Ok I got this story in my email awhile back, some of you might have seen this already, but this fits in with this mornings devotions and I believe it is something we all need to hear and then we can talk about it more amen

Distraction

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior.

Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their churches, let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ."

"This is what I want you to do", said the devil: "Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.
"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent many different schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."

"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."

"Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or CD players whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."

"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes."

"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so that husbands and young men will believe that outward beauty is what's important. Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches too! If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly!"

"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas. Give them an Easter ***** so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death."

"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."

"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. It will work! It will work!"

It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get more busy and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for their God or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.
I guess the question is, has the devil been successful at his scheme?
Wow! The message in this story I received is powerful. But you know what? This is exactly how Satan operates. Don't believe me? Look for yourself. I have been a christian now 21 years now and boy do I know this, It is something I constantly have to do a check in my spirit with the Lord that “Larry’s” top priority is staying focused on the Lord and His will and plan for my life. Let’s search the scripture, Amen! J

Matthew 16:21-28

21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

23Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

28I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

I love these verses. Could you imagine if Jesus got distracted from His mission here on earth? What if Jesus lived here on earth with the mission of making enough money so He could retire early. Isn't that the goal of many people you know? Man, Jesus prepared 30 years for just 3 years of ministry.
The power of the almighty dollar has completely uprooted this country and turned it upside down. You know what other countries are fighting for? Not money. They're fighting for where their next meal will come from.

When Jesus was faced with a distraction from His goal (Peter), He made it apparent to everybody that not even Satan could get in His way. I bet Peter wasn't too happy with Jesus calling him Satan. Especially when He was just trying to help. This really spoke to me.

God taught me that sometimes I don't know what's best. It's very humbling to think you know what's best then God completely takes over and does something spectacular. See, I think the problem with a lot of Christians today is that we look for what feels good now and not toward what lasting benefits there will be.

We look at the temporary and God looks at the eternal. We must ask ourselves "Is what we are doing going to amount to a hill of beans in God's eyes?" A lot of what we do will not. But, if we focus on the eternal,

God will use us to build His Kingdom! After all- that is what's going to last! We must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. What good will it be if a man gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

Remember this last scripture amen, 1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour


In closing tonight I would ask the questions that should be asked and I would ask that we all examine our hearts and let the Lord touch you, Minister to you, change you and Mold you, your time, your family and your church, Amen.

-Is there a Sin for me to confess?
-Is there a Promise for me to claim?
-Is there an Attitude for me to change?
-Is there a Command for me to obey?
-Is there an Example for me to follow?


I would ask in your quiet time to Take time to pray and confess these sins to the Lord. Ask God if there is a Promise to claim or an attitude to change. Pray that God would help you follow His commands to obey Him and think more about eternal things than the temporary (what feels good now) mentality. Pray that God would help you to follow Jesus' example. His example was to not let Satan get in the way of things and tempt you to do the wrong things. Amen