Another trip into town for football practice. Kids are arguing about some arbitrary topic. The wee football player scrambles to squeeze into his cleats and a bird flies out of nowhere, dive-bombing my suburban! Seriously! Out.Of.Nowhere. I check the rear-view mirror and nothing. My eyes dart to each mirror but I see nothing and continue on. My heart is racing…this wasn’t just a tiny sparrow or chickadee..it was a small hawk or something. I try not to speed, we’re almost there but I can’t help but wonder where it went. Is it stuck to the front of my truck?!?
We arrived at the school and anxiously but hesitantly, I checked the grill…and there it was. The poor thing never had a chance. It was definitely some kind of hawk. Another parent tells me that it probably saw a moth or butterfly stuck in the grill and their complete focus was on it and went in for the kill. It NEVER saw my suburban. It NEVER saw the ton of metal and moving parts barreling down the road towards it’s tiny fragile body. It saw its next meal and nothing else. It saw its survival and everything else was a blur.
There are times that life requires us to have that kind of focus…for short periods of time but not at the sake of our well-being or the well-being of others.
And then there are times we do it to ourselves…we become overwhelmed with life and that one thing begins to nag on us. It grows and consumes our thoughts. Minutes turn to hours and turn to days. Everything going on around us is a blur. Maybe it’s a big test coming up, a promotion at work, the finale of your favorite show or maybe something deeper. A sin you’re too ashamed to say out loud. So horrible you can’t admit it to yourself let alone God. Maybe it’s pain, deep rejection-to-the-core pain that grips you. Trauma or abuse or neglect. It consumes you. Sometimes you can bury it deep and continue on. Some days, it’s right there. Right in your face! And everything going on around you is just a blur.
We aren’t made to live like that. You are loved. We are not meant to carry that pain. When we focus on that one thought…wait. First, though..where did that thought come from? I get it…life happens, terrible things happen and we have memories but where did that specific, awful, debilitating thought come from? It popped into your head out of nowhere and now you are crippled by it. Huh?!?
Christians, there is a battle going on and the fight is not ours but we are in the middle of it.
So, where did that random thought come from?
Satan’s influence is real..whether you are a born-again, Jesus-believin’ Christian or not,
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” ~Ephesians 6:12
Second, when we focus on anything other than God, we are sinning and not in fellowship with God.
“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;” ~Exodus 20:3,4
OR
“Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth” ~Colossians 3:2
OR
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is [a]lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” ~Phillipians 4:8
The thoughts will come but don’t hang on to them and make them all comfy-cozy in your brain…kick them out and remember,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” ~John 10:10
Kick Satan’s influential ideas or thoughts out by rebuking him. Peter wasn’t focused on God’s plan and the Truth…Christ responds,
“But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but on man’s.’” ~Mark 8:33
If the thoughts do get in and start rearranging the furniture..kick them out and confess,
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” ~1 John 1:9
Finally, STAND, STAND, and STAND! The battle is not ours, our armor is for protection,
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against [a]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; ]in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,” ~Ephesians 6: 10-18
Remember where our focus is to be and who created you and why you are here. ~M
Nuggets of Gold 