoughts, temptations, YouTube© videos, accidents, and angry words that we encounter daily – and without the Spirit’s nudges, you will be distracted, not discerning the wiles of the evil one.
Paul writes in Galatians 5:25 to keep in step with the Spirit.
Daily conversations with Jesus will allow Him to speak words that protect, re-focus, and bring healing. God’s words yield peace through an understanding of calling and higher purpose.
Evil wants us distracted from his latter-day schemes.
Our prayer in response to distraction, “God, help me today hear and obey your voice. You have permission to bump me on my shoulder. Be with me in trials. Help me cling to the grace that I can only find in you.”