Distractions

The other day I was trying to do my Bible study at the computer. Unfortunately, there was a very big, very noisy fly buzzing over my head that would not leave me alone! Back and forth from the lamp to the window he went. Finally, in desperation, I got a fly swatter. I sat perched in the chair - ammunition cocked  just waiting for him to swoop past me. Here he comes…swat … miss…there he went!

Now he was in the lamp. But he was just too fast. It was like he was on methamphetamines or something.  Zigging and zaggain, zigging and zagging! I kept swatting. Swat. Miss. Swat. Miss. After about 15 minutes, I sat back down and took a deep breath. In desperation, I prayed, “Lord, please help me kill this fly so that I can get back to my study.”

Soon, I heard the fly again. This time I just blindly swatted in the air above a high bookshelf. I’m pretty sure I got him. I couldn’t see his carcass, but the buzzing stopped. Finally, I was able to get back to my study.

So what did I learn from this crazy encounter? Mainly that the enemy of our souls wants nothing more than to distract us when we are trying to read God's Word. If he can get our minds, eyes, and ears off of what God is saying, then the battle is won. What's worse, Satan wants to make us crazy - swatting, reaching, grabbing for everything under the sun  except God.

Are there other things distracting me today from studying God's Word? Perhaps it's Facebook, or email, TV, or my cell phone. I need to "kill off" all those pesky flies and quiet my mind so I can hear what God is trying to tell me. First, let me just check my email one more time, though ....