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1 Thessalonians 2:17-19 (ESV)
“But since we were torn away from you … for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you – I, Paul, again and again – but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?”
I love to run.
I don’t run far or very fast, and I
don’t run daily. I just love to run.
When I do strap on my bright blue shoes
and hit the pavement, I usually spend that time with God. Most times, I listen
to music and sing for Him. Sometimes, I run in prayer. It’s a quiet time out in
the fresh air for God and me to enjoy together.
Recently, I went for a run simply
because I had the time – the kids were in school, and it was a gorgeous spring
day. As I ran, I worshipped Him – my iPod loud to drown out my footsteps and
heavy breathing. However, I was frustrated with what I was hearing. There was
static. It was just enough to interfere with the songs and to cause me to lose
my focus on the worship. I could sing the songs from memory, but the connection
with God while I sang was interrupted because I was unable to hear many of the
words clearly. The static had become a distraction.
That had been the story for the previous
couple of weeks with my quiet times and my ability to write from the heart –
His heart. There was static. It was drowning out my ability to hear God
clearly. It seemed there was a loose connection somewhere in our “communication
channel,” and I began to lose my focus. But first, allow me to back up a bit…
According to multiple sources, my
spiritual gifts are faith and discernment (the ability to discriminate between
what comes from God, what is from flesh/man, and what is from the enemy/Satan).
Spiritual discernment helped me recognize that my inability to focus was not a
result of my own flesh blocking my communication with my brilliant Lead Writer.
The static during my quiet writing periods was not because I had fallen away,
was praying less, had become less passionate, or moved away from Jesus. The
Lord and I were still close. I still felt secure in His presence. Rather, this
seemed to me to be the enemy’s interference causing static, occurring precisely
because I was so in tune with God at the time.
Paul had interference-type challenges
from Satan too. Paul had become very close to the Thessalonians. According to
Scripture, he couldn’t wait to see them again. Satan despised that bond. It was
a godly relationship – Paul and the Thessalonians – built from the foundation
of Jesus’ love and teachings. “But since we were torn away from you … for
a short time, in person
not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you – I, Paul, again
and again – but Satan hindered us…”
In a similar way, I love writing these
devotionals. I get very excited on Tuesday mornings when they are emailed out
to those who have chosen to receive them automatically. All credit goes to God
when what is written impacts someone else. As Beth Moore once said, “It’s like
sharing a high-five with God.” I am so honored and thrilled to be a part of
what He is doing within these posts. I love to boast about God through your
comments and feedback. “…For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at
his coming? Is it not you?” And, the enemy
hates that. He hates the relationship I have built up with the Lord through
writing. He hates when I pray throughout my writing. He detests that we – you
and I – are connecting and learning with each other in this way. I bet (I hope)
it’s like nails on a chalkboard to Satan’s ears.
I believe Satan throws obstacles into
our lives to hinder our relationships and distract us as believers. In Paul’s
case, he created physical barriers to prevent him from reaching the
Thessalonians. In my case, he created static interference with my worship music
to divert my focus during my quiet time while running – just like he used the
static to interfere with my writing several weeks back.
As far as I am concerned, he can use
whatever weapon he wants. God is stronger, and God is faithful.
Through the static, I have rediscovered
something pretty spectacular. God speaks to us in many ways. As I was feeling
frustrated by the static interference during my quiet writing sessions, God
began unleashing His wisdom and message through different channels – radio,
nature, people, and books. I heard Him through each avenue, and it was truly
amazing!
When we face spiritual static, we can be
confident that God’s Word and promises will remain unchanged, our relationship
with Him will be safe and secure, and we can run right back on track with His
messages. What kind of spiritual static are you facing? Let’s pray through it
together…
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