David was King! He should have been off at war but he stayed in Jerusalem. And because he put himself somewhere he should not have been, he fell. If we put ourselves in places we know we should not be, we are inviting the enemy to attack us. David saw Bathsheba and lusted her. God tried to sway him back to what was right. He found out she was married and his lust did not care. He found out that her husband was off at war for him and his lust did not care. He found out that her husband was righteous and his lust did not care. David had everything but the devil showed him something that he did not have and he was distracted from everything he knew that was right. He would become an adulterer and murderer. He would lose his kingdom and two sons. God would restore him but there was a heavy price to pay for the distraction he allowed into his life. God sent the Prophet Nathan to rebuke David:
Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 2Samuel 12: 7-8
Beloved, God has given us all so much and His desire is to give us even more. Realize this too whatever we do not have is also divinely decided by God! There is a reason why He withholds what we think we want or need. Remember, He sees all time! He sees the end result. The next time the enemy is distracting you with what you do not have; focus on all God has given you and then when you look to your right hand, He will be there and you will not be shaken by the distractions of the devil.
Thirdly, we can be distracted by fear. The Prophet Elijah had seen it all. He had seen the Lord feed him by the ravens to avoid starving. He had seen the Lord supernaturally ensure the widow's oil and flour would not run out during a famine. He had seen the Lord use him to raise the widow's child from the dead! He had just watched as God defeated the 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. Yet right after all these things, he heard the Queen Jezebel wanted his head and here was his reaction:
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. 1Kings 19: 3-4
We too have seen the mighty miracle workings of the Lord in our lives. Divine healings, changed doctor reports, provision from nowhere, our enemies scattered before us. Yet there we too can be like Elijah. The slightest thing comes against us and we break into fear. We forget all that God has done because we are distracted by what we are afraid of. We are afraid of our past even though God has forgiven it. We are afraid of our present even though God is in it. We are afraid of our future even though God has secured it. We hear the whispering of the enemy and we choose to believe him over the promises we know God has already made and despite all He has already done. We run away like Elijah. No matter what Jezebel threat we face today God is bigger! Remember where the fear comes from:
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
Well, if it didn't come from God, guess where it came from? Focus on all God has done and all He has promised instead of what the enemy is offering you to consider being afraid of.
Lastly, we can become distracted by our very service unto God. At the house of Martha and Mary, Jesus was speaking and Mary was at His feet listening. Martha was distracted:
But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." Luke 10: 40 (NKJV)
I have seen too many well intended Christians confuse their Mary with their Martha. They confuse their service unto God with their walk with God. Look, Martha is important the work of the Kingdom must be done! But Jesus clarifies:
And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10: 41 (NKJV)
Martha was so busy working for God, serving Him, that she failed to listen to Him. God is speaking to us all the time and if we are not careful, we can ignore Him as we busy ourselves with His business. Martha allowed her service unto God to distract her from her relationship with God. That is a trap we too can easily fall into. It is a matter of where we are focused. What are we seeking?
And that brings us back to our key verses today. Seek God first and everything else will be taken care of. If we are seeking God first then we do not take our eyes off of Jesus when the storms of life intensify and the waves crash over into our boat. If we are seeking God first then we understand that if we do not have something then THAT is for our own good as well. We will not be distracted by what we do not have and we will be appreciative for the blessings He consistently gives us. If we are seeking God first then we will remember all of the mighty miracles He has already done in our lives when we are tempted to fear. We will remember that His perfect love casts out all fear. Lastly, if we are seeking God first then we will be sure to tell the difference between our walk and our service. We will be careful to not be so distracted by working for God that we fail to listen to Him, fail to learn from Him, fail to love Him.
Christopher Columbus may have prevailed without reaching his desired goal but we cannot. God has a work for us to do and we cannot afford the dangers of distraction.
Reverend Anthony Wade October 12, 2010
