Are you distracted?
Since I wrote my last post in July, frustrations and heart-breaking sadness have rained down in my extended world.
I wish I could tell you I’ve handled it all with perfect grace. I haven’t. Tears, frustration, and outright anger have been all-too-regular regular visitors.
But one recent night, I caught myself reflecting on what the voice in my head kept telling me was such an egregious experience that I had every right to be unkind and unloving.
As those thoughts swirled and got louder, I heard a tiny whisper say, “Smoke and mirrors. It’s a distraction.”
The perceived injustice of a bad day isn’t the story I should ruminate on. I shouldn’t dwell in sadness or shame or anger or hurt or self pity or whatever other emotion the enemy wants to stir up to fuel his pitiful little victory dance in a battle in a war he has already lost.
I choose (and need to continually keep choosing) to fix my eyes on Jesus and eternal things. Precious souls matter more than petty situations. Speaking encouragement and light matter more than “giving that person a piece of my mind.” Writing this blog post to remind us all of the enemy’s tricks matters more than binge watching the latest show.
So, through these pixel-formed words, I encourage us all to wake up! We’re in a spiritual battle and the enemy will do all he can to distract us, defeat us, and destroy us. But, praise God, we can have victory in Christ who has already won!
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 has this incredible insight: "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
Instead of being defeated, we can start demolishing! And let’s get the target right. We don’t demolish each other; we demolish strongholds, arguments, and pretensions that are against God.
We see the smoke and mirrors of distraction in our daily lives, and we shout, “No! We won’t waste any more time on petty things!”
Instead, we focus on Jesus and the purpose He has created us to fulfill.
Ephesians 2:10 says God designed good works for each of us. They’re part of His plan. Oh, how I want to be sure I don’t miss an important assignment because I was distracted by the eternal loser with his smoke and mirrors!
Has the enemy been trying to distract you with his game of smoke and mirrors? Let’s be wise to his games and tell him to get lost. We’ve got God-given assignments to handle.
