“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 5:6-11 NRSV
The times we live in are difficult as a whole. A lot of racial and religious tension in the country and even the world. But let’s narrow it down a little, because all of us individually don’t deal with things that have international consequences on a daily basis. We just have our daily circumstances that we call life to deal with.
That’s not to minimize it. Our lives are important and are a big deal to us. All that we know is the day-to-day that we live in. Sometimes the big things going on around us can distract us from the issues that are right in front of us. We can get too busy focusing on those things or the things of others and we overlook our own issues that need our attention.
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
Matthew 7:3-5 NLT
Sometimes we can look on the things of others, because it’s not our issue. Then we tend to look down on others with a judgmental eye. While seemingly a small thing it can open a door for our adversary the devil. Jesus teaches us not to overlook the beam or log in our eye to tell your brother about the speck in his. It’s a lack of focus to let things build up in your life and then try to tell someone about the little they are dealing with
Since the beginning the devil tries to get our focus off of what we’re supposed to be doing and on to the things of others. He deceived Eve by telling her that God didn’t want them to be like Him and that God was holding something back from them. Adam blamed Eve for the fact that he sinned against a God. It’s a continuing cycle to not be sober, vigilant and humbled under the mighty and of God.
The lion roars as a distraction so the other lions can attack the prey. The Lord wants us to lock in and focus. To not lose sight of the plan He has for us. I was listening to Bishop T.D. Jakes once and said how when he’s working on something he just stares at it. Whether it’s a sermon, a song, a play or a movie. He takes what he’s done and stares at and allows God by His Spirit to speak to him and imagine what it can be. So I challenge myself and this who will read this to lock in and focus on what God has planted inside of you. Don’t allow the enemy to deceive you. Watch. Pray. Live holy.
That leads us to our Throwback Song of the Week. We’re headed to the west coast to Cali with the Gospel Gangstaz. This is from their 2002 release entitled “The Exodus“. The featured track is “Watch, Pray, Live Holy“. Tune into the latest episode of the Trackstarz show to hear DJ Jeremaya spin this for the Throwback Song of the Day. Until next time…
Peace and blessings,
Damo
