What's distracting you from a relationship with God

 

A good little bit before they moved in, they saw a tiny little mouse in the attic. They never saw any signs of it anywhere else in the house. Even after moving in, they looked for signs, but nothing. A couple of weeks after they moved in they started smelling the weirdest, most off-putting smell and it was always near plumbing (bathroom, water heater, etc). They tried everything. Cleaned thoroughly, and flushed the lines thinking it might have been stagnant water because the water was on way before they moved in so they thought that could be it. Even thought it might be the treatment plant. To no avail.....Then one morning the wife walked through the kitchen, right past the dishwasher barefoot. She was headed to the laundry room to start laundry and was DISTRACTED. Her husband walked right behind her, following her steps. He saw a faint movement and looked down. There it was, a small rat snake. He picked it up and took it outside. He came back in and said, "there was your smell". Rat snakes put off an awful odor as part of a defense mechanism. He had been in the house for at least 2-3 weeks. Since he's been out....no smell. He came in looking for a mouse. That mouse was valuable to him. He wanted it and he came looking for it. The wife asked the husband how he thought it got in. His response was, "he could have slipped in when any of us left the door cracked just a bit. As we were moving, or kids going in and out, maybe walking out to the grill. It was small and sneaky and very well could have slipped right past us and us not even know he got in. So a few days later the Holy Spirit spoke to the wife, "do you see what can happen when you're DISTRACTED? How quickly the enemy can sneak in your door, and slither right past you? If he thinks there is something valuable there, he is going to try to sneak in and take it" and that's how it happens. We miss one church service that turns into 6 months, we have one drink that leads back into an old lifestyle, we send one text that leads to an affair, we tell one fib that turns into a trail of lies and deceit. The signs were there the wife could  smell the smell and she knew  there was an enemy in the camp, but she was too "busy" to continue to look. So she just cleaned around it to try to make it "better".

If satan can't have you, he'll distract you. Once you are safe in the Father's arms and your name is written down, he can't have you, so he tries to distract you. He tries to interrupt your holy living, he tries to break up your family, he tries to corrupt your mind, and he tries to fill you full of fear, bitterness, unforgiveness and worldliness. LISTEN TO ME: He tries to stop you from getting any other names in that book!!! He tries to stop you from witnessing. He tells you, you can't, he ruins your witness through lies. Don't leave the door cracked. Lock it down. Be on guard. Put that armor on and stay prayed up. "

The thief's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 NIV

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 

So I ask you what are you feeding yourself? Is it the things of this world or God's words and truth? Are there things in your life that need to be thrown out and gotten rid of? Think of it like this your mind and actions are like a rolodex, you have things that are not pleasing to God and He wants you to remove them from your life. He has asked you and you have felt it in your soul, but are you making excuses not to or holding on to things you know God wants you to lay down? How can you receive your blessing? Now if you have the strength, faith and courage to do what God is asking imagine what blessings will come. So pick up your spoons and decide what you're going to feed yourself with.