What Does BUSY Mean To You?

But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving… Luke 10:40a  (AMP)

Note: This is a repost of an email I received from a friend. I did not write it nor do I know who did. However, I believe it gives some very valid points.

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:

Awake To Righteousness And Sin Not

Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.  1 Corinthians 15:34  (KJV)

The interesting thing about this passage is that Paul was writing this to the church in Corinth. In other words, he was writing to Christians and he said that some of them didn’t have the knowledge of God. The word know there isn’t talking about an intellectual comprehension of God but an intimate experience with God as in relationship. Some “know” God in their head but don’t “know” Him in their heart.

Christians all over America are sleeping. They think Christianity is all about potlucks and pats-on-the-back. They think that things happening around the world to Christians can’t happen to them.

What they fail to realize is that if a person actually is fiery and passionately in love with Jesus, you will be persecuted. Not so much by the world. The world doesn’t really care so much. They are loving their sin. Persecution will come from the religious–those who have an outward show of piety but their heart is far from God. Jesus was persecuted and killed by the religious of the day. Paul, the same. Most of the prophets suffered the same fate. See for yourself how the religious persecute and denigrate those who follow Christ passionately and freely.

Breaking Addictions: Defining Addiction

photo courtesy blog.thoughtpick.com

But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts).    Romans 13:14 (Amplified Bible)

I am continuing my series on strategies that the enemy uses called Devices of the Enemy.  In this part of the series, I want to specifically discuss the tactic of addiction.  This post will not delve into any solution, it is simply to define what the problem and tactic is.

People talk about addictions as though they are horrible sins.  “That guy is addicted to… alcohol.”  Or, “That lady is a druggie.  What a waste.”  It could even be, “What’s wrong with that guy?  Why can’t he get his life together?  Life isn’t all about _________.”

Addiction.  Addiction.

We label people and look down on them.  We stereotype them into categories.  But really, the real issue that we first need to address is–what is an addiction?

4 Steps To Victory Over Worry: The Big Distraction III

photo courtesy of stephenschleicher.com

In the previous two posts found here and here I have talked about three of the four steps to victory over worry found in Philippians 4:6-9.  Worry and care are two of the biggest distractions the enemy uses against believers.

In the previous posts, we talked about:

1. Be careful for nothing.  Refuse the burden of responsibility.

2. Let your requests be made known to God in thanksgiving.

3. Think on these things.

The fourth step is found in Philippians 4:9

Practice what you’ve learned and received from me, what you heard and saw me do. Then the God who gives this peace will be with you.   GOD’S WORD Translation

4 Steps To Victory Over Worry: The Big Distraction

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.  1 Peter 5:7

Worry is a vital part of the enemy’s plan of distracting you from your relationship with God and focusing on His Word.  Worry is defined as feeling or experiencing “concern or anxiety.”  However, worry is much more than just a feeling or an experience.

Worry is actually meditating on fear-based possibilities and scenarios.  Worry is being anxious about whether you will lose your job.  Worry is caring about what people say and think about you.  Worry is carrying a burden in your thoughts.

Devices Of The Enemy: Distraction II

In the last post, I discussed the strategy of the enemy: distraction.  Since the last post was so long, I decided to break it into two and discuss the solution to the problem in this post.

The best way to overcome the strategy of distraction and break its hold on your life is fasting.  Fasting is an amazing tool that God has given us to help keep us free from distraction and lust (sexual and otherwise).

Devices Of The Enemy: Distraction

I’ve been doing a series on the tactics and strategies of the enemy.  The is the third installment in this series.  In the first post, I talked about that the number one strategy that the enemy uses is subtlety (or subtilty depending on how you spell it).  Everything that the enemy does is subtle, cunning, crafty, stealthy.  His plans and schemes aren’t like “shock and awe” bombing.  They are like Navy Seals infiltrating territory in the dark of night.  The whole idea is to keep you unaware of what is happening.

In the second post, we talked about the tactic of pressure.  Pressure is used to get you to make a decision quickly–rashly–without consulting God or doing it the way that God wants it done.  Pressure is designed to get you off-focus and out of sync with God.  We talked about how the Pharisees attempted to pressure Jesus into siding with them in stoning the woman caught in adultery.  He easily could have–that’s what the law demanded.  The law was just.  But Jesus took the time to hear from God and refused the  pressure.

In this post, I’m talking about a third strategy of them enemy: distraction.  This is all-too prevalent in the U.S.  I saw a funny commercial a little while ago that, although being twisted in the solution, isn’t that far off from the problem.

Devices Of The Enemy: Pressure

The second device of the enemy that I want to discuss is pressure.  The enemy likes to use pressure to force us to make quick decisions without consulting God.  He especially attempts to use this tactic when we need to make a big decision, one that can affect our life down the road for years to come. 

Devices Of The Enemy

I’m not trashing my plan of discussing Love, but I want to discuss something that was brought to my attention recently.  That is the devices or strategies of the enemy.

So many times we are unaware of the strategies of the enemy that there is movement of the enemy lines and yet we don’t recognize it.  That is the very first strategy in itself.

Subtilty

Now the  serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made… Genesis 3:1

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  2 Corinthians 11:3

Other translations use the words cunning, craftiness or tricks.  Either way, the Bible says that Eve was deceived through subtle tactics.  In other words, she didn’t even have a clue what was happening.