Do Not Disturb

There is something special about being able to sleep in. I don’t mean when you oversleep but rather when you wake up on your own without the alarm or a phone call. When you have intentionally given yourself the opportunity to really rest and your body naturally wakes up. Think about it. What is the first thing you do when you go to a hotel? If you are like me, you hang up that “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. You want to go ahead and have it in place so there are no early morning knocks or disruptions from the housekeepers. As I was in prayer this morning, I heard the Lord say it is time to put up your “Do Not Disturb” sign and stop the disruptions. He showed me that some of you have been in battle so long that you have missed some crucial opportunities to hear from Him. You have been rushing to get here and there. You have been fighting off attacks. You have been sick in your body. You have been busy being everything to everyone.  You have been off your game. Well today, God says, it’s time to take back your time and your peace.

He then led me to what I thought was an odd place in the word - John 14. It is one of those classic funeral scriptures. It’s probably in the top 5 of New Testament scriptures that we go to when we think about death.  It makes us feel better to hear Jesus say that He has gone away to prepare a place for us. However, God highlighted the very first verse to me in the Jewish bible translation. It reads, “Don’t let yourselves be disturbed. Trust in God and trust in me.” (John 14:1 CJB) Did you see that? Wow! Jesus led with those words before He gave the disciples key information about who He was. He essentially said there are some important things coming and you need to be in a place where you can hear it. You need to be on guard. You cannot let yourselves be bothered. You can’t let your heart be troubled as the New King James says. What you need to do is trust God and trust Me! This is so important, folks! God wants to tell you your next assignment. He wants to give clarity to an instruction. He wants to walk you through the steps to your next level. But guess what? He needs you paying attention. He needs you undisturbed and trusting. It’s time to take back your time and your peace. Where is your “Do Not Disturb” sign?

The Lord then instructed me to go to the dictionary for those that need a little more. To disturb means to interrupt the quiet, rest, peace, or order of; to interfere with, interrupt or hinder; to interfere with the arrangement, order or harmony of; to disarrange; to perplex or to trouble. Did you find yourself in any of those words? You see, when God has a purpose for your life, the enemy gets his plan in order to disturb you. He wants you to be so caught up in the logistics or the people that you miss the lesson and the instruction. The Lord said that it is time to get back to the place where you are intentionally hearing Him. He is tired of playing second fiddle to your friends, your family, and your “stuff”. He has heard your complaints of “I’m tired”, “Where did the time go?”, and “These people are getting on my nerves.”  Do you know what His response to me was? He said, “Make a choice.” He told me that some of you have made “ministry” your excuse. He is not impressed. He said ministry without Him is not ministry. It’s being busy.   Get in His face and stop letting circumstances, distractions, and people keep you from getting what you need. He said you have divine deadlines to meet and you do not have time to entertain distractions. Put up your “Do Not Disturb” sign. It’s time to get to work.

Amen.