Have you ever walked into a room and forgot why you went there? Or is that just me?
My husband and I attended a United Marriage Encounter event
this past week and were blessed as we poured into other couples throughout the
event. However, the enemy was up to his
old tricks and tried to distract us from the blessings.
The enemy does not have new ideas, only old reusable tricks. He knows which buttons to push. He just keeps pushing them over and over
until we are distracted by the problem and not God. We just need to be aware of
them and prepare for the battle. Here
are a few of my buttons the enemy likes to push. Maybe you can relate to a couple…
Sleep
If sleep was a love language, it would be on the top of my
list. I need a good night’s sleep to
function at the level I push myself daily.
When I am unable to get enough sleep, my patience and logical skills
decline. When my husband and I arrived
from driving 10 hours to our UME event, I needed to eat and then go to bed to
recover. The first night was great. The second night was another story.
My husband woke up at midnight and decided the air
conditioning in our hotel room was not sufficient. He then turned his flashlight on his phone
and began to look up ways to override the thermostat. He accidentally started the heat and I woke
up to the light and a smell that made me believe the room was burning. After a bit….a long while, he gave up and put
a hot washcloth over the thermostat to fake it out and the temperature
dropped. (More HVAC tips in another
story…)
Then he climbed back into bed and fell right back to
sleep.
I did not. The next
morning came quickly, and I pushed through with little patience and a lot of
prayers. I could have let the situation
rob our witness. Instead, I prayed fort
he strength to get through the day. I
knew what was happening. Sometimes I
miss the attack and That night we went
to bed early and we got some much-needed rest.
Attacks in the family
Our kids are also another button the enemy uses against us. The
enemy is trying to distract us through our adult children. We have struggled with some who have walked away
from the Lord and some who we pray will come to a saving knowledge of
Jesus. In the meantime, there have been disagreements
and division. It breaks my heart. I want to ‘fix’ it all. I know I can’t and it is in His hands. However, that doesn’t stop me from trying in
my own strength and letting the process rob my joy. It is so hard when it is your family, and the
enemy knows that and uses it to distract.
When we finally shared with several other couples during our
UME event, we realized that the enemy is doing the Exact same thing in their
lives. Again, the enemies’ tactics are
not new, just efficient. So instead of
fretting, we all came together and started storming the gates with prayer. We can also pray specifically for each other with
this new revelation.
Gnats (small annoying issues)
These are the small trivial things that come into our lives
and surround us like mosquitoes. For
example, one that came today took over an hour to resolve. We needed a missing receipt to confirm what
warranty was available for a part. The woman
in the office and I searched everywhere through files and emails until it was
finally found. One hour of wasted time
for something small that distracted us from what we were originally working
on.
For me, it was this blog.
Funny how the enemy works huh…?
We are distracted by so many things in our lives. Some are large, but often many are
insignificant gnats. How do we handle
the distractions? First and foremost,
keep your eyes up and focused on the One that can resolve it all. Remember, we know how the book ends. The enemy would like nothing better than to
distract us from what God is calling us to do or be.
Next, expect the head winds.
You know you are often going in the right direction when the attacks
occur. Get on your knees and pray. Cling to the All-Knowing God who knows the
beginning from the end. He has big
shoulders and can carry your burdens.
Focus your eyes on Him, not the attacks.
Stand with me in prayer for the saints that are going
through daily attacks.
Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Copyright © 2022 Peggy A. Priest. All Rights Reserved.
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