Distraction or Disobedience

We are in a season of special prayer from July 20-August 10. To war in the heavenlies, we are having three prayer vigils. During the first prayer vigil the Lord gave me the 3D's which were the enemy's game plan during this intense season: Distract; Detract; Destroy.

What I have realized is that the battle is usually won or lost with the first D: Distract. I saw this because I lost quite a few battles even after being told my enemy's game plan! I would be spending time with the Lord on my deck and I would begin to notice that certain plants were beginning to droop or that some dead branches needed to be pruned and so on.

I was being distracted. I would quickly go get the hose to water the drooping plants even as the Holy Spirit was saying, "It is just a distraction." I would tell Him that I could take care of this quickly and get right back to listening for the Lord and spending time with Him.

I was not committing some terrible sin--I was just watering my plants. I was going to get right back to the Lord and guess what happened. One distraction led to another until I was so far from home plate that I could not get back if I wanted to.

Thirty minutes later I would move towards the deck and then I would realize that my next task of the day was calling. I would justify to myself that I would catch up with the Lord later that afternoon, etc. As the afternoon came and went guess what had not happened. I had successfully been disctracted and had been unsuccessful in obtaining my primary priority--to pray--to spend time with the Lord--the be equipped against the wiles of the devil during this season of intense warfare!

Distraction is all about disobedience. I do not like calling myself disobedient but I was. The Holy Spirit was trying to have a conversation with me and I responded to the "call waiting" instead of continuing the conversation. In my heart of hearts, I was willfully disobedience. I knew better than God. So did Eve. Disobedience is about priorities. Who comes first in my life? I answered that many times that first week. I did! I came first. I had THE ANSWER and still failed the test because of my own willful disobedience. I was THE priority not Jesus.

Once I dealt with the priority issue, the distraction issue dealt with itself. If something or someone is a priority, nothing stands in the way of it. One of the learnings of this season has been that I needed to re-establish my priority-Jesus Christ and His Way as the Only Way to whatever aspect of salvation I needed at that given moment.

Blessings,
Father Scott +