“I have taught you in the way of skillful and godly Wisdom [which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God]; I have led you in paths of uprightness. When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered [your path will be clear and open]; and when you run, you shall not stumble.”
Ephesians 6:11 tells us to: “Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Two of the many tricks of his trade—his schemes, is distraction and busyness.
He, the enemy of your soul, will do everything in his power to distract you. Firstly, from your main reason for being alive—to worship God. To enjoy an intimate, loving, nurturing, trust-filled relationship with Him.
And secondly, is to keep you busy—even, if it is serving God…
What’s wrong with that you may ask? And the true answer is, nothing. That is, if it is God alone who is the One calling you into a particular form of service or ministry…
I am not a hunter, but I had an uncle who was. I heard a story once that the dogs they used to hunt birds eventually, out of instinct, ended up chasing rabbits. The term, “chasing after a red-herring”, was used. Red- herring is a general figure of speech used to describe a false trail that leads nowhere, rather, it draws attention away from the main thing…
In the case of these dogs, away from the scent of the birds. And, when it comes to you and I, the devil uses red-herrings to draw us away from what God intends for us to do and into busyness and distractions.
And, though I have a personal issue with the thought of killing animals for pure sport, I supposed, if one were a hunter, that chasing game was just that—chasing game, right?
Wrong!
Why? Because allowing the dogs to chase after something other than the specific prey they were taken out to hunt communicates to them that it is acceptable to do as they please. That it’s okay to go astray and not follow the scent they were given to track when there’s a lull in their activity. The urge to track and chase prey is ingrained in the canine psyche. So, they will, if not course corrected, chase Thumper and not the pheasant that they were brought out into the field to scare from the brush.
Let me pause here for a two-fold purpose. Firstly, to apologize to anyone who is reading this and understands my glaring ignorance of both dog ‘speak’, as well as, my apparent hunting/tracking ignorance. And secondly, to point out my allusion. That we, like these dogs, were created with a specific purpose—we weren’t created to just run about all willy-nilly, doing whatever feels right to us.
Because whatever distracts us from God’s best— might be good, but it isn’t what’s best for us…
Yes, we too, have a visceral nature—a God given desire to serve has been placed within us. After all, we are made in the likeness of Our Father. Who, donning a suit of flesh, left heaven and came to earth, both to serve and to save us. So, our desire to serve isn’t a bad thing…
However, like the above-mentioned example with the dogs, we aren’t meant, were not created to, serve just anywhere—or, at any time. He—Jesus, and our relationship with Him, is—and always must remain, our top priority. Over our service to Him—and, to others.
My point is simply this. Distractions. Our going after anything other than what God has called us to do—in the name of service to Him, is, a red-herring. We’re chasing rabbits—not birds. “God did not create you to live a distracted life. God created you to live a Jesus-infused life.” -Margaret Feinberg.
Proverbs 4:25 says it this way: “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”
Jesus has called you to Himself that you might have right-relationship with The Father, be filled with The Holy Spirit, and, be led by Him alone. To remain focused on what He has called you to do with the life, time, and, talents He has given you. You were created with a purpose, and no one other than you, can fulfill that purpose! “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out” (Proverbs 20:5).
One great example of how we miss what God has for us—is calling us to, is the busyness we witness in the story of Martha and Mary. Jesus and His disciples are coming to dinner and the women are hard at it preparing their home, and the meal, for their expected guests. The time is at hand and the guests arrive. Mary ceases all her activity and sits at the feet of Jesus—drinking in His every Word. Martha, still busy running about in service-mode, admonishes Jesus for not telling Mary to get up and help her. Cheeky on Martha’s part.
And, though Jesus had every right to scold her impertinence, His Words were not cross, but were spoken to course-correct her, and us—they were used to re-calibrate. “But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; There is need of only one or but [a]a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).
Scripture doesn’t inform us if Martha ever followed the Words Jesus spoke to her and ceased from her ‘busy service’. How about you? Did you hear His Words? Will you cease from your ‘busy service?’
And then there’s Peter. Who, along with the other Apostles, thought they were seeing a ghost walking on the water—actually, it was more like a stormy, tumultuous sea. Jesus bids Peter to get out of the boat and come walk on this turbulent sea with him. And Peter does. Until that old devil did what he does best. He saw an opening and used it to cause a distraction…
Mind you, the sea was no less turbulent, the winds no less violent and gusting, then when Jesus said, “come”. So, what, if not the current conditions—the circumstances surrounding Peter, would the enemy use to distract Peter away from a beckoning Jesus?
People. He used Peter’s brothers calling out to him. Screaming out that he was a mad man, that he was going to die. He, satan, used them, along with the frightening natural occurrences that surrounded Peter, to cause him to take his focus, his eyes, off of Jesus… (Matthew 14:28-31).
Busyness, and distraction. Not keeping our eyes, ears, and, hearts fixed on Jesus. These are just two of the schemes used by the enemy of our souls— two ploys He will use to keep us from spending quality time at Jesus’s feet; allowing Him—within that time, to revel to us what is our reasonable service to Him—and to others…
Beloved, don’t allow the enemy of your soul to turn you into a rabbit chaser. Stay on course, run after Jesus alone.
“You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name and have not grown weary. But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first” (Rev. 2:3-4).
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