by: Allen Domelle
Satan is the master of distraction. We often think that the Devil wants us to fall into deep sin, but his real goal is to distract us from what we are supposed to do. His efforts are not so much to get you to become an alcoholic though he wouldn’t mind if you did; however, he does give an all-out effort to distract you from what the LORD wants you to do. The Devil is not as concerned with you becoming a drug addict as he is with you being distracted from what God wants you to do. Many make the mistake of thinking that the Devil’s efforts are about getting you to fall into deep sin, but he would be very pleased if you didn’t fall into “deep sin” but was distracted from what God wants you to do.
It all started in the Garden of Eden when Satan distracted Eve with another voice. Satan’s tactic of distraction is seen in Genesis 3:1 where it says, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” You will notice that Satan was subtil about his approach. Eve had never heard that voice before in the garden, and that voice distracted her from whatever she was supposed to be doing. If she had ignored the distractive voice, she would have never eaten of the forbidden fruit. Satan’s subtil approach was through distraction.
I think of Josiah, who got distracted from his kingdom with another kingdom. It says in 2 Chronicles 35:20, “After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.” Josiah felt that Necho had no business going to war because he had problems in his kingdom that he needed to address. Josiah’s desire to be sure things turned out the way he thought they should be was a noble intention, but it was Satan’s tactic to distract him from the duty of ruling his kingdom. He may have been right with his concerns, but he needed to stay focused on keeping his kingdom strong. Getting distracted from what he was supposed to do eventually cost him his life and kingdom. He could have avoided an early death if he had listened to Necho say, “…God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him…” (2 Chronicles 35:21-22)
When Joseph and Mary inquired of Jesus why He wasn’t with them, He said, “…wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” Jesus understood His priorities early in His life. One of the first things Jesus dealt with in his ministry was with Satan’s attempt to distract him with money, power, possessions and prestige. In each instance, Jesus thwarted the distraction by quoting Scripture and staying focused on His purpose. Jesus had many times He could have allowed distractions to keep Him from the cross, but we are beneficiaries of Him staying focused on the Kingdom of God.
Throughout history, Christians have often gotten distracted from the Kingdom of God. I have seen so many distractions come and go throughout my life, but in each of these distractions, many Christians never got back to what they were supposed to do. I remember when many got distracted with starting Christian schools. Many pastors got so wrapped up in the Christian school movement because they thought it would be the thing that would save America. There is nothing wrong with a Christian school, but God didn’t commission the church to start Christian schools. He commissioned the church to reach the lost for Christ. I remember when the abortion issue was the hot issue and every church felt the need to join arm-in-arm with other churches to try and overturn the murder of innocent babies. Churches that didn’t even believe like each other joined to encircle their city for an afternoon with “Christians” who were against abortion. Again, I’m against abortion, but this effort caused many churches to get sidetracked from soul winning, and thousands of people went to Hell as a result of Christians having multiple rallies to stop abortion. I’ve watched Christians become distracted with political movements, nicer buildings, and other worthy issues and get so focused on them that they stopped being the soul winners God called them to do.
The agenda and focus of Christians should be the Kingdom of God. The final words of our Saviour before He ascended to Heaven is found in Acts 1:8. Jesus says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Our kingdom is not of this world, but our kingdom is about the kingdom of God. The focus of the Christian is to reach as many souls as they can with the Gospel. It is when the Christian stays focused on the kingdom of God that they will turn the world upside down. If you don’t believe this, look at how the church in the Book of Acts flourished by staying focused on the Kingdom of God. Because they stayed focused, they eventually turned the world upside down for Christ.
My purpose in writing this article is that I’m very concerned with many Christians becoming distracted with the kingdom of politics. This article is in no way an attempt to condemn anyone, but to exhort Christians to refocus on the kingdom of God. I do believe, as a Christian, we need to do our best to reach politicians with the Gospel. My concern is that the current political cycle is causing many brethren to be distracted. If you don’t believe me, just look at the majority of the dialogue from men of God is about on social networking sites. I know this will not make some happy as many have become thin-skinned about this area, but brethren, let’s look at how much effort we are putting towards the political kingdom compared to the kingdom of God. While we get distracted with this political cycle, people that we could have reached will go to Hell. I’m for Christians fulfilling their duty as an American and vote, but don’t let the political noise distract you from your call to reach the lost for Christ.
Four thoughts of advice that will help you from becoming distracted.
1. Limit your time with the news media.
It would be hard for any patriotic American not to get upset with what is going on in our nation. With the 24-hour news media that we have today, you can become quickly occupied by the bombardment of negative news get distracted from God’s commission to reach the lost. Limiting the voice of the news media in your life will keep you from being distracted from what the LORD left you here to do.
2. Be more passionate about soul winning than you are with anything else.
Let soul winning be your passion. Too many preachers are going to be known for their political stand more than they are with reaching the lost for Christ. Your city needs to know that there is one church where they can call when they want someone who is lost to get saved. Your church will not be known for this if your passion becomes anything other than souls. Never forget that the greatest thing you can do as a Christian is to reach the lost for Jesus Christ.
3. Be Christlike in your response to the political noise.
Just because the political world gets nasty doesn’t give the Christian a right to act the same way. Always respond in such a manner that if you met the person you are talking about on the street, they wouldn’t mind talking to you. Many Christians have been so vicious about certain politicians that there is no way they could talk to them about Christ if they ran into them on the street. Let the rhetoric of the Christian be Christlike.
4. Don’t get mad at those who warn, but let it be a warning light to check if you are becoming distracted.
Friend, don’t get thin-skinned when someone talks about something you may be doing. God says in Psalm 119:165, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Instead of getting upset with someone, let what they are saying be a warning light to be sure that you are not guilty about what they are talking. I’m sure we all have been guilty of getting upset with critics and hardened our neck to the point where we couldn’t see that they could have been right. If you are right, what others say won’t offend you. The only time you will be offended is when you have been distracted, and your flesh has taken over.
Though this article may touch on politics, remember that when this political cycle pass, another distraction will come. Be careful not to fall for Satan’s tactic of distraction. Stay focused on reaching the lost for Christ. When we don’t allow the distractions of Satan to get us sidetracked, we will do more to change this world through reaching the lost for Christ and training converts in the Word of God.