Hey L.Y.L.A.S. (you know- that’s the acronym for Love Ya Like a Sis from back in the days of passing notes to your bestie in class, remember?) Have you ever had a moment when you heard something and you know it was meant just for you? That just happened to me a few days ago and I immediately thought of you too…
I was sitting in church when our pastor shared an illustration from The Screwtape Letters to introduce his sermon…and my ears and heart perked up…
Remember the advice the older, more experienced demon Screwtape gave to his young protege Wormwood to keep his person distracted? We talked about that on Episode 106. It’s almost like he knew what we’d be facing in this culture more than 50 years later!
Listen to this story that C.S. Lewis went on to share in the book…
There’s a legend about Satan and his demons planning their strategy for attacking the world and those hearing the message of salvation.
One of the demons said, “I’ve got the plan, master. When I get on earth and take charge of people’s thinking, I’ll tell them there’s no heaven.”
The devil responds, “Ah, they’ll never believe that. This Book of Truth is full of messages about the hope of heaven through sins forgiven. They won’t believe that. They know there’s a glory yet future.”
On the other side of the room, another demon says, “I’ve got the plan. I’ll tell them there’s no hell.”
Again Satan said, “No good. Jesus, while He was on earth talked more of hell than of heaven. They know in their hearts their wrong and that it will have to be taken care of in some way. They deserve nothing more than hell.”
And one brilliant little demon in the back stood up and said, “Then I know the answer. I’ll just tell them there’s no hurry.”
He’s the one Satan chose.
Hasn’t he done a good job at using both of those pieces of advice- to distract and to lull us to sleep?
On the one hand, he distracts us by keeping us busy beyond belief, always hurrying from one thing to the next with so much information coming at us so quickly, we rarely have time to think about anything other than what’s currently going on in the world around us.
And on the other hand, he lulls us into a stupor of complacency when it comes to eternity, making us feel like we’ve got all the time in the world to prepare for it, so we’re in no hurry to invest in what is to come someday in the future.
As Christian women, we need to be aware…. and in an eternal hurry.
Speaking of hurry, we’re about to start our next Book Club book inside the REDEEM Her Time Community– it’s called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. And it’s all about how to eliminate the distracted kind of hurry and focus on an eternal sense of urgency. If you’re not a member yet, go visit redeemhertime.com/community and join us today…for free!
And we also just started the REDEEM Her Phone Time 40-Day Challenge a few days ago…it’s not too late to join us for that either. Plus that’s where we’ll talk more about what you hear on this podcast series…cuz this is just the beginning of the conversation! I’ll drop the link in the show notes for you if you’re listening while you’re busy, hurried or distracted. Wink. wink.
I got you, cuz I get you.
You see, it wasn’t all that long ago that I was distracted by the world’s type of hurry- trying to create the perfect family, marriage and kids, to build a super-successful network marketing business with lots of followers, to make my body look too long and lean, to store away plenty of money in the bank, to pursue my personal goals and dreams and have an Insta-worthy house that’s always picked up…that list sure kept me busy, hurried…and distracted. I worked tirelessly day and night to build my kingdom the way I thought it should look like to keep me safe when the storms came or the opposition attacked.
Can you relate? Maybe it’s not in all 8 areas of your life, but I’m guessing there are a few you are hustling hard to make fit the perfect picture you’ve created in your heart.
The problem is, that’s building your kingdom, not His.
When I finally crashed, overwhelmed and exhausted, and looked around at the pile of rubble my life had become when my kingdom crumbled, it was then that I finally gave in and gave it over to Him to build it His way.
I often think of a little plaque my parents sent me back in college to put on the desk in my dorm room-
God reserves the very best for those who leave the choice to Him.
I can picture it clearly and wish I had kept it cuz I still need that reminder to stop hurrying through my day, week and life to build things my way.
So what does all this have to do with your phone-time? I’m so glad you asked…
Like we talked about on Episode 109, your phone is a tool. It can either be a tool for communication or for distraction.
I’m not a big builder, but here’s the thing I know about tools…if it’s in your hand, it’s doing something, right? Either it’s a tool of destruction cuz it’s tearing things down. Or it’s a tool of construction cuz it’s building things up. Or it’s a dead weight, cuz even if you’re not using it for good or bad, if you just carry it around, it’s just gonna weigh you down…and make you ineffective at what you truly want to build.
So that begs the question- whose kingdom are you building…yours or His?
I think I shared a few episodes ago about the PrayerMate app I’ve started using to keep me focused and consistent in praying and one of the lists I’ve created is Biblical Prayers. Every day, it prompts me to pray the words of the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13, which makes me think about this question daily cuz here’s how it starts…
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
YOUR kingdom come, YOUR will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…”
And ends with…
“For YOURS is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
AMEN literally means I agree. So am I really asking for HIS kingdom to come and to get the power and glory…or my own? If I’m completely honest, it’s MINE more often than I’d like to admit. You too? No worries- It’s a trap that many of us fall into.
So how do you know when you’re building YOUR kingdom, especially with your phone-time? Here are a few tests…
The likes and comments taste sweeter. When we start to savor the approval of man, it’s likely we’re building our own kingdom, even if it’s supposedly in the name of ministry. And the more affirmation you get, the more tempting it is to chase after men’s praise, rather than the heart of God, which is focusing on you, not Him.
The criticism cuts more deeply. In the same way as compliments, negative critics can get to our hearts easily too, and as we start to take things more personally, we know it’s our kingdom that’s being attacked. When you find you make yourself more guarded, it’s probably that you’re protecting yourself, not Him.
The comparison becomes the enemy. Too often we’re on our phones watching the highlight reels of others (literally) and seeing how we fall short. When we can no longer be genuinely happy for someone else’s blessings, but find ourselves complaining or rationalizing why we don’t have that, we know it’s our kingdom that’s being measured, not His.
But on the flip-side… if it’s truly HIS Kingdom we are building, the praise would turn into worship, the attacks would turn into trust and the comparison would turn into congratulations…right?
And we wouldn’t waste so much time on the things of this world.
So let me ask you, are you truly praying for His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven? Like I said, I’m wrestling with this question daily too and would love to process more with you inside our community.
The other passage of Scripture that comes to mind is also from Matthew 6 in verse 33 which reads:
“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well.”
Seek first HIS Kingdom.
That’s hard to do in a distracting and hurried world. But here’s the good news… if He tells us to do it, that means with Him, it’s NOT impossible.
And you know I always love to check the context…what exactly are the things that will be added to us AFTER we seek His Kingdom first? Our food, drink and clothing. (Look back at verses 25-32 to see it for yourself.)
Isn’t that what we waste a lot of our phone-time looking at? For sure- among many other things that are just building our kingdoms in the here and now. I’m guilty too.
The question we need to keep coming back to is, where is my heart?
Is my heart tied up in the comforts and conveniences of this temporary world or in what awaits me in heaven for eternity? Like we said at the beginning, the Enemy has done a great job on both ends- distracting us from what matters that lasts and keeping us feeling like eternity is far off.
Did you know that the phrase “Kingdom of God” is mentioned 162 times in the Bible? Wow.
I’m pretty sure the words “My Kingdom” (unless they are spoken by Jesus) are not even used once.
That should be proof enough of where to focus.
Jesus said over and over again, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” as did John the Baptist- whose words were usually preceded by the command, “Repent.” As in- focus on your heart getting right with God because His Kingdom is coming soon and you want to be ready. And then notice Paul used the phrase often, “the end of all things is near” when talking about that day.
We SHOULD be in a hurry…when it comes to preparing for eternity.
Our mission and vision at REDEEM Her Time is to help women like you make the best use of your time in this season…and in light of eternity. (i.e. building His Kingdom). That’s what sets this podcast, program and coaching apart from any other time management system out there…cuz we believe that the time we have in this life here on Earth is a gift and is temporary… and when the end comes, whether that’s because He returns to get us or because our physical body dies, we will give an account for not just how we used our time, but who we used it for.
We won’t be judged on how many items we checked off our earthly to-do list, but on whether or not we acknowledged Him as King when we were living.
I know that many of you, my listeners, have assurance of your salvation, but I don’t want to presume that everyone who hears this is saved or is sure of their salvation. So let me lay out what that looks like…
Salvation is not just saying a prayer to ask Jesus into our hearts.
It’s about acknowledging Him as King of Heaven and Earth and of your heart. It’s recognizing Him as the Creator of everyone and everything who has invited you to be in relationship WITH Him.
It’s about admitting that you are not worthy to be in His Kingdom because of your sin which separates you from Him, because He is holy and cannot dwell with the effects of our sin.
It’s about confessing that you can do nothing to build your own kingdom to try to earn acceptance from Him. It’s about trusting that only He can declare you righteous by the sacrifice of His son Jesus and that by believing in Him and His work in your heart, He forgives your sin, makes you clean and adopts you as His daughter to live with Him.
It’s about using the time you have left on Earth to know Him, love Him, live with Him and glorify Him and to build His Kingdom by sharing the Gospel with those around you.
Even if you’ve said a prayer or walked an aisle, the fruit of our salvation, of your changed heart, will be reflected in how you use our time.
Here’s my faith story-
I was 3 when I told my mom I wanted to talk to Jesus on the telephone. When she asked me what I wanted to talk to Him about, I said, “I want to ask Him into my heart.” Obviously my parents and Sunday school teachers had talked about salvation and I knew just enough to know I had to ask for it.
But it wasn’t till later in life, when I was preparing to share the Wordless Book with kids at a Vacation Bible School on our youth missions trip, that that childhood prayer was not enough- I needed to make the commitment to build His Kingdom because I saw my need, not just because my parents had told me that Jesus loved me.
And that decision has changed everything about how I use my time- not perfectly, but by His grace I’m growing more and more every day.
So may I challenge you today?
If you have not fully acknowledged Him as King of Heaven, Earth and your heart, let’s pause and do so now, not just because you don’t want to be eternally separated from Him, but because you truly desire to be part of His Kingdom on earth and for eternity in heaven. If that’s your heart, may I lead you in a simple prayer now?
Dear Lord,
Thank you that you made this woman listening and that you have invited her to do life WITH You, to be part of building Your Kingdom, not hers. May she acknowledge You as King of Heaven, of Earth and of her Heart. May she come to the realization that this world is not all there is and that she will spend eternity somewhere- either WITH You or away from You. Show her that there is nothing she can do on her own to be good enough, but that you have provided a way to be forgiven of her sins through the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ. May she take herself off the throne of her life and let you sit on it. And may she be about building Your kingdom even while she is still here on this earth. Thank you for your invitation to be WITH You and for the assurance that she is part of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Wow. That was powerful. I just got what I call God-bumps…cuz the Kingdom of God just got bigger!
I’ve been praying for that someone who needed that today. And if that was you, I’d love to hear, so share with me in an email at lissa@redeemhertime.com.
Now, together as Daughters of the one true King, let us use our time (and phone-time) to build HIS Kingdom.
Cuz here’s the truth- you are building your future at every moment, whether you realize it or not. That tool in your hand is either for destruction, construction or distraction. Decide now how you will use it.
And no I did not forget the 3 Steps I promised to help you Build the Kingdom of God with your Phone-Time….we just had to get our hearts in the right place first.
- PRAY in the MORNING. I challenge you to start your day with the Lord’s prayer…and truly mean it when you say, “Your kingdom come.” You can even use the PrayerMate app to remind you- add Biblical Prayers to your lists and make sure that one is loaded in there. This is how you will set your heart intentions for the day.
- ASK in the DAYTIME. Everytime you pick your phone up, ask yourself, “Is what I’m about to do building my kingdom or His?” or “How can I make what I’m about to do on my phone a way to build His Kingdom?” In that way, even checking the weather can turn into praise to the Creator and Sustainer of this earth. And your liking, commenting and scrolling can turn into ways to love, encourage and pray for others.
- REFLECT in the EVENING. It’s easy to get distracted in the midst of our day and only see the temporary things around us, even when we set our heart intention and pause to ask first. So take some time before going to bed to reflect on how you got to be part of building His Kingdom that day and pray that He will give you eyes to see those opportunities tomorrow.
Is what you are doing TODAY preparing you for THAT DAY when His Kingdom comes? It should create a sense of urgency (aka the good hurry)
And if your phone consumes a lot of your time, or any of it for that matter, you ought to be asking that question often and let it be the filter for what gets your time and attention…and what doesn’t.
Cuz only 1 Kingdom will last…and I hate to break it to you, it’s NOT yours. But that’s a good thing.
So let’s use our time and phone-time well in this season…and in light of Eternity to build HIS Kingdom.
We don’t know for sure when that day will come, but we want to be ready. I pray this not only moves us to action in our own lives, but also to share this important message with others…
So would you prayerfully share this episode with a friend, family member, coworker or neighbor…anyone who might be encouraged, challenged or blessed by what we’ve talked about?
Can’t wait to talk more about this inside the REDEEM Her Time Community so be sure to pop in the conversation if you’re already a member or come join us if you’re not…yet.
And by the way, if you heard the hijack intro about the REDEEM Her Time Beta Coaching opportunity to get a 1 hour Schedule Shaping Strategy Session to build your personalized ideal schedule and test it for 2 weeks with my feedback… I wanna strongly encourage you to grab a spot a the special VERY REDUCED PRICING- this is how you can take the principles and strategies we talk about on the podcast and apply it to your time and life…can’t wait to see how SCHEDULE-SHAPING it is for you… so use the link in the show notes to grab a spot before they’re gone…cuz just like the things of this world, it won’t last long.
That’s why we’re all about building His Kingdom with our time… TOGETHER.
Thanks for joining me for this episode and until next time, remember…
You DO have ALL the time you need to do ALL He has called you to.
Be available to who + what matters most in this season and in light of eternity…
Cuz you are here for Such a Time as This.
Binge the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Challenge Series
Ep 105 No Time? The #1 Tip to Find 1-4 Hours in your Day for Better Time Management
Ep 106 Distracted by Your Phone? 2 Key Steps for Christian Women to Overcome Digital Distraction
Ep 107 Wish You Could Break-up with Your Phone? 3 Steps to Start Setting Healthy Screen-Time Boundaries
Ep 108 Don’t Live on Good Intentions. 4 Steps to Create a Personalized Phone-Time Plan to Prioritize What Matters
Ep 109 Wish your Phone wasn’t so Distracting? 5 Tips to Dumb-down your Smartphone to get more Time in your Day
Visit the REDEEM Her Time Website https://redeemhertime.com
> Join the REDEEM Her Time Community (did I mention it’s FREE?!)
> Get the REDEEM Her Phone-Time Guide + Screensaver
> Schedule a free 15 Min Strategy Session
>>> or DO ALL-THE-ABOVE!
P.S. And don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts to get your name in the drawing for $100 OFF the full REDEEM Her Time Program…coming soon!
