The Devil's Gone Digital

[Catchy post title courtesy of Mr Then]

I need to start taking notes when my husband shares with me or our Church group. There's revelation coming from that man that ought to be captured on paper (or computer screen). He says these really clever things and provides insight I want to remember and apply in daily life. Plus knowing he isn't much of a journal keeper, it probably makes sense for me to be the scribe. With that in mind, I'm jotting something that stood out in his teaching at our Leadership Training Class last night. 

No. 10 on the lesson of Ten Guidelines for Ministerial Leading - Motives. One common warning bell of a motive gone wrong is the emergence of the tendency to judge, criticise and/or complain. Such traits reflect a life that's lacking God's presence because our attitude changes when our relationship with Him is fresh and intimate. 

Fab gave the illustration of how he only received the sermon notes from Pastor Lance that morning, despite repeated attempts to obtain details on the topic to be taught at our Sunday service. While Fab maintained a sweet spirit over the matter, I started to grumble about the lack of organisation and preparation. Instead of praying, I derived solutions to match my emotional response. 

It turns out Pastor Lance had emailed Fab three times during the week. Although we still can't work out where those three emails vanished to, it alerted us to the fact that the enemy is clearly familiar with technology and has been using this tool to inject miscommunication within God's house. That crafty old so-and-so knows all too well that miscommunication, even in its subtlest forms, sows cracks within a relationship and eventually brings division, derision and disunity. (And that's when Fab quipped, "the devil's gone digital")

Fab had his motives in check, convicted by recent impartation on 'clinging to righteousness' and not letting the 'little foxes ruin the vineyard' (i.e. allowing sin to fester and spread like green mould on warm bread). I, on the other hand, jumped to silly conclusions and became frustrated. In hindsight, I realise God may have allowed the emails to disappear into the ether as it brought Fab closer to Him. When Fab looked over Pastor Lance's points, the message was exactly what God had already placed on his heart during the week. The notes provided an encouraging confirmation that Fab was on the right track with hearing God for himself.