Delete Your Distractions

Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?”

Acts 13:10–11


You give your life to Jesus, you begin to pray and worship and study His Word and you realize God has a plan that includes you. Excited is an understatement, He saved you to save others. I don’t mean you can save others like Jesus saves us but God can reach them through you as you share Jesus with those the Lord leads you. How exciting is that to think the God of heaven would use a sinner like me and a sinner like you to take His Word into the world so others could hear the Good News and give their heart to Jesus too.

Like you, as I study my bible I see patterns develop in how we go about doing the will of God on earth. Not set in stone but patterns to follow. It begins with prayer and often times fasting. As we seek the Lord and dedicate ourselves to knowing God, just loving and praising Him, the Holy Spirit moves us to do the things God has for us. You recall, God has a special work reaching special people.

But no sooner do you step out in faith are you met with opposition and distractions. The car breaks down, someone calls offering other plans. The devil will do anything to keep us from sharing God’s Word. The devil doesn’t care how many potlucks the church hosts or how many happy kids we can get on a waterslide. If those things will keep our mouth full and families happy just hanging out he is all for it. What the devil despises is when we are determined to share Jesus life with others while we eat and the kids play. There is an old saying that says, “The devil doesn’t come to you in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes to you in everything you have ever wished for other than Christ.” Think about that.

So how do we eliminate the distractions in our lives or maybe better put, how do we delete them? The pattern is clear in the Word. The first and most obvious thing to do is pray and seek the Lord. Pray and open up your bible and invite the Lord to speak to you. Remember, God’s Word is God’s voice. Second, Pray for wisdom and discernment, pray for direction and pray for God’s anointing. Number three, step out in faith. Go and know that whatever you do, do all in the name of the Lord. Fourth, Expect opposition. Here is where many a follower of Jesus gets derailed. They think doing the Lord’s work will just kind of come together, like God will remove all the obstacles and barriers in our way. Most often He doesn’t as its in the struggle we learn how to be dependent upon Him. I don’t know about you but I know for me when life is easy I tend to trust myself too much and yet I know full well when I face persecution and opposition I draw close to the Lord. God uses opposition and distractions to teach us we can’t do this Christian life on our own. We need the Lord and we need each other.

If you are serious about deleting the distractions in your life then pray and then pray some more. Every person, every appointment, every new location you go, wherever you go you have a chance to make Jesus famous. And don’t forget the day isn’t just about the destination, it’s enjoying the journey too, remembering Jesus is with you every step along the way. Look for Him, listen to Him and share His life with others as you live out yours and seek to tie His words to your deeds so that your light shines brightly. And when, not if, the devil tries to distract you from the task at hand be mindful that if you resist the devil by staying on point, he will flee because he is very much aware…

“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world”

1 John 4:4


I LOVE YOU!