The Devil is Never Too Busy

Have you ever heard the old saying,

 “The Devil is never too busy to rock the cradle of a sleeping saint?”

Well, this morning I had an epiphany of sorts. 

I have been so busy of late that I feel like I never sleep.  Maybe in body, but not in mind. I never seem to be able to fit all I have to do into the 24 hours that God has given me each day. I know it’s not that He hasn’t given me enough hours, but it’s my lack of correct prioritizing and use of time that’s the problem. 

Anyway, back to my epiphany. 

I made up a new saying of my own. 

“The Devil is so busy throwing toys and activities

 and numerous distractions into the cradle, that we don’t have time or room to sleep!” 

We let him fill up our days with unimportant ‘stuff’, with wasteful activities, with mind-numbing, brain deadening, soul-destroying entertainment, that we no longer have time to sleep. 

And you know, it’s not always bad things that we fill our days with. Did you know that you can fill your days with the Lord’s work, and yet, be too busy for the Lord? How does that work?

Luke 10:41-42

 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Well, God intends for us to work hard in His service and give our all to Him. But when we become so busy doing good works for Him, that we fail to take time to sit at His feet, we have neglected the important for the urgent. We have our priorities out of whack. 

Life in this day and age is so frenzied. We are like ants, scurrying back and forth from one task to the next, never stopping to rest, always running, always busy. But are we busy doing the best things? Is what we’re doing working for an eternal good? Could we be putting our energies into one ‘good’ thing instead of many ‘mediocre’ things. Sometimes less is actually more. 

In the long run, we can accomplish more when we focus on one important job, than when we try to juggle many urgent jobs.

I am still learning this truth and it’s been a struggle knowing what to hold on to and what to let go of. It’s not easy deciding what to keep and what to toss. A bit like decluttering your house. 

We need God’s wisdom in making our decisions. We need His guidance. 

Proverbs 3:6

 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

But I do know that I need to be very careful of how I fill my days. I know from experience that it’s a lot easier filling them than it is emptying them. 

And yes, there are a lot of sleeping saints that the Devil is content to continue rocking, but if he can’t keep you asleep, he will keep you busy. Read that again. 

If he can’t keep you asleep, he’ll keep you busy! 

He knows that busyness leads to tiredness which leads to carelessness which leads to neglect. Neglect of time spent with the Lord. Neglect of time spent in fellowship with other believers. Neglect in studying the Word of God. 

People like to say, “You’re busy. At least it keeps you out of trouble!” No way! What kind of trouble are we talking about? Because I know the busier I get, the less time I have for times of quiet and study and prayer. The less time I have for others. The more time I try and squeeze in for myself, thinking that somehow I am owed ‘me time’. 

Nope. Busier is not always better. 

The Devil will continually throw things into your cradle if you’re not contentedly sleeping. He will use whatever it takes to distract you from what is important. Just like a child that has too many toys in their cot to be able to sleep. Distracted. Busy. Restless. 

So, purpose today, not to give him an inch of room. No sleeping on the job, but no slaving on the job either. A good balance. A balance that only the Lord can give you. God is not the author of confusion.  That’s the Devil’s work. 

1 Corinthians 14:33 

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

 God is the only one that can bring our priorities into order. He is the only one that can truly show us what to keep and what to toss.

He is the only one that can bring peace. True peace. 

Philippians 4:7

 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Purpose today to throw out the distractions and the unimportant busyness and focus on what God would have you do. Don’t let the Devil give you anymore ‘toys’ to play with. 

No decision made without prayer. 

Nothing added to your list of to do’s without prayer.

No saying yes to another job without prayer.

Wake up!

Ephesians 5:14 

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest,

 and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Find the balance!

Waiting on the Lord

Psalm 27:14

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage,

 and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

I’ve been doing a lot of waiting on the Lord lately. But that’s okay, because God’s Word is full of commands to wait on the Lord. To rest. To be still. To wait.

As I have said many times before, I am not naturally patient. I don’t like to wait. I can be antsy and restless, anxious and agitated. But the Bible continually tells us to wait.

What does this waiting on the Lord look like? How do we wait? Why do we have to wait? These are questions I ask myself. When I know that what I want to do is perfectly in God’s will, but He is not giving me the go ahead, then I begin to doubt whether I have it right. Am I really in the will of God?

The way we wait is often impatient. Nervous. Complaining. Questioning. Frustrated. Irritated.

But, there’s a little word called ‘timing’. God’s perfect timing. Yes, God works on a different time schedule than us. I mean, He created time, so He knows what He’s doing.

Waiting on God does not mean doing nothing.  It’s more of an active stillness. We are to keep busy serving, being productive in the work of the Lord, while we wait on His clear direction. If we’re wise enough to wait on Him, we will accomplish what God has for us to do, when He wants us to do it. God’s timing is perfect.

Only God knows the dangers that lie ahead. The blessings He has in store for us. He knows when we are ready. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. The waiting has a purpose. Although we may not see it, the purpose is there and God is in the wait.

Isaiah 64:4

 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard,

 nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen,

 O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

In this verse in Isaiah, we read that since the beginning of time, men have not heard or seen or even perceived what God has in store for them. We can’t even begin to see into the future and what God has planned. I know that if we could, we would be all the more impatient and maybe also more determined to try and change God’s plans.

Lamentations 3:24-26

The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

I like that in Lamentations, God tells us that the Lord is good to those who wait. It is good to hope and quietly wait. There is blessing for those who wait.

And so, we wait. Or do we? It’s so easy for us to want to jump ahead of God. We are sure we know the way to go and what He wants us to do and so we jump in with both feet, only to realise that we are in sinking sand because we are not in God’s timing. We did not wait on His timing.

Many times I have been sure of God’s direction, but have been held back by His timing. I know I’m in the will of God, but He has not said, “Go”. He was telling me to stand still and wait. “Not now, dear child. Wait on me. There is more growing you need to do. More teaching you need to heed to. More obstacles to be removed first.”

And in my foolishness, I have jumped ahead and pushed that slowly opening door wide open, slamming it against the wall and charged like a bull at a gate, out into my great endeavour, only to fail and fall flat on my face! Why? Timing. Always timing. Sigh.  I see the door open, just a crack, and my impatience gets the better of me, and blindly, I rush in.

But, God is showing me from His Word, and teaching me to wait on Him. Although that door may be showing a glimmer of light, it does not necessarily mean that it’s ready to be gone through.

God has reasons for our waiting. He wants us to receive clear direction. He wants us to keep in step with His excellent timing. He wants to strengthen our faith. He wants to bring us to see His viewpoint. He often wants to sift our motives for our desires. He wants to see where our hearts lie. What pride lies deep within us. Why we want to do what we want to do. Often, our motives are wrong.

Sometimes it’s the praise of men. You don’t have to look very far around this world, to see that we have become a world of men pleasers. We want praise. We want adulation. Admiration. Devotion. Why do you think there’s such a focus on “likes” on social media? Because people want to know that everyone is for them. That what they offer is popular or noteworthy.

If we are desiring to do something, albeit Godly, with the wrong motives, then God will not bless our endeavour. He sees our hearts. And sometimes He makes us wait, if only to let us see the selfish pride that lies in our hearts and give us time to repent and turn back to Him.

I know that sometimes I fear losing that great opportunity if I don’t take it right then, with both hands and run with it. What if someone else does it? What if the great door closes before I reach it? We need to be reminded, that if God has put our name on a particular job or calling, then we don’t have to fear losing it. God will give it to us in His timing. It will still be there, and the opportunity not lost if we wait on Him.

So many things in life require waiting. And yet, the world is constantly inventing new things that save time. That bring instant gratification. We are an impatient lot!

The Christian needs to learn to wait. Waiting on the Lord brings blessing. God is not in a hurry. He knows the end of the story. He knows how much time you have on this earth. He knows how much time you’ll have and how much time you’ll need to do the job He is calling you to do.

So, back to the practical stuff. How do we wait?

 I recently heard a sermon on this subject and on how we are to wait for God. There are so many verses on waiting in the Bible and in doing my own study on waiting, I am even more convinced that God commands us to wait and the importance of building the character trait of waiting into our lives.

Some ways I’ve found in God’s Word that show us how to wait are:

Patiently

Psalm 37:7a

 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him:

Quietly

Lamentations 3:26

It is good that a man should both hope and

quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Trusting

Psalm 37:5

 Commit thy way unto the LORD;

 trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Expectantly

Psalm 27:13

 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the

 goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Courageously

Psalm 27:14

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage,

 and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

We are not to fret. We are not to be anxious and impatient. God wants us to stand still and wait on Him. Wait for Him to move us in His timing.

Often, God needs to move things around a little. Prepare people’s hearts. Uncover the pride. Calm the chaos. See repentance, before He can move. Our job is to wait on Him.

Oh, that we can say with the Psalmist,

Psalm 130:5-6

I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait,

 and in his word do I hope.

 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they

 that watch for the morning:

 I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

Oh, that I would have such patience to wait. Lord, work in me a patient spirit. A heart that waits. A contentment in the pauses you send in my life. Grant me your peace as I wait on you. A satisfied calmness. An active stillness.

Isaiah 40:31

 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;

 they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run,

 and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Wait

By Russell Kelfer, copyright 1995

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried.

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, He replied.

I pleaded, and I wept for a clue to my fate,

And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait.”

“Wait? Your say wait??” my indignant reply.

“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why.

Is your hand shortened?  Or have you not heard?

By faith I have asked, and I’m claiming your Word.

“My future, and all to which I can relate

Hangs in the balance, and you tell me ‘wait’?

I’m needing a ‘yes’, a go-ahead sign,

Or even a ‘no’, to which I can resign.

“And Lord, you have promised that if we believe,

We need but ask, and we shall receive.

And Lord I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:

“I’m weary of asking: I need a reply!”

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate

As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.”

So I slumped in my chair; defeated and taut

And grumbled to God; “So I’m waiting, for what?”

He seemed then to kneel and His eyes met with mine

And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens, darken the sun,

Raise the dead, cause the mountains to run.

“All you see I could give, and pleased you would be.

You would have what you want, but you wouldn’t know Me.

You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint;

You’d not know the power that I give to the faint.

“You’d not learn to see through clouds of despair;

You’d not learn to trust, just by knowing I’m there.

You’d not know the joy of resting in Me,

When darkness and silence was all you could see.

“You would never experience that fullness of love

As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

“The glow of My comfort late in the night;

The faith that I give when you walk without sight;

The depth that’s beyond getting just what you ask

From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

“And you never would know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’

Yes, your dreams for that loved one o’ernight could come true,

But the loss! if you lost what I’m doing in you!

“So be silent, my child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.

And though oft’ may My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all….is still…wait.”

.

Be Still. But How? 

In my last post, I talked about being still. But for those of you mothers, wives and daughters, whose days are filled with the urgent and the important, what does this being still look like in a practical sense? How does it play out practically?

I find, that it is not so much sitting down for an hour at a time and doing nothing physically, but it’s more of a stillness of the mind and spirit, where you stop and listen to the Lord and listen to him speak to you and take your focus off whatever it is that is distracting your mind, and simply wait on the Lord. Bringing your requests to him and waiting on his answer. Listening for that still small voice that can so easily be drowned out by the tumult of the days activities.

We are given many opportunities of quiet, but it is our choice to take hold of them. We have to be on the look out for them. Sometimes it may be a few minutes in the early morning before everyone is up, or maybe while hubby is at work, or the children are taking an afternoon nap. Even waiting in line at the drive through at McDonalds can be used as times to be still. Times that we can quiet our hearts in order to hear what God has to say.

I know that these times are not ideal and should never take the place of our daily quiet time with the Lord, but I believe that God would have us use our time wisely and grab hold of any opportunity to commune with him, whether it be seconds, minutes or hours.

Can I be honest with you here? I am often guilty of wasting precious time on Pintrest, or surfing the net, or checking emails unnecessarily, or reading the news, when I could be using those minutes to read God’s Word or pray or meditate on scripture.

It’s so easy in this day and age, to be distracted by the technology that is at our fingertips. That’s not to say that it is not helpful, but I fear that it has become a large part of our problem when it comes to being still and waiting on God.

 We fill our minutes with fairy floss, neglecting the meat of God’s Word. We don’t stop to listen to what God would have us do. We don’t take a few seconds to pray for someone in need as they come to mind. We casually go about life, content with our weekly church services and mid week prayer meetings, happy to sit and soak in the Word of God at these times, but we carelessly disregard the little snatches of time God gives us to sit and be still and know that he is God. These precious times are so important. Our days fly by and all too soon the opportunity is gone and we can never get it back. It is gone forever.

I know that we can’t always find an hour or two to study and pray, but those few minutes in the Doctor’s waiting room, or at the stop light, or waiting for someone while sitting in the car can be used as times to be still before the Lord and listen to him. We don’t always need quiet to be quiet. In other words, there doesn’t have to be dead silence around us for us to listen to the Lord. We just have to quiet our hearts. Quiet our minds. Be always tuning our ears to God’s still small voice. His whispers to our hearts.

God’s Word tells us to redeem the time.

Ephesians 5:16

 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

The Greek word here in this context means to rescue from loss. Meaning, to rescue or recover our time from waste. To improve it for great and important purposes. Well, being still before the Lord is definitely a great and important purpose.

It’s not easy, in our busy world, to make time for the Lord. It’s not easy to be still in the chaos we live in. God never said our lives would be easy. But he did promise that he would be with us and never forsake us.

We can’t expect to live life, being swept along in the current of the world, never stopping to be still before the Lord and then expect his blessings. God blesses those who wait on him. He longs for us to wait on Him.

Psalm 27:14

 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage,

 and he shall strengthen thine heart:

wait, I say, on the LORD.

I encourage you to make the most of those little moments of time. Look for them. Be excited when they come. Don’t fritter them away in frivolous activity but use them wisely. Make them count for eternity. Be still.

The Voice Of God

When we hear the voice of God

Speaking to our hearts,

Do we obey and follow Him

Or are we slow to start?

For when the Lord speaks to us,

We need to heed the call

And do the things He wants us to,

Giving to Him our all

I know at times it can be hard

To know the Father's will,

We need to listen to His voice,

For He speaks when all is still

Many times we fret so much

And rush so much about,

We then find all our busyness

May cloud our Saviour out

So this is why we take some time

To be still before the Lord,

So He can speak into our lives

And show us so much more.

© By M.S.Lowndes