Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. PROVERBS 4:23 NIV
Perhaps they didn’t get enough sleep the night before; maybe they were worn out from a hard day’s work. Or maybe the clock ticked “bedtime.” We’ve all been victims of drowsiness, so we shouldn’t be surprised the three young men fell asleep. But we are! We’re shocked because it was such an important night. This night, more than any other, required disciplined vigilance. Jesus, about to begin His journey to the cross, asked the disciples to pray for Him. Imagine His disappointment when He found Peter, James, and John sleeping instead. Victims of drooping eyelids, the disciples missed an opportunity to encourage and strengthen Jesus in His moment of greatest need. And they missed the opportunity to strengthen themselves through prayer as well. Satan knows if he can keep us from worship, he can keep us from spiritual power. He is the master distracter, able to deter us from worship with his tactics. How many times have we been distracted from our private worship by the TV, the telephone, a messy house, our to-do list, a wandering mind, or heavy eyelids? When we prepare our hearts for personal worship, we must remember to guard our hearts from the distractions of Satan. Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening
Oh what people would really think if only they really knew!!!
So much to do with this physical body is instigated by Spiritual warfare.
It's not always that someone 'catches' this or that, often times it can be attempts from the enemy of God to do to you as was done to Job. It can also be attempts in even small ways to just distract you enough to simply not pray, or consider some imparted wisdom from God, or even a moment where you might have desired to worship Jesus.
Distractions are a plenty in our world. People stirred up in anger are easily swayed by small instigations. People spoiling for a fight will always find something to hang onto in order to provoke one.
Read the second chapter of Job. Satan has the power, when granted in the life of a believer, to instigate disease and illness. Perhaps the same is true of non-believers.
Look also, while we are in Job, at the great signs and wonders, THAT ALL LOOK LIKE NORMAL EVENTS, that in point of fact Satan is behind when permitted by God.
Satan can, when permitted, be the architect behind world disasters.
Satan can, when permitted, be behind physical distress and disease.
Satan can, when permitted, be behind your thoughts wandering to places they ought not to go. Whose end is temptation and sin.
I hadn't thought of the 3 falling asleep when Jesus had asked them to pray in the context of heavy Spiritual warfare until today. Then it really hit me because that's what it really was in light of Job chapter 2. Satan's attempts, as permitted by the Father, to cause Jesus to be alone at the time of His greatest need. As a result an Angel or two were dispatched to strengthen Jesus.
You too can be going through physical difficulties that were instigated by Spiritual warfare.
In the book 90 Minutes in Heaven, that whole true story is a Job-like Spiritual attack on a Pastor. Just like Job, that Pastor was being pressured to curse God and die.
Diseases, by their very nature are like sin. They are a perversion of something good that God created to be good. Read Genesis chapter 1 and 2. God created...and it was good. God created...and it was good. Even the serpent gets a bad rap because originally it was created to be good! The whole Earth has been taking the brunt of the negative effects of the curse of sin.
Satan was behind even fire from Heaven to destroy Job's sheep and servants.
Satan is known as the destroyer. If God created it for good, Satan is opposed to it.
Your mind is so easily distracted for a reason. You may ignore it at your own peril but you are in the midst of Spiritual war. Satan must get permission to mess with believers. Again, Read Job chapters one and two. I have to believe in the lives of some unbelievers its a case of the same thing. Because some of them Jesus already knows will someday come to Him for salvation.
I was heavily distracted in trying to write this post. The pressure to keep on reading other devotionals to find something else, anything else, to write about was great. Coincidence? Hardly. The first rule of warfare is what? KNOW YOUR ENEMY.
DO NOT attribute every little negative thing to Satan. He's good, but, not that good. You have a sin nature that is at war with the Holy Spirit, if you are saved. Satan knows you much better than you do. He has minions everywhere who do not grow weak with a need for sleep. They watch for every opportunity to distract, to do whatever, to cause believers to sin.
Excuses are perhaps THE number one go-to for him. Getting us to create excuses to not do something that God says we should be doing. I am too tired. I have too much work to do. The kids were really good, I can't stop to do this or that, they need rewarding first. Hmm? Yes sometimes even that can be a trick from Satan to stop a prayer from getting to the Throne of God.
Dropping a phone call that should have continued on because of a distraction on either end of the line can be found to have its roots in Spiritual warfare. Perhaps the one you are talking to still needs to talk because God’s working in them and you could be that tipping point to get there? Or by abruptly ending calls you can be sewing seeds of disinterest?
You can easily just drop into a chair for a moment and rather than talk to God you absent-mindedly turn on the radio or Television. Or even the videos on some app on your phone.
Oh, you HAVE to clean out that inbox of emails.
You wake up and can't sleep. Worry seeps in. Why not pray?
Distractions can be and should be seen for what they are. Satan was behind the illnesses of many that Jesus healed. Was behind the illnesses of the people that the Apostles healed.
Connect the dots!
A right relationship is what Job had with God. Can the same be said of you?
No comments:
Post a Comment