When you’re doing what you’re doing in the Will of God, you’ll cause a disturbance.
-- Rev. Ed Sanders

It was high time to live a better, more productive life. In this effort, he made up his mind to read and study the Word and pray more often. As he did this, he also felt compelled to take better care of his body so he decided to lose weight, eat healthier, and exercise. As he proceeded, he knew he needed to clear his circle of dead weight and troublesome friends, stop smoking, and limit his drinking. As he cleared the area in and around himself, he thought it best to keep a cleaner and neater home, get a grip on his finances, and get a better job. He was simply tired of living in what felt outside the Will of God and pursued with great pleasure and enthusiasm that which was pleasing to God.

Well, the enemy was not pleased at all. The enemy was disturbed by this new and righteous course of action being undertaken. The enemy was losing one of its greatest followers, and of course, this could not be tolerated and had to stop.

So right before his eyes, and certainly no sooner than our friend had begun to practice his newfound momentum for living within the Will of God, the enemy began to send its buddies temptation, trials, doubt, and frustration to mess with him. When he read the Word, he found it difficult to focus on the words and tripped over the thys, thous, and all the begetting. When he prayed, he either fell asleep or found himself at a loss for words, which made him believe his prayers were unheard and, thus, unanswered.

Our man prayed for strength and endurance as he travailed to provide better care for his body. But his taste buds didn’t easily find favor for unsalted foods or sugar-free desserts and candy. With every mile of the treadmill he became more irritable and grouchy as the previously idle chemicals in his body began to shift and find new life. The aches and pains of exercising formerly undisturbed muscles were truly unbearable as he secretly considered holding on to what seemed too difficult to lose.

His friends noticed a change in him. Some were supportive; others envious, doubting and oppressive. He tried kicking to the curb the naysayers. Some went willingly; others clung like slugs, leaving behind a trail of unwanted slights. Some thought him no longer cool or “down” because of the habits he chose to change. When the air was cleared, he came out with 3 true friends.

Being tired from exercising and battling to keep his circle clean took away the energy necessary for keeping his house as clean as he’d like. Thus, clean and dirty clothes piled up, dishes were left unwashed, and the lawn nearly passed as a condemned area turned science experiment. Vigorously focusing on clearing up debt made it difficult to change jobs, so staying in the job he no longer wanted provided a great deal of frustration that could only be alleviated by vigorous exercise. But, heck, he hurt too bad and cussed too much when he did that.

But, you know what? Our guy didn’t give in to the enemies attempts at sabotage. Oh no, he dug his feet in and pushed a little harder. This made him tougher and better able to withstand the weapons thrown at him. The clearer he got, the more abrupt and upsetting the distractions became. But our friend kept praying, studying, exercising, cleaning, and paying off his bills. And because he kept his groove going, the shield of God provided a covering for him and made it impossible for the weapons of the enemy to permanently bruise or thwart his attempts at a better life.
Though he continues to be tested, and on occasion, like most of us, fails the test, our friend never gives in or up, and uses each test grade as a lesson for improving his faithfulness and uprightness as he prepares for each impending test.

Be like our guy who is undeterred by the disturbances that are sure to come when you are doing the right thing. Don’t give in and don’t give up for surely your reward will be great.

Sadiqqa © 2007