On Sunday my pastor preached from Galations 5: 1-7. (You can watch it here.) The last line smacked the mess out of me. "7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?" Well, dang. I was running a good raced but what (or who) stopped me from obeying the truth? Did that smack you too?
So when I got home I had to expand the chapter. What did the Word say after verse 7? Well, it said a lot. Here is a snippet:
7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.
That person or thing that is stopping you from obeying what God has called you to do is like a little yeast. You have to move biblical metaphors. A little yeast changes a whole batch of bread dough, right? Just a little time with the person that is distracting you from purpose can change your whole life. Makes you re-evaluate your habits and folks in your life, huh?
"Father, please help me to clear out all the distractions that are keeping me from drawing closer to You. God, please remove the people and things that are in the way of me being exactly where You want me to be. God, remove those distractions no matter how much I want to hold onto them. Take them away - far away- so that I may not be tempted or distracted by them again. Father, I trust that You know best. I love You and thank You! Amen. Amen."