Diversions And Distractions: Tools Used Against Us Series

Diversions and Distractions: Tools Used Against Us

(Rev. Barry Johnson and Rev. Rodney Johnson)

NOTE: New Light Faith Ministries and Barry Johnson Ministries, founded by Rodney V. Johnson and Barry O. Johnson, respectively, are partnering to offer Bible studies for Christians who are seeking to grow in their relationship with Jesus. This is a Bible study lesson, not a sermon. The Bible studies teach foundational truth that are designed to challenge, encourage and, most importantly, flame the fire of hunger in the Christian who wants to learn more about who they have become in Christ Jesus. The Bible studies you find on this site contains the written version of the lesson. However, these lessons also include a video and an audio file of the study, a PDF version of the lesson and a sheet for note taking. If you would like any of the additional resources for these studies, please email us at newlightfaithministries@gmail.com or bjteachingltr@gmail.com for more information or contact us at the email provided on both of our Sermon Central pages. Please visit our YouTube Channel (Barry Johnson Ministries; New Light Faith Ministries, Inc.) to watch or listen to these lessons as well as other available sermons. Be blessed.

Introduction

Several years ago I was returning home from a trip to the east coast. My flight took off from New Jersey and was scheduled to arrive in Kansas City around 7:30 p.m. There was bad weather scheduled for Kansas City so I changed my scheduled flight for an earlier one hoping to beat the weather. Once we took off, the weather worsened in Kansas City and we were not allowed to land. Our plane was diverted Tulsa, OK as we were getting low on fuel circling the airport. We were told that once we got to Tulsa they would refuel the plane and then we would return to Kansas City. That did not happen. Once we arrived in Tulsa we were informed that the pilots could not fly to Kansas City and we would need to find hotels for the night. I had been away from home for three weeks and I was determined that I was going to get home that night. So after retrieving my bags I went to the rental car station to rent a car. There were several others doing the same and three of us decided to share a ride. I got into the car with 2 strangers in Tulsa, OK for a 3 hour road trip to Kansas City. As it turned out the guys I got into the car with were Christians and we all prayed that we would arrive home safely which we did. But here is something that I found out the next day: had I stayed on my original flight I would have gotten home at the scheduled time as the weather had cleared up enough for that flight to land. However, had I waited overnight in Tulsa for the flight the next morning I would have been stuck there because the weather deteriorated overnight causing the airport to shut down.

When I boarded my flight in New Jersey I boarded that plane with the expectation that when I stepped off the plane I would be in Kansas City. That did not happen. Why? Because bad weather caused that plane to be diverted to another airport 3 hours away. But before that happened, I saw the forecast and came to the conclusion that I needed to change my flight. So I allowed myself to get distracted by the potential weather changes and figured I should be proactive and get ahead of it. My only goal was to get home that night. My distraction by the weather led me to make a decision that caused me to get home 4 hours later than I would have had I not changed my flight at all. Because I was so distracted by the weather forecast, fear set in that I wouldn’t be able to get home so I made the decision to change my flight which was diverted. I did not get home “that night” per se, but very early the next morning. Now here is something I want you to remember. When I prayed about the situation I did not pray and ask God “should I change my flight” because of the weather. No, I prayed and asked God to allow me to get on the earlier flight. Do you see the mistake I made?

The title of this month’s lesson is “Diversions and Distractions: Tools Used Against Us.” Paul wrote the following to the Christians in Corinth: “(10) Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, (11) lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (Second Corinthians 2:10-11) In verse ten Paul talks about forgiving and then transitions to verse eleven where he mentions how Satan takes advantage of us when we choose not to forgive. But we want you to focus on what Paul wrote in the last part of verse eleven. He said, “…for we are not ignorant of his devices.” Through God’s Word and the Holy Spirit residing within us, we know his plans, his thoughts, his cunning, and his skills for he has not changed his tactics. We are not ignorant of the great number of devices which he is constantly using to injure us and to destroy the souls of people. He is full of wiles; and Paul had an abundance of occasions to be acquainted with the means which he had used to defeat his plans and to destroy the church. This lesson will focus on two of those “wiles” and or devices, diversions and distractions.