What consumes you? When you are busy with good things that fill your day, you leave little time for God to work through you by His love. God wants you to place Jesus on the throne in your heart and let Him prioritize or remove the good things so your life reflects Jesus. Not all good activities and goals are beneficial to the Kingdom.
You can look at how Jesus was tempted to fill his days with good worldly things in Matthew 4:1-11. The tempter, Satan, went into the wilderness where Jesus fasted for 40 days which made Him extremely hungry. He became vulnerable to fixing His eyes on worldly pleasures rather than His focus on God. You and I know that He never took His focus away from His Father. He remained connected at all times to Him.
But Satan tried to disrupt the harmony that the Trinity displays so perfectly. He thought he could usurp Jesus’ authority. He thought wrong. When you look at the three areas of life that Satan used, you understand how people in every generation fell into his snare of distraction. He hasn’t changed tactics towards us today.
One distraction is food-related. If Satan can get you focused on your physical appetite, like your belly, you will remove Jesus from the throne in your heart and place yourself on it. Hasn’t food become an obsession in our culture? Maybe the homesteaders in the late 1800’s – early 1900’s had it right, meat and veggies in a stew over an open fire with some bread was what was for dinner probably most nights. Think about all the recipes and restaurants you have to choose from today? It is a time consuming trap. Back in Old Testament days, God provided the Israelites with manna from heaven when they were in the wilderness. Simple food that nourished them and sustained them to follow God.
Another distraction is power. It feels good to have control. Too much power, though, leads to gluttony and greed. One is never satisfied. An example of this is an elected official in the government. Take Nancy Pelosi for instance, she has a wonderful career and has made plenty of money (I know. I looked her up to see what her net worth is.) She is in her 80’s. Why in the world doesn’t she retire and enjoy her days? Because, she looks away and is distracted by earthly things.
The third distraction is wealth. Like power, wealth is a vice that keeps gnawing at you. You are never satisfied. It’s having a consuming appetite for more. Take a look at Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” What does 1 Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:5, and Ecclesiastes 5:10 say about this distraction?
Know that Satan wants to usurp the authority of Christ in you as you walk as His child. Your flesh, your natural inclinations will desire these three distractions. As a child of God, you are to live independent of your flesh while being dependent on God. You do this by not looking away. Walk as Jesus walked. Abide like Christ did with His Father. Serve and love like He did.
So, again, what consumes you? Where do you tend to look away? Talk with Jesus and ask Him to help you to reprioritize your daily activities where Jesus is front and center. God’s Word will help to keep you focused. You will experience peace and harmony like you have never experienced before.
Carol J German 