Distractions

“Wake up. Quiet Time. Write out to-do list. Review presentation for work. Reply to Alex text message. Make breakfast. Find keys. Clean up the box of cereal that the dog just spilled. Wait…What was it I was supposed to be doing again?” Distractions…How many of us have had this happen during our day? “I promise I meant to call you but I got distracted and totally forgot!” It’s not uncommon that many of us experience moments that would cause us to get sidetracked. It’s like you have something in mind that you plan to do and then before you know it, something else comes up and shifts your focus from what you intended to do to a completely different task.

There are a number of items that grab for our attention as we go throughout the day. Many of us have to manage different projects, meetings, spending time with various people, social media, and a number of other things. I’m not sure about you but I write down notes as I go throughout the day to keep up with everything. Amongst all of the things that demand for our attention, I’ve found that direction from God at the beginning and during the day is key. Sitting still with Him first thing in the morning, before the busyness of the day gets started, and getting direction from Him has been invaluable. This time helps me prioritize my to-do list for the day and allows me to discern what I need to say no to. If I don’t do this, everything automatically seems to become a yes which is super unproductive.

As I was reading the Bible one day I came across the story of what the Bible called “A man of God.” No name is given…the Bible just tells us that he was a man of God. There was something very interesting though about the story of this man of God. During his day, Jeroboam had become the king of Israel and did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord…bummer. In response, the Lord sent this man of God as a prophet to denounce Jeroboam. Let’s look at these verses in 1 Kings 13:1-22:

“At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the alter to burn incense. Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O alter, alter! This is what the Lord says” A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you. That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This alter will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”

When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the alter at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize the man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back. At the same time a wide crack appeared in the alter, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.

The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and he could move it again.

Then the king said to the man of God, “Come to the palace with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift.”

But the man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place. For the Lord gave me this command: You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.” So he left Bethel and went home another way.

As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king. The old prophet asked them, “Which way did he go?” So they showed their father which road the man of God had taken. “Quick, saddle the donkey,” the old man said. So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.

Then he rode after the man of God and found him sitting under a great tree. The old prophet asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “Yes, I am,” he replied. Then he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.” “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’”

But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.

Then while they were sitting at the table a command from the Lord came to the old prophet. He cried out to the man of God from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have disobeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. You came to this place and ate and drank where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors.”

Wow! Here we have a man of God that was given a specific message with detailed instructions on how to carry out everything. The first distraction came from Jeroboam who attempted to invite him to his house. The man of God wisely refused and responded with the command God had given him. The second distraction interestingly came from another prophet who was older and also invited him to his house. The man of God wisely responded with the command God had given him yet the old prophet told him that he had a different command of the Lord for the man of God. Yikes! Unfortunately, the man of God was persuaded by the old prophet and he went to eat and drink in the very land which the Lord commanded him not to eat and drink. This distraction literally cost him his life!

The reason why the older prophet lied to the man of God is unknown. More than anything though I believe one of the main takeaways is to be led by God and to hold onto what He tells you! If you are in Christ, you are His sheep and you hear His voice! It’s important that each of us cultivate our own personal relationship with God! Yes, God can speak to us through people but if what you’re receiving from someone else doesn’t confirm something God has already shown you I encourage you to “put it on the shelf” and continue walking with God and walking in the revelation He has already given you. (Put it on the shelf means don’t focus on it. Focus on God J). God uses man but not to contradict what He has already said. “God is not a man that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). I want to encourage everyone not to allow anything to distract you from God or from “attending to His Word” as you go throughout life (Proverbs 4:20-22). Trust Him! You are His sheep and you hear His voice (John 10:27)! You know Him! (John 14:17) God honors His Word! Be blessed!