DISTRACTION OF ANTIPATHY

     Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we
     are exceedingly piled with contempt.

     — Psalms 123:3

The thing of which we have to beware is not so much damage to our
belief in God as damage to our Christian temper. “Therefore take heed
to thy spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.” The temper of mind is
tremendous in its effects, it is the enemy that penetrates right into
the soul and distracts the mind from God. There are certain tempers
of mind in which we never dare indulge; if we do, we find they have
distracted us from faith in God, and until we get back to the quiet
mood before God, our faith in Him is nil, and our confidence in the
flesh and in human ingenuity is the thing that rules.

Beware of “the cares of this world,” because they are the things that
produce a wrong temper of soul. It is extraordinary what an enormous
power there is in simple things to distract our attention from God.
Refuse to be swamped with the cares of this life.

Another thing that distracts us is the lust of vindication. St.
Augustine prayed – “O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always
vindicating myself.” That temper of mind destroys the soul’s faith in
God. “I must explain myself; I must get people to understand.” Our
Lord never explained anything; He left mistakes to correct
themselves.

When we discern that people are not going on spiritually and allow
the discernment to turn to criticism, we block our way to God. God
never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that
we may intercede.

On this day…

• Psalm 91 – 2024
• Psalm 92 – 2024
• Nehemiah 2 – 2023
• Nehemiah 1 – 2023
• The Humble Example of the Wise Men – 2011
• Your Podcast Is Not Your Pastor, Says Christian Blogger – 2011
• Are We Not Clay In His Hands? – 2011
• 2 Chronicles 29:24 – 2011
• Galatians 5 – 2011
• Galatians 4 – 2011