Sometimes I can see myself distracted, even sitting on the narrow road, unable to walk.
Jesus says, Come follow Me.
Take your eyes off the circumstances, the annoyances that we all encounter, that are a part of this world.
Take your eyes off of those things that befuddle you
and keep your eyes on Christ, the author and the finisher of your faith. (from Hebrews 12:2)

Keeping us wrapped up in this world happens when our flesh gets distracted.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16

Remember when the disciples kept falling asleep? The Lord Jesus said, Can you not watch with Me one hour?
And they fell asleep again. Jesus said, Watch and Pray.

And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter,
What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:40-41

Solomon’s heart turned against the Lord in the end.
Samson was vexed unto death.
The little foxes can cause a lot of damage. They chip away at what is good.
The instructions remain the same.
Don’t get distracted. Don’t let the little foxes, the unimportant things, destroy your purpose.
Watch and pray.

Scriptural References:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2

For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods:
and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
1 Kings 11:4

And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, 
so that his soul was vexed unto death;
Judges 16:16

Jesus loves everyone, but He did have those He was closer to
God demonstrated a favorable response to those who sought Him in the Old Testament
A few friends God mentioned in the Bible
Noah and Abraham and Moses and Daniel
God was always friends with the prophets, although He didn’t mention all of them as friends
Elijah and Elisha
Isaiah
Jonah (that was a budding friendship)
Job (God grew their friendship through Job’s trials)
Nathan cried because he knew God’s heart
God shares His heart with His friends
Some of the Kings, God knew they sought after His heart and He appreciated it
The position of being God’s friend cannot be taken, it must be given
When Moses’ siblings thought they were just as close to God, God corrected them:

And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath He not spoken also by us?
And the Lord heard it.
(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which wereupon the face of the earth.)
And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam,
Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.
And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud,
and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
And He said, Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, 
I the Lord will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house.
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches;
and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold:
wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?
And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and He departed. Numbers 12:2-9

The moral of this story is that it seems to be the choice of those who are close to God
and who have sought God by putting effort into their relationship with Him
Spending time with Him, learning His likes and dislikes, supporting Him,
just like with an earthly relationship, we can help our relationship with God to grow
James 4:8 says that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us

God would like to be close to all of His children
He would like us all to know His voice like we know the voices of those closest to us
Our efforts that we put forth toward God and learning about Him will be greatly rewarded
We want Him to know us when we meet Him face to face

Some will not
Some will hear Jesus say, I never knew you, depart from Me
But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity. Luke 13:27
The worst words anyone will ever hear

Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon him while He is near: Isaiah 55:6

Abraham believed even when it was impossible.
He knew God was a God of the impossible.
As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before Him whom he believed, 
even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations;
according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead,
when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 
And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. 
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Romans 4:17-22

Sometimes God reminds you of what He has already done.
You forget, but many of His miracles are written down in His word.
His promises may be long forgotten, but they are still going to come to pass.
How do we know?
God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent:
hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good? Numbers 28:19
Because if Jesus has given you a promise, He will keep it, even if you don’t see it come to pass.
Abraham believed God. Be like Abraham. It’s called faith.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him? Matthew 7:11

He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:32

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Romans 11:29

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 
And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 
And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom;
to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 
To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits;
to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit,
dividing to every man severally as He will. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Honor the Giver.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness,
and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 
And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes,
and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 
And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people,
and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36:25-28

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

If you want gifts from Jesus, ask Him, they will be given on His terms.
These gifts are not the same as our ideas of gifts. They are often not material, but are spiritual.
He also wants us to share what He has given us and what He has done for us with all who will listen.
Jesus loves each and every one of us and wishes for us to accept the gift of Salvation.

However, God is a jealous God.
He wants our all. He wants us to strive to give Him every part of us.
He is quick to remind us that we belong to Him.

For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24
Jesus is jealous over us and does not want us to stray or wander from Him.
Jesus wants every single part of us.
If we do not recognize Him as God, neither will He recognize us on the day of Judgment.
If we serve other gods and idols, we may not make it.

We are created for His pleasure which is quite an honor.
In Him, we move and breathe and have our being.
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him,
though He be not far from every one of us
For in Him we live, and move, and have our being;
as certain also of your own poets have said,
For we are also His offspring. Acts 17:27-28

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17
When we give our lives to God as a gift, that is a most precious act to our Savior.

God changes not, not ever.
He is perfect and all His ways are perfect.
He is unchangeable. He is unwaveringly reliable.
He is a solid Rock. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
His word is righteous and true. He does not fluctuate or shift His character. 
He is absolute.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15;13

Our responsibility is to share what Jesus has done for us and even for all mankind
We have been given The Great Commission:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20

He created us for His pleasure
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power:
for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

There is no better news

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 1 Timothy 3:16

You can trust them until they betray your trust
Until they betray you

You can trust people only so much
If you give them all, you lay yourself open and bare
You can’t trust anyone too much
They don’t completely understand
They don’t completely get it
They don’t always look our for your best

Most of us have been betrayed or shocked when a person showed their true colors
Maybe they showed them before but we didn’t listen

Casting pearls before swine

Giving someone too much responsibility

Imagine how King David might’ve felt when Michal hated him for dancing and glorifying the Lord

Or Samson, whose eyes were gouged out when Delilah found his strength and shared it with the Philistines

Or Jesus when Judas betrayed Him with a kiss

You can probably guess what comes next and you’re right: God is the only One we can really trust

Anytime we expect more out of a person than they are willing to give or are able to give, we will be disappointed
God is always there for us
He never makes hurtful mistakes
He always understands exactly how we feel
Jesus is our anchor, who knows our every need and every desire
No human can fill that void

Humans have their place
It takes getting knocked down a few times,
getting deeply disappointed, rejected, betrayed
when we can then realize our affections must first and foremost be upon Christ the Lord

The only One who can fulfill all of our hopes and dreams of the perfect relationship is Jesus
The others are less than
Even the most wonderful spouse or sibling or friend must not be given the highest expectations
When they fall, it is not only their fault, but ours

These thoughts do not negate awesome friends or loved ones
It is just a reminder that God is always to be first in our lives
and His blessings flow through people but are ultimately from Him
The wonderful people in our lives are gifts from God
If He removes one, He has His reasons, keep looking to Him for He is the supplier

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory:
no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;
and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. Luke 21:11

At present, Ebola stems from Congo and Uganda. It is not airborne.
The White House Coronavirus doctor said a new mRNA vaccine can be made in 60 days.
The spread can come to the World Cup, which will have the capacity to infect millions of people
as there will be over 1 million visitors from other countries in 11 US cities.
She said she is not concerned of the spread as long as those people who are on the teams
can be kept separated from the areas in Uganda and Congo that have the active virus.

The other virus they believe is airborne. The rat virus, they call it.
There are concerns of mutations so that it can be spread by air and breathing rat feces is one way it spreads.
This virus seems to be spreading slowly across the world.
On the cruise ship where it recently infected the passengers, every continent was represented.

Just as the digital ID is about to be introduced, it will likely include health information such as vaccine statuses.

So, now what?
We know these things will be happening to our world. We know God’s Judgment is here.
How will we be affected?
Will we get it? Will our loved ones die? Will it affect our economy? Will they do a shut down?

At this point, we do not know. It is more important than ever to be close to Jesus.
He is the only answer.
Close to Jesus in your heart, in what you think about all day, in praying without ceasing,
in listening for His voice, in reading and studying and memorizing His word, in staying close to the brethren.
Jesus does not want us to fear anything or anyone but Him.
Easier said than done, but ask Him to help.

We know bad things are on the way. God has warned us about many difficult times ahead.
Behold, I have told you before. Matthew 24:25

Watch and pray.

We can go into the Holy of Holies now, spiritually speaking.
You cannot get deep into the throne of God on your terms. It must be on His terms.

People like to live their own way. They want God on their terms. They want Him to think like they do.
That’s why Jesus said, Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Matthew 7:13

If you want to be close to God, you have to choose His ways. You can’t make the rules.
The rules are already made and they are not changing, since God doesn’t change.
If you want to do things your own way and put your own thoughts above His,
He cannot be your God and you cannot be His servant.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:6-9

With repentance and holiness, that is, a cleansing from the world by Jesus blood,
and the relinquishment of the fleshly desires can one enter the most intimate part of God’s abode.
That might be somewhat confusing as we are the temple of God.
It is not different. He only takes what we give Him when He dwells in us. Can He have all or just some?
How much have you given over to His Holy Spirit in your life to rule and to reign?

Ponder that.

The lessons in the Word of God are the same throughout.
God does not want us to touch anything unclean for it will taint us, it will open doors to evil.

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you,
and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles,
that one should have his father’s wife. 
And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned,
that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 1 Corinthians 5:13

We are responsible for what we are convicted of from the Lord.
If He gives you a burden, pray first, listen and obey, whatever the situation.
For our own domain, we are to treat what we have jurisdiction over by honoring the Lord.
Honor Jesus in all you say and do and when you can’t, pray that He help you to do what He asks you to do.
Do not ignore His Word or what He asks of you.
Be like the dad who said, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.
He wanted to do what God asked him to do, but he needed help with that.

Keep your heart strong in the Lord with humility before Him.
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth,
to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.
Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. 2 Chronicles 16:9

Do your best to obey and do what God shows you to do.
He will be there for you to support you when you are doing what you can to walk in His ways.
A big part of that is continuing to purge the evil from among you.

Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: Proverbs 5:7-8