Influencers Weekly Devotional

BUSY

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Savior. Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So, let them go to their churches; let them have their potlucks, BUT steal their time, so they won't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do," said the devil. "Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout the day!" "How shall we do this?" his demons shouted. "It will be easy," said the devil. "Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade their wives to go to work for long hours and their husbands to work 6-7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work! Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive, and tempt them to get DVD players for their kids even in their cars and vans. Have them keep the TV, VCR, CD's, and PC's going constantly in their homes and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays fast-paced music constantly. This will jam their minds and break their union with Christ. Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what is important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches too! If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. Have the husbands neglect their wives and children, and convince them that their busyness and daily sacrifice of working so hard to give them a better lifestyle is worth it. That will keep the husbands in trouble with their wives and they'll feel unappreciated and give up. It gets easier. Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their vacations exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. KEEP THEM BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! And when they meet for spiritual fellowship in their small groups, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. Let them talk, talk, talk, but don't let them pray. A prayer at the beginning and the end is a Christian thing. No worries there. But keep them talking about the Bible or anything else to fill their time, but don't let them leave time for prayer. Crowd their lives with church involvement and so many good causes that they have no time to seek their power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause." "It will work!" "It will work!" It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there, having little time for their God or their families. Having no time, energy, or credibility to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives. I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes? You be the judge. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your grand." Ephesians 6:12-13 "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 Download file