Scripture:
John 13:2
2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him,

Like the Casting Crowns song “Slow Fade” says, you don’t drift away all at once, and neither did Judas. It was the little things, the decisions he made, that gave the enemy (Satan) access to his life and his heart. David did not become an adulterer and a murderer all at once either; it was the little things. Drift one: at the time when kings go out to war, David remained at home. Drift two: David could not sleep, because he was meant to be out at war with his men, so he went up to his balcony, where he saw Bathsheba. You know the rest of that story. You wouldn’t point to any one of these moments and say, “Aha, that was it!” It was the subtle, ignored decisions he made that led to him being dragged away by sin. So you and I need to be awake and aware of the little things in our lives that are causing drift. They might not be bad in themselves, but we shouldn’t do them, because they lead to other decisions that drag us away. Guard your heart. Guard where your feet take you, and make sure it is where God has purposed you to be. Examine your motives. Trust the Holy Spirit.

Q: When can you recall your little decisions leading you in the wrong direction?

Today our God-Shot is that we would guard the gates of our lives and examine our motives: what we plan, where we go, and who and what we allow to speak into our hearts. The Word of God says, “Guard your heart above all else” (Proverbs 4:23). Don’t allow drift in your life. The enemy’s plan was planted in the heart of Judas and led to his betrayal of the Lord, but it was the decisions Judas made (John 12), driven by greed, position, and power, that gave the enemy access to his life. Don’t let the world and its passions suck you into the enemy’s trap.

Lord, I pray that You would expose any plans that don’t belong to You and the things that have caused drift in our lives. Show us what we need to step out of and what we need to watch out for. Help us to discern and to guard our gates: what we see, what we allow into our ears, and where we allow our feet to go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.