"There is a virus going around that can destroy your system!!! It is called the
"Good Times" virus and if activated, it will delete all the files on your
system!!! Please be on the lookout for this virus and be sure to delete it
before it deletes You!"
The warning was a wake up call and I began immediately to scan my disk to see if
I had somehow loaded this virus on my system. Then I began to send notes to all
my friends and neighbors to warn them of this virus. I even contemplated writing
a batch file that would scan my In-Basket to look specifically for this file so
that it might never have the chance to get on my system.
There was just one problem: this virus never existed. There was no such virus as
the "Good Times" virus. All my efforts were unnecessary, even a waste of time. I
was hunting for a problem that did not exist.
"They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even
though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your
enemies." Leviticus 26:37 (NIV)
The time was a few thousand years before Christ. The place was the wilderness
outside Egypt. The people were God's chosen people, the Israelites; those people
closest to the heart of God; those who had followed God out of the oppression of
Egypt; those who, on occasion, forgot all that God had done for them, and began
to do things their own way.
They were headed to the Promised Land, which was inhabited by people who had no
intention of casually giving their land to whomever might stop by and tell them
that God said they could have it. The enemies waiting for Israel were real and
would prove to be a force with which to contend. But Israel had a little problem
focusing on the most important issues. It seems as if the real enemies were not
enough and Israel became preoccupied with enemies of its own creation: enemies
that did not exist, but that Israel would fear, fight or flee if they heard a
rumor or saw a cloud of dust on the horizon. The end result was that Satan did
not need to create real enemies to defeat Israel, they could create enough on
their own to keep themselves preoccupied and distracted from what God would have
them do.
Sometimes we give Satan too much credit. We lose our focus, we become frustrated
in our jobs, we struggle with our fears and insecurities. We focus our minds on
potential struggles that never happen. We develop complex strategies to defend
positions that are never questioned. We argue with unseen antagonists,
rationalizing our behaviors and thoughts. We focus our energy fighting enemies
that simply do not exist. All the while, Satan is sitting back saying: "Boy,
this is easier that I thought."
God's plan for the Israelites was simple:
"But if they will confess their sins... I will remember my covenant with Jacob
and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the
land. ... I will not reject them or abhor them... I am the LORD their God."
Leviticus 26:40,42,44
His call was for them to return to Him. To focus on Him. To allow Him to direct
their paths. His call is the same for us today: to return to Him, focus on Him,
to allow Him to pick our enemies and provide us the means to defeat them.
"God, I cannot even count the number of times each day that I lose my focus on
you. The battles I create and fight out of my own nature seem never-ending. I
spend more and more time on things of less and less importance. Forgive me.
Renew my mind. Choose my enemies. Secure the victories. Receive the Glory and
Praise. Amen."
