March 10

Man, Interrupted

Take good counsel and accept correction—
that’s the way to live wisely and well.

We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,
but God’s purpose prevails.

––Proverbs 19:20-21, msg

Do you have friends who constantly interrupt you? Or just as bad, don’t listen as they just wait for you to finish so they can talk? Yeah, annoying. Life is full of interruptions, though, and they come in all shapes and sizes. From being interrupted in a conversation, to having someone cut in front of you at the grocery store, to being cut off on the freeway. Irritating interruptions. (I admit to listening to worship music in my car and then in less than a second turning into a yelling, angry driver. Anyone else?)

The greatest interrupter is our enemy, who loves to interrupt our thoughts and actions when we are walking with God, doing His good works, and pursuing His will. Think about how many “to do” items pop into your head when you are trying to pray? (Well, it’s a problem for me. If you don’t have that issue, good on ya.) Or think about times when you step out in boldness to volunteer, agree to lead, or begin a fast or spiritual exercise. I don’t know about you, but Chrissy and I often joke, “Well, the enemy’s not happy about (fill in the blank), so it must be a Kingdom project!”

The first interruption in human history was when the snake slithered into the Garden and poured poisoned words into Eve’s ear. Think about what Adam and Eve had going for them: eternal life in paradise on Earth; an unlimited amount of food; no need to toil or work; and most amazing of all, full access to the Lord of the universe. Then, the great Fall (we all know the rest of that story).

Man of God, don’t allow the enemy to interrupt the things that God wants to do in your life. Passive resistance won’t cut it. We need to take up all the armor of God in order to aggressively fight the enemy, who is constantly on the attack (Ephesians 6:10-13). He will try to persuade you to skip your prayer time, ditch your Bible for a few more funny YouTube videos, and to convince you that you’re too busy to volunteer or go on that short-term missions trip.

This Christian life is not a spectator sport. We must get out of our chairs, engage with the world, the flesh, and the devil, and invite Jesus into every spiritual interruption that Satan throws at us.

Father, help me recognize the difference between life’s normal interruptions and the toxic work the enemy is trying to do to derail my relationship with You. Keep me sharp and on my guard.