Completely Whole Excerpt Chapter 1

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Your statues” (Psalms 119:71 AMP) . Psalms 119:67 (AMP) states, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, Your word do I keep [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it] ”

If God does not allow afflictions or thorns to bother us at times, we might fail to seek Him. In order for us to remain humble and not become arrogant, God knows exactly what He needs to do to keep us from experiencing the repercussions of a haughty spirit. I’m sure David believed that the affliction was a great annoyance and brought much suffering. Later, he realized why God afflicted him. Eventually, David humbly admitted that he brought the affliction on himself by his own selfish behavior. Here, David attempts to offer insight on the cause of his affliction. 

First, David admits that he went astray. His affliction was divinely designed to get him back on track and on course with God’s will and purpose. God will permit painful experiences to get us to align with His will, especially when we clearly lack a sense of focus. This is the primary reason the enemy places distractions in our path. Distractions are designed to derail us, to sidetrack us, and to redirect our attention, ultimately causing us to miss our mark. 

Distractions can create the illusion of being important issues, but in reality they aren’t. They’re merely illusions. A distraction can be anything from a previous issue resurfacing to perhaps an old boyfriend, girlfriend, or business acquaintance fighting to recapture your focus. Have you ever experienced a former acquaintance calling you from out of nowhere? These kinds of distractions can trigger an emotional imbalance, causing you to entertain thoughts that are far from the truth. Distractions will take your focus from what God is doing, thereby causing confusion.

The enemy knows that if he can divert your attention away from the Father, he can draw you away, causing you to meditate and ponder on things that only have the appearance of reality. 

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