Distraction - satanic ploys and strategies to steal and disrupt destiny
Good morning brethren, I like to write on a topic “Distraction - satanic ploys and strategies to steal and disrupt destiny - Part 1.” This is one of the enemy’s most subtle and effective strategies for derailing believers. What Are Distractions? Distraction is anything that shifts your focus from God’s will to something lesser or even something harmful. For clarity the devil does not always use sin as distraction but often uses things like - good things at the wrong time, overcommitment, emotional entanglements, fear, anxiety, or even pressure, temptation and deception, may also use offence and bitterness. However it is important to know that satan uses all these things and methods to pursue one gaol - to break people focus. The Scripture in James 1:8 says “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” this is to mean that focus determines destiny. By destiny we mean God-ordained purpose for an individual and every believer has a God-ordained purpose or mandate. Scripture in Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… I appointed you.” And Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works… prepared beforehand.” This makes it clear that satan cannot stop God’s plan for a believer but he cannot attempts to distract, delay, deceive, and derail people from walking in their divine assignment. The devil is known to distract people through deception, a typical example is the story of Eve in Genesis 3:1-3.
We read that the destiny of Adam and Eve was tied to stewarding Eden but satan distracted Eve through twisting the words of God, he introduced desire outside God’s will and then changed her focus from obedience to self-gratification. Unfortunately she lost her destiny when she traded obedience to deception. Another way the devil distracts is through delay and discouragement, example of this type of distraction is the story of the Israelites in the wilderness (Numbers 14:1-4 and Deuteronomy 1:2). A journey that would have been for eleven days become forty years because of complaining discouragement, fear and even doubt. We can be clear that satan can use weariness to wear down destiny carriers and distractions prolongs destiny. The devil also distracts through temptation, he designed temptation not to make people fall but to reposition them away from their God’s given assignment. Scripture in Judges 16 is the story of Samson, he was distracted by Delilah not for moral failure but for destiny theft. Samson was raised as a deliverer but his distraction led to loss of vision (both physical and spiritual). Unfortunately sexual and emotional distractions are among the devil’s strategies against great destinies.
To conclude in this part, I like to add a commonest but unacceptable distraction that the devil often uses is the distraction through busyness. Unfortunately many believers falls for this distraction as it looks productive but it is a strategy of the devil to make one loose focus. Scripture in Luke 10:38–42 gives us the story of Martha and Mary her sister, Martha was busy doing a good thing… But not the God-thing of that moment. Please note that busyness is not synonymous with fruitfulness. In this first part, we have seen some of the major strategies satan uses to distract and derail the believer. By God’s grace, Part 2 I will address more strategies of distraction, how the enemy uses distraction to hijack destiny and how believers can overcome distracting influences. Service is for 10.30am and workers meeting is for 10am. God’s blessings - Mike