You may not use this word in your everyday life, but I can assure you that there is one who does. Maybe in movies you have heard someone say, “We need to create a diversion.” A diversion is something offered that will turn you away from the course or path you are currently on, to reroute you to a different course or purpose.
Your adversary, the devil, has been creating diversions since he offered Adam and Eve the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2-3). And as time has gone on, he has become more “sophisticated” in his diversional tactics.
Psalm 1:1 speaks of one of his spiritual diversional strategies:
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.”
Here’s the breakdown of these words from the Bible’s definition:
“Blessed”: happy and fortunate
“Man”: human being
“Walk”: makes a manner of life
“Counsel”: exchanging advice and purposes
“Wicked”: those hostile against God or man
“Stand”: to take stand with
“Way”: direction or course of life
“Sinners”: those missing the mark/goal/path God has for them
“Sit”: to abide, remain or inhabit
“Seat”: a dwelling place
“Mockers”: talking arrogantly; to scorn or scoff at; to be an ambassador for
So here is the verse restated using these definitions:
“Fortunate is the person who doesn’t make a manner of life exchanging advise with those hostile towards God, nor takes a stand with those who are missing the mark of God’s plans for them, nor makes oneself at home with those who are an ambassador for these things.”
I find it interesting the slow and subtle way we are so easily diverted. I’ll use my example I shared in our first ZOOM of the Psalms study: I literally scrolled past (or should I have said “strolled”!) the Johnny Depp trial. Something about it grabbed my attention. I began to watch and listen more
closely. Before I knew it, I had spent an hour listening to testimony. And just like that, I was sucked in. You see, the enemy knows what to place in front of you that appeals to your emotions…your desires. I have a high sense of justice. The enemy knows that…so what did he do but parade a case for justice in front of my eyes. Maybe that‘s why Jesus said that we should be careful with what we allow our eyes to see, because they are like a door. (Matthew 6:22-24)
I also found it interesting that the Spirit inspired writings of Paul to contrast “walk, stand, and sit” with: “Walk in the Spirit and you will not give in to the deeds of your flesh” (Galatians 5:16), and “Having done all to stand, stand” -with the whole armor of God-(Ephesians 6:13-14), and Jesus said, “Remain in Me and you will bear much fruit.” (John 15) And Paul even said, “For we are His ambassadors.”
So why the diversions? Why would the enemy spend time and energy to slowly and subtly draw you away? Because,
Diversions can cause
the slow disintegration
of your destiny.
When our attention is given to other things for a long period of time, they can begin to consume us, making little to no time for God’s plans and purposes for us.
But here’s what Psalm 1:3 says about those who do not give themselves to the diversions:
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
Wow. What promises!!!
“Tree”: a stake; material for building
“Planted”: rooted, stable
“Streams of Water”: to have it; to pour it out; to flow from you
“Yields”: produces as a result of your labor
“Fruit”: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, temperance, and self-control
“Leaf”: branch
“Wither”: fall; fade; sink; droop
“Whatever”: in totality
“Prospers”: advances; succeeds; makes progress
So here is the verse restated using these definitions:
“You will be like a stake used to build that is stable (emotionally) as you have an endless supply of water to pour out and flow through you; you will produce much fruit and your branch will never fade or get droopy and every single thing you put your hands to will advance, succeed and make progress.”
Wow.
And how do we get and keep from being diverted? Psalm 1:2 “His delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law does he meditate day and night.” The answer is to keep your eyes on the Word!
So, may I encourage you to evaluate if there have been any spiritual diversions that have come past your eyes and you have found yourself totally diverted. Confess and repent, and receive the Father’s forgiveness. Then, jump back into the Word and keep your eyes fixed on its Truth.
You are loved,
Jena
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