Sometimes we can get caught up in the hype of having more than we truly need. Often it’s because our eyes are focused on what someone else has obtained. We see their bigger house, new furniture, the latest model car, or even the trendiest clothes.
Our focus is on the things they have, so we can’t see anything else, and we don’t realize that we are not what we have obtained. And we miss the point of at what cost or what the person had to sacrifice. We see the smiles and laughs on the outside, but what we don’t see is what they may be feeling on the inside — uncertainty, dread, fear, and anxiety. (Luke 12:15)
We don’t consider that they have no peace, and they’ve been robbed of their joy. And we don’t witness the sleepless nights because they are up worrying about how they will make the next payment. Perhaps we even miss the pain they go through because they are in an abusive relationship because they are with someone because of their status and what they can provide.
The enemy is good at smoke and mirrors deception schemes similar to that of magicians. The best illusionist brings our focus somewhere else while they perform and complete the magic trick. They obscure or embellish the truth of a situation with irrelevant conversation and movement. Then they bring our focus back to the central point, and we see the result of what seemed impossible to perform. (John 8:44)
That’s exactly how our enemy, the devil, works. He is the great deceiver! He brings half-truths to our attention. It’s the trick he used in the very beginning in the garden of Eden. He got Adam and Eve’s attention on what they couldn’t have, and they missed everything they did have. Ultimately losing everything. (Genesis 3:1-7)
We don’t have to be misled by the enemy and take on more than we can handle such that we have to lose sleep. We don’t have to think that God is holding out on us. We can trust that He will give us what we need when we need it.
If we choose not to trust our Father and get ahead of His plan, we will find ourselves shifting priorities to make ends meet. We will have to pay this bill but skip paying another bill this month and get caught up in the cycle over and over again only to realize we can’t catch up. Then the smoke and mirrors house of cards we’ve built up to keep things going will come crashing down around us, and we lose everything.
We must keep our eyes on what our Heavenly Father has promised us, which is He will supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19). We have to keep a grateful heart and be content with the things God has given us. Then as we seek Him and His righteousness, we will find that He has given us all that we need (Matthew 6:33).
Prayer: Lord, thank You for always supplying my needs. Don’t let the enemy deceive me. Give me the insight to see that You always give me what I need when I need it. Create in me a grateful heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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