Lately I’ve Been Distracted

Life is full of distractions. You must be careful which voices you listen to or allow yourself to be influenced by. It seems that everywhere you look there are people, or ads or pictures or videos telling you how to live, what to eat, what to wear, what your body should look like, where you should live, what you should drive, where you should work… you get the point.

It’s so easy to get distracted by these other voices or what’s going on around you, that you might forget just where it was you were heading to. Like a drunk person staggering down the road from the bar after a night out, you might stumble if you allow yourself to listen to these voices.

That’s why we must be careful what we allow ourselves to hear. We must put God’s voice above all. Above your wife or husband or your kids (I know pretty easy to say when you’re a bachelor with no kids). Above your family, your friends, your boss. You must listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying.

The enemy is always lurking in the shadows, peering around the corner, waiting to put his foot out and make you fall. He wants you to fall face first without any warning.

Things in life have come up and they seem to have me veering off track from Gods plan. When I say I’ve been distracted, I mean I’ve been allowing other things to influence me in a way that blocks me from hearing Gods voice. I didn’t do it on purpose, but it still happened.

This week I planned a fast and I did manage to make it three days. Not the seven days I’d said I was going to do but still an all time high for myself. When I finished my fast, I’d been feeling a bit down. I didn’t notice a difference, other than some events that happened during the week that really distracted me even more. I went to prayer night at church and could definitely feel Gods presence in a big way, I also did have a vision of an eagle and also flock of sheep come to me at the end of prayer, which was quite interesting.

After prayer was prophesy night, we learned about the gift of discernment, also talked about hearing Gods voice and recognizing it as Gods voice. There are four spiritual places we can hear voices coming from. Your own spirit tells you things, demonic spirits, angelic spirits as well as Gods Holy Spirit.

When we are listening or doing something that we think is being spoken to us by God. It is important we know that is exactly where it is coming from. I find myself confused a lot of the time lately because I think I am being led by the Holy Spirit, but soon find out I was not. I then get frustrated and I tend to run away from my problems, when I do this I also tend push God away at the same time.

Well last night God said STOP RUNNING. I didn’t recognize this message as being for myself, I thought I was supposed to give someone else this word actually. After distracting myself with thoughts of running far away, I decided to go for a walk. This is where I really heard God speak to me again. There was a person walking in front of me on my usual trail and I was trying to clear my head with nobody around. I happened to notice a trail in the trees that must’ve been a game trail. This trail led me to an embankment, it paralleled along a steep edge for few feet. I stopped right in the middle of the part that was on top of the bank and heard God speak. He said “Ray you are so close, you’re almost there, you’re standing on the edge and I need you to take a leap into my arms.”

I am constantly trying to control things in my life, I have yet to allow God to take full control of the wheel. God needs to guide us completely, if we are going to follow him, there’s no in between. You’re either letting him drive or you’re not. God has asked me to take this leap and that’s just what I plan to do.

It’s easier to say it than it is to do it. We are all human and it is uncomfortable to allow things to spiral out of our control. We need to recognize that when this happens, our life isn’t spiraling out of control. Our life is actually being shaped into what it is supposed to be. God is molding us into who he intended us to be and this may not feel good at the time, so I’ve learned, but the end result will be better than we can even imagine. Before you can be comfortable, you’re going to need to be uncomfortable first. Whatever it is that God has put on your heart to do, I’m sure there is something, you should probably tune into that. You will first need to step off of that ledge though. It’s not going to be comforting at first, but God is there to catch you.

Matthew 6:34 NLT – So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it’s own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

1 Timothy 6:12 NLT – Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.