Distractions. 

One of the enemy’s most effective war tactics. Distractions provide a false reality. Distractions lie to you. Distractions keep you detached and unaligned with the will and purpose of God. 



A distraction is defined as:

1. a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
2. extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.

The news and social media has become the enemy’s playground. Whether it's real news or fake, people are fearful, confused, anxious, angry, depressed, suicidal, just mentally exhausted. This is all in an effort to distract us from what we KNOW about God and His Word and to cause us to neglect who we are in Him and embrace a false identity of ourselves.


Psalm 46:1-3"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah."


Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."


Spiritual serenity and peace, the psalmist admits, ought to be cultivated in spite of the shaking mountains and agitated water.


“Be still” comes from the Hebrew word raphah , which means to let drop, abandon, relax, refrain, forsake, let go, or let alone.


“And know” comes from the Hebrew word yada, which means to perceive, to see or discern, to distinguish, recognize, admit, acknowledge, or confess.


The people of God should be awakened and aware of the signs of the times. Ephesians 6:12-13 tells us, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."


However, a major component of that poised position of “standing” is “being still and knowing that He is God.”


In order to be still, we must be willing to abandon, and forsake, and resist those distractions. We must be willing to detach ourselves from the voices of fear, unrest, rage, and chaos that plagues our world, and attach ourself, and fix our eyes on the One who never changes, never fails, who is unshaken and unmoved though the world caves in around us.
Be still in His presence. Be still in His word. Be still and KNOW. 


I think about Gideon and his encounter with the angel of the Lord in Judges 6:11-12. "And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour."


Israel was being oppressed by the Midianites, and this is the reason we find Gideon hiding out, threshing wheat by the wine press, instead of the threshing floor. 
I imagine he felt a lot like so many today. He felt fearful, angry, defeated, emotionally agitated, DISTRACTED from the reality of an all knowing, all powerful God.
The scripture says the angel sat under an oak tree before appearing before Gideon.


We don’t know if the angel had been sitting there for a long time or a short time but this angel had sought out Gideon before Gideon became aware of the angel’s presence.


Verse 12 says, “the angel of the Lord appeared unto him.”


The meaning for the original Hebrew word for appear is to be seen, become visible, or give attention to.
Something caused Gideon to turn aside from what he was doing and look upon this angel of the Lord.
I believe it was the spirit of the Lord, a still small voice, that nudged him to forsake and abandon what he was doing, refrain from his distraction and behold the angel of the Lord who reminded him that the Lord was with him and called him a mighty man of valour.


The Lord was saying BE STILL and KNOW that I am God. I am with you and you are mighty in and through me. Get in alignment with my plan and my word.


I can’t help but wonder if in the midst of the rage and chaos, God is about to manifest Himself to those who refuse to be distracted, those who choose to turn aside from the madness and look to Him.


Ephesians 1:17-18 "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the KNOWledge of him:The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may KNOW what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,"


Isaiah 43:19 "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not KNOW it?"

The song, “Into the Unknown,” from the movie Frozen 2 has been on repeat at our house. My two daughters sing it at the top of their lungs, and a friend pointed out that it sums up so well how we've all been feeling lately. There have been so many debates on social media concerning vaccines, viruses, masks, and everything in between. As mothers, we want to make the best decisions for our family. But how do we know what that is when there is so much conflicting information?

This brings me to a conversation I had with a friend this week. I received a text asking, “Just wondering if it's just me, but does any of this recent mess make you question the medical field and vaccines in general? I am super nervous about giving them to Henry* for some reason.” I took a minute to consider this. (Don't worry, this blog is not a debate about vaccines.) After so many times of questioning what to do for my family in various situations and turning to the Bible for answers, the same stories I always find helpful immediately came to mind. The first story is in Acts 28:3, where Paul is bitten by a poisonous snake. He shook it off into the fire and was unharmed. The second story is in 2 Kings 4:39. Some young men had made a pot of stew and taken a few bites before realizing the ingredients were poisonous. Elisha throws some flour into the pot, and no one was harmed. Both of these stories illustrate God's children unknowingly coming in contact with harmful situations, and yet they are unharmed because of His protection.

In the year 2020, the age of information, we have access to more content than we know what to do with. I remember when fat was evil and the root of all disease; then 20 years later, fat is good! Sugar is evil! As a mother, I tend to get easily caught up in trying to be “all knowing.” I search symptoms on Web MD to see what's wrong. I fact-check articles and videos so that I can distinguish truth from fake news. I try to find every angle before I make a decision on something. In the end, I am overwhelmed. I don't know how to differentiate between fact and fiction on every subject. And this is when God says, “I don't need you to be all knowing. I need you to trust me because I AM.”

Jesus died on the cross for us so that His blood can be a covering over our lives. When I am uncertain about a decision, I pray and ask God for direction. I also ask Him to protect me from the unknown mistakes that may come with my decision because I truly desire to please Him and follow His will for my life. My understanding is so limited, but His is not.
           
There are so many favorites I have when it comes to scriptures that banish fear and anxiety, but the one that always comes to mind first is Matthew 6:34 (NIV), “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” And when my mind starts to feel like a whirlwind, I actually say to myself, “Stop!” and I quote Philippians 4:8 (NIV), “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatsoever is true, whatsoever is noble, whatsoever is right, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” When I stop being anxious about the unknown and start thinking about what is lovely and pure in my life, it is incredible how my worries melt away. 
 
*Names were changed to protect privacy.
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What would you do for God if you were persuaded that you COULD NOT fail? What if we were truly persuaded that the power of the Holy Ghost living on the inside is enough? Not just enough to survive but enough to “recover all” and take back what the enemy has stolen from us. What if we were truly convinced that because He can’t be defeated, neither can we, His bride.

God is sounding an alarm in this hour, challenging people of His name to awaken, arise, and advance to action. 

My faith is challenged by the story of Nehemiah. He gives up a lofty position as cupbearer to Persian King Artaxerxes I in order to identify with the plight of his people Israel. 
God gives him a mission. A mission linked to His covenant, purpose, and promise to the people of His name. A mission that would start at repentance and would result in the rebuilding of the walls, which would lead to restoration, revival, and reformation. 

It begins when Nehemiah receives word from from Judah in Nehemiah 1:3 KJV:
“And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.”

The remnant, the survivors left from captivity, are barely surviving. What was suppose to be a life of freedom and blessing had become a life of distress and peril as they became a reproach (object of scorn) to their enemies.

How could a people of promise become a people of reproach?


This was due in large part to the ruined condition of the wall. The wall of Jerusalem has been broken down and it’s gates burned with fire.

In the ancient Middle East, a city wall provided protection for the inhabitants. The condition of a wall was also seen as an indication of the strength of the people’s gods. The ruined condition of the wall of Jerusalem reflected poorly on God’s Name.The walls were meant to protect from the outside forces and  false idol worship. But because of the ruined state of the walls, there was some worship of God but it was mixed with worship of foreign idols and influences as well.
Upon receiving this news, Nehemiah is burdened to the point of intense intercession and repentance on behalf of himself and his people.


"And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven," (Nehemiah 1:4 KJV).


Through the prayer of an intercessor, God’s promise, His word, that had seemingly been forgotten and lost by His covenant people, was brought to the forefront once again as Nehemiah humbly asked God to remember His promise.


 "Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to SET MY NAME there," (Nehemiah 1:8-9).


The meaning for the original word for “set” means to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside, establish, remain.

Just like the Lord chose the city of Jerusalem to set up His Name, He has chosen a body, a bride, a church to set up His name. A people that would abide in Him and He in them.


Just like God called Nehemiah to intercede and stand in the gap for the people of God and stand on His word to the point of fulfillment, He is still calling a people of His name to repent, and call upon Him and restate and reclaim His promises. He’s calling a people to rise up and through unified prayer and humility, rebuild the walls. We are in the world but certainly not of it. We must rebuild walls of protection and separation. We are His. 

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you," 2 Corinthians 6:17 KJV.

I’m inspired by Nehemiah’s resilience despite the constant opposition he faced. This resilience was anchored in prayer and a desire to obey God. It was rooted in a word from God. He knew without any doubt that the hand of the Lord was upon him.

Because the hand of the Lord was on Nehemiah, God ordered that he would gain the approval and favor of the pagan Persian king to go and rebuild the city of his forefathers. (Nehemiah 2:4)
Not only was he given approval to rebuild Jerusalem, but he was also given letters containing rights of passage to be given to the governors of regions along the way. Nehemiah 2:8 KJV concludes saying, “And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.”

From the onset, the enemy is threatened and he will not give up easy. 

"When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel," (Nehemiah 2:10 KJV). 

Sanballat and Tobiah were Samaritan leaders. And the prospect of a restored and newly fortified Jerusalem imposed a threat to this Ammonite power.

Upon viewing the ruined walls of the city, Nehemiah explains to the people what God has purposed in his heart.


Nehemiah 2:17-18: "Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work."

Not only is there a mission but there’s a UNIFIED mission backed by God’s hand and the king’s approval. So who can stop it?

The enemy is trembling in fear by this point as this restoration effort begins to advance. Verse 19 of chapter 2, records the first of many attempts to shut down the people of God.

"But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?"


This is the perfect example of how the enemy, because of his own fear and knowledge of his utter demise and defeat, will oppose our kingdom efforts and advancement with mocking and intimidation in hopes that we will abort the mission and concede to fear and unbelief. The adversary also provoked him with a manipulative question. “Will you rebel against the king?”
He had already been given authority and rights of passage by not only the king but the King of Kings!

It’s Nehemiah’s response to the enemy that stirred an excitement within me.

"Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will ARISE and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem," (vs 20).


The Message version lays this out for us. "I shot back, 'The God-of-Heaven will make sure we succeed. We’re his servants and we’re going to work, rebuilding. You can keep your nose out of it. You get no say in this—Jerusalem’s none of your business!'" (Nehemiah 2:20 The Message).


He declares that the God of heaven is FOR them! And they WILL ARISE and BUILD!
And you (enemy...doubt, fear, intimidation, unbelief) have no right, no place, no say, absolutely no authority or bearing on the rebuilding and restoration that is destined for God’s people! This city belongs to people of the name! It’s none of your business! 

Nehemiah continued to face opposition but He handled it as one who knew without doubt that He was moving forward in the will and favor of God. He remained prayerful and remained committed to rebuking, refusing, and discerning the lies of the enemy.

As a result of Nehemiah’s leadership, the people maintained a mind to work (Nehemiah 3:6) and were strengthened through every opposing force.

Because Nehemiah chose to rise up and be bold knowing God’s desire for his people and actually step outside of the comfort  and ease of life in a palace to saying “yes” to the call. The call to revival and restored destiny. The call to victory for people of the name.

He’s still calling today.


Again, I hear Him asking His children, “What would you do for me if you were persuaded you could not fail?”

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31 KJV)


Esther 4:14 (KJV): "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

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Jessica Bridges is a recent transplant to Livingway Pentecostal Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Upon her arrival, Jessica extended her hands to service. She has given Bible studies to young adults, partnered in a women’s small group, and extended prayerful encouragement to ladies churchwide. She continues to obediently follow "wherever God may lead," even when the territory is down the new path of sharing her heart through writing. When Jessica is not volunteering her time to ministry, she is caring for her husband, Chris, and her beautiful little girls, Maya and Sara.
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Have you ever felt like you could relate to the story of the black sheep?  As if there was no one around you that you could identify with, no one with whom you had most things in common?  Growing up in a divided home I often felt like the black sheep. My parents divorced before I was 2 years old, leaving me with no memories of them ever being together.  I was the only child of their relationship. Both of my parents remarried and had other children. That is when the feelings and questions began. “Who is like me? Who do I look like? Am I a part of this family?”  I never really felt like I belonged in either family, leaving me to wonder, “Which home accepts me more?”
 
God often uses experiences from our childhood to bring us closer to Him, and in my case that is exactly what He did.  When God began to witness to me through a friend I had met, I was so intrigued by the way she spoke about her “church family.” She would speak about them as if they were her next of kin.  I had never experienced anything like that at any church I had attended.  The concept of “church family” was completely foreign to me.  I remember I could not believe someone could love someone else like that and not even be related to them.  I remember how much I desired to know more about this experience.  
 
I know what it feels like not to belong, so this concept of accepting people as “family” was something I could relate to.
 
1 John 3:1-2 NKJV
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!  Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
 
The Scripture says, “We shall be like Him!”  When we see Jesus, we will KNOW who we belong to!  When I was filled with God’s Spirit and baptized in Jesus name, I truly felt like I belonged.  I will never forget the feeling when someone first called me Sister Amy.  I belonged in this family. 

There is nothing like the family of God.  By the world’s standards we might not look like a family, but I have never felt closer or more connected to any other body of people than I do to the family of God!
 
John 1:12-13 ESV
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
 
If you have felt like an alien in a foreign land, a “black sheep,” or just felt like something is missing in the way you connect to those around you, come home to the family of God.

Amy Cormier is dedicated to her work for the Kingdom of God. She, her husband, Joshua, and their three children, Tayton, Jaci, and Ty, reside in Lake Charles, LA and have attended Livingway Pentecostal Church since the Lord led their family there as new converts in January 2013. When God filled Amy with His Spirit, He set a fire in her that has grown more consuming with the passing of time. Her love for God shines through her commitment to the spiritual and her hunger for His Word, and her love for His people is most evident in her burden for children and young adults. God has used her to minister to youth through bus ministry, Sunday school, and Bible studies, but Amy’s zeal for God is also apparent in her contributions to an adult small group and in her work as a real estate agent. “The thing I love most about my career is it allows me to reach others outside of the church.” Now, Amy takes on a new challenge, sharing her affection for the Kingdom, through writing.
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​Jordan Sermon is the director of the Pentecostal Student Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana and is the leader of The Switch, the young adult ministry based out of Livingway Pentecostal Church. Jordan also works as a visiting lecturer in Mathematics at McNeese State University and as a curriculum writer for standardized testing. His true passion is to assist people as they make transitions in their lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Jordan spends his days with his wife, Haley, and their many children (the students that consider the PSC their home and the Switch their family).

Rachelle Fontenot is a Certified Pharmacy Technician and a brand-new writer. Rachelle has attended Livingway Pentecostal Church for 20 years. There, she shows her love for God through singing on the praise team and in the choir and through dramatized worship and theatrical performances. One of her greatest joys is singing alongside her husband, Allen, at church. They have been married almost 13 years and have 4 amazing daughters, Taylor, Aubrey, Edynn, and Norah.
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Recently my daughter was asked to sing with a few other children from our church during our upcoming Easter service. She was waiting eagerly to find out what song she’d be singing and if she may know it or had heard it before. Shortly after, I received a text with a recording and lyrics to the old song, “Because He Lives”.
My daughter doesn’t know this one nor had she heard it. And as we’re going over it, because of the current circumstances and state of our world, the message gripped my heart in a way that it never has before. (Song linked below.)​

Because He lives.... because of resurrection power, we have a precious hope. Even right now amidst these unprecedented and uncertain times.


Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:19 (KJV), “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

Paul was speaking in regard to his opponents who were teaching that there is no resurrection. These Corinthian opponents were contradicting the essential teaching that Christ had been physically raised from the dead and that believers in Him will someday also be resurrected.

The Message translation says it like this:
"If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries," I Corinthians 15: 16-20 (The Message).

Oh, what a glorious day that will be!!! As we’re eagerly anticipating that day, here is a little message of hope God recently shared with me.

God specializes in resurrection. He specializes in impossible situations. He specializes in speaking life into dead, “long gone”, way beyond the expiration date, hopeless situations.

Let’s consider Genesis 1:1-2 (KJV). At the very beginning, we already see resurrection power, power over death, already at work. 
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."


The original meaning of “without form” and “void” is described as formlessness, wasteland, place of chaos, indistinguishable ruin.
Darkness was upon the face of the deep.
Strong’s concordance for the meaning of darkness here lists: misery, destruction, DEATH, sorrow, wickedness.
His Spirit moved upon the face of the waters. My NKJV study bible commentary provides a beautiful picture of this.
“The Spirit of God was hovering like a mother stork might hover over her nest— a portent of LIFE to come from the dark, murky depths of the chaos below” (New King James Study Bible, page 4).

And immediately following, in verse 3, He speaks light. And there was light.


Already, we see His power and His sovereignty. At His word, we see LIFE and beauty rising up from the ashes of darkness.


Paul urges the Romans to consider Abraham, known as father of faith. 
He had a word from God and He believed that HIS word could bring even the deadest situations to life. 


Romans 4:17 KJV
"(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."


The word was given to Abraham as if it had already been done. “I have made thee a father of many nations.”
Now his faith would bridge the gap between the spoken Word and its manifestation.


Romans 4: 18-21 KJV
"Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be," (vs 18).


“Against hope believed in hope.”
The Amplified Bible says, "hope against hope."
What a powerful description of faith in resurrection power!
Abraham dared to put his trust and hope in the promise of God.... even when his circumstances told him, “It’s over. You are over. You are a nobody. It’s hopeless. You are hopeless. No way. No how. You are a fool for believing such nonsense. These are the facts. Your body is dead. Impotent. Your wife’s womb is dead. Hope is gone. Expired.”

"And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform," (vs 19-20).


I want to encourage someone today to consider not your current circumstances. The message around us is one of fear, unrest, death, and hopelessness.
The hope of the world, Jesus Christ, was beaten, bruised, pierced, crucified, and buried. Hope was dead. Or so it seemed. 

But after three days, Hope arose. Hope defeated death. Hope defeated hopelessness.
Hope, Jesus Christ, always has the last word!


If you have a word, stand firm on that word as your faith is enlarged! Your promise is not dead! You're being set up for a glorious resurrection! Continue to speak it! Life and death are in your tongue! Stagger not at the promise! 


Romans 5:3-5 (NKJV)
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Jessica Bridges is a recent transplant to Livingway Pentecostal Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Upon her arrival, Jessica extended her hands to service. She has given Bible studies to young adults, partnered in a women’s small group, and extended prayerful encouragement to ladies churchwide. She continues to obediently follow "wherever God may lead," even when the territory is down the new path of sharing her heart through writing. When Jessica is not volunteering her time to ministry, she is caring for her husband, Chris, and her beautiful little girls, Maya and Sara.
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Rachelle Fontenot is a Certified Pharmacy Technician and a brand-new writer. Rachelle has attended Livingway Pentecostal Church for 20 years. There, she shows her love for God through singing on the praise team and in the choir and through dramatized worship and theatrical performances. One of her greatest joys is singing alongside her husband, Allen, at church. They have been married almost 13 years and have 4 amazing daughters, Taylor, Aubrey, Edynn, and Norah.
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