1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Happy February Rose Buddy,

I hope you guys are warm and safe in this winter wonderland we are experiencing in the States. Given the circumstances, this is a perfect time to discuss the above topic – distractions. A subject I’m pretty sure we all know too well. Distractions can be a source of an escape. It can be a particular temptation or just simply wasting time. At any rate, we will be discovering how satan uses distractions to keep us right where he wants us which is either unproductive or dead.

Uh-oh! Did I scare you? I hope not because the Bible warns us and teaches us Christians to be aware of our enemies evil, sneaky, and tempting tactics. The above scripture is a prime example of that. Now, I won’t spend too much time writing about him, but reading he is constantly seeking out who he can take down with him should be alarming to us. This is why we should remain watchful. Keeping watch is hard when we are what? Yes! You guessed it, distracted. Sure, life happens. That used to be my excuse too. I could have an off day and submerge myself into a television series just to not think about what went on in my day. Then, I’d wash up, say a drive by prayer to God and hope when I wake up I’d have a better day. Did you catch the distraction in that scenario? Well, if you guessed the television series then you are absolutely right.

Don’t get me wrong. Watching television in itself is not bad, evil, or a death sentence. However, when we are feeling down trotted, confused, or weary our Heavenly Father should be the first One we run to for comfort. Instead, we tend to run to more “tangible” things. Some may do it out of human nature because we’ve done it our entire lives. Others may do it out of doubting God may care about how their day went. Let me just debunk that whole theory with scripture. Luke 12:7 states even the hairs on our heads are numbered. Since God took out precious time to number our very hairs then He definitely cares about how we feel at the end of a trying day. No matter how small we may think it is, He cares! He’s literally there waiting on us to give Him our burdens and we inadvertently hoard them while divulging in a three or more hour tv show, scrolling through social media, or whatever filler we do that leaves God on the out skirts. Well, until it gets to be too much and then we run to Him.

It doesn’t have to get that far. If we daily put into practice sharing our lives with Him then it wouldn’t be so foreign to open up when we are feeling these angry, sad, or frightful emotions. Yes, we are saved. Well for those of you reading that have a relationship with Jesus. However, don’t let that go to your head. No, Satan can’t take our salvation away, but he can distract us while in our salvation. We can be so consumed with our own problems that we forget to pray and help others. We can get so involved with self-care that we start to rely more on self than on God.

These things tend to sneak up on us. Most of us know not to do the obvious sin. We pride ourselves on no drunkenness or being a murderer. Just be aware our enemy is crafty and what we think is a minor distraction can lead to a tumultuous demise. Finding ourselves in a situation where we could have avoided. I can definitely think of some situations that I could’ve been more careful with how I spent my time. So very thankful for Grace that was placed for my short comings but because I truly love God I want to be active in our relationship. What that looks like for me is being aware, attentive, and available for His direction, protection, and use.

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us in Your Word to be on guard! You have given us every tool to fight against our roaring opponent. Help us when we are weak and worried in such uncertain times as these. We choose to still prioritize You in whatever we may go through not counting these things as strange but as a part of this life. We want to stay as close to You as possible. Help us to not be overcome by crafty distractions that pull us away from spending time with You. We love You, Father! All things asked in Jesus Name, Amen!

Be sure to watch the 30 second clip on my YouTube channel that goes with distractions! Until next time, PEACE!!