Don’t Be Deceived!

“And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” Nehemiah 6:3

Have you ever been engaged in a project or task where someone tried to distract you or draw you away from completing the job? That can be extremely aggravating—especially when you are trying to focus. If you are focused on something, then your mind is not supposed to wander off into other things. But the deceiver is always looking for ways to divert your attention so that errors can be birthed.

In the Old Testament, we find the record of Nehemiah and the other Jewish exiles engaged in the critical task of rebuilding the city walls of Jerusalem that had been destroyed. But their enemies were not pleased with the city being rebuilt, so they tried to draw Nehemiah away from the task by inviting him to leave his work and meet with them. He realized that the invitation was a trick to pull him away from work and also to harm him.

Nehemiah was confident that he was following God’s plan to rebuild the city; therefore, he refused to be deceived by his enemies. He kept doing the work that God had called him to do. He set the example for us as we do God’s work or call us to do and to ignore the distractions and deceptions that can draw us off course. That means we also need to keep our eyes on God and faithfully continue His work.

The world has been fashioned in a way to get people distracted and make them lose focus on God. And until we understand this and guide our hearth diligently against the deceptions of the world, we might easily be deceived even when it looks profitable. God is always ready to lead us through; we only need to be deliberate about our focus. Matthew 10:16 says, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep amid wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

Prayer:
1. Father, help me to keep my thoughts focused on You and Your plans for my life.
2. Proverbs 24:11: Oh Lord, “deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter “ in the name of Jesus.