Genesis 3:1
“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?”
Distraction is one of the key tools Satan uses to get God’s people from doing what they are supposed to do. Satan is not always concerned with you going into “deep” sin; he simply wants to get you not to do what God wants you to do. If he can distract you from what you are supposed to be doing, he knows that he will keep what God wants to be done from happening.
The incident of Eve in the Garden of Eden is a great example of Satan’s ability to distract. He used the serpent to distract Eve and eventually got her to disobey God through the serpent’s diversion. The distraction itself was not wrong, but it is what led to her to do wrong. The Devil knows that if he can distract you from doing what you are supposed to be doing, he will eventually get you to do wrong. There are three ways which you must be wary of how the Devil distracts Christians.
First, he distracts through questions. He simply asked Eve if God really said that she couldn’t eat of every tree. Satan knows that once you start questioning Scripture, he will be able to get you to change what God said. You have to be careful about those who are always questioning the validity of God’s intentions or the veracity of what is really meant. To question God is to question His ability, authority and omniscience. To question God is to question His sovereignty. It is not my job to ask God why, it is my job to trust that He knows what is best. Don’t let the Devil distract you from obedience by getting you to question the why.
Second, Satan distracts through diversion. It’s interesting that Satan got Eve to notice the one tree they couldn’t eat from instead of looking at every other tree that God gave her to eat. Many Christians fall for this distraction. Instead of looking at everything God allows them to do, they focus on the one thing He tells them they cannot do. Don’t let the Devil distract you through diversion. God gives you many more things to do for every one thing He tells you that you cannot do. Don’t let your focus get diverted by dwelling on what you cannot have.
Third, Satan distracts through worthy causes. King Josiah got diverted by a worthy cause that eventually took him away from what he was supposed to be doing. Satan always has worthy battles to fight, but you must stay focused on what God has called you to do. Throughout my lifetime, I have seen many preachers and church members get distracted with fighting worthy causes, but those battles took them away from obeying the Great Commission. Many of these battles are areas in which we should let people know where we stand, but we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted from what God has called us to do. We were commissioned by God to reach the world with the Gospel. Distraction may not pull you completely away from what you are supposed to be doing, but it will keep you from doing it to your fullest capacity.
The first step to all sin is distraction. A person who falls into sin usually got distracted before they chose to sin. Don’t let Satan’s distractions divert you from what you are supposed to be doing. Stay focused on what God has commanded and the distractions won’t be distractive.