Distractions

 The enemy is always trying to distract us from focusing on God's purpose for redeeming us, placing in our position of service, giving us the power of the Spirit to reside within us. That purpose? It never changes: make the invisible God visible by submitting to His will and being transformed into His likeness.

Sometimes the distraction is personal: physical, financial, emotional, relational. The focus becomes our well-being. Sometimes the distraction is where we work. Things are happening to hinder our goals--things over which we have no control, things we would never have imagined that we would ever have to face. The focus becomes the mole-hills and mountains before us that all seem impossible to scale. Sometimes the distraction is related to our family. Worry, deep legitimate concerns and uncertainties add additional anxieties to our day. Our focus becomes those that we love most dearly. Sometimes the distraction is in the church. We see a slow but sure drifting away from our moorings--the teaching of God's Word and--above all else--the praise and lifting up of the Living Word. The focus becomes the weakening of the Gospel, our effectiveness before the watching world. Sometimes the distraction is in the world around us. Things are chaotic on the best days. Evil men are growing worse and worse-just as He warned us they would. We are being put on trial before a watching world--which is exactly where He wants us to be--but our focus becomes their behavior and not our own need for revival.

God is not opposed to our well-being. He is deeply concerned about it. God is not opposed to our doing our work all to His glory. He commands it. God is not opposed to our loving and caring for our families. He put them into our care. God is not concerned about His church. In fact, when He judges and purifies that's where He always begins. God is not opposed to our warfare with the watching world as long as the weapons we wield are grounded in His love and always reflect it.

But there is one thing we must always understand about those "distractions." They are part of His will for our lives. There is nothing random about them. He who knows us far better than we know ourselves has brought these faith tests into our lives that we might by embracing them as acts of love designed for us, to allow us, to lift up Christ in our lives so the watching world can behold His beauty and power. We must as we face these "distractions"--usually all at once--ask: what Lord do I need to learn from these things to become more and more like You? How do I surrender more of me that my image might be more of You? What opportunities do You want me to seize to demonstrate Your love to all around me? And as I pursue these things, He will make me more than a conqueror in the midst of all the enemy's distractions. Our confidence in Him will show those watching our sure hope in His control and concern for us. Our casting off our reliance on our own strength will exclaim that we can do all things, but only through His love. Our families will find our love for them as deep and marvelous as His love for His Son. Our fidelity to the Written Word and the Living Word will encourage others in their faithful endurance for Him. Our warfare of holy love will draw some out of the chaos and evil and into the kingdom of His Son.

To be more like Him; to make Him visible is the one thing He desires to do in my life. Nothing else matters.