I wanted to share a few thoughts and tell you about some things that happened to me and others.  Shortly after I turned my life over to Elohim (Hebrew for God), I felt HIM work on me about giving up using a cell phone while driving.  HE also brought to my attention about how car radios, texting, people talking, and many other distractions including using ear phones while walking can all cause one to be involved in accidents ranging from minor to taking lives.  In Louisiana where I had been living, using cell phones while driving is not breaking the law (except for people learning to drive or under the age of 18 and school bus drivers can’t even use hands free) but texting while driving is not legal.  While I never texted, I did feel that I was cautious enough and a good enough driver that handling a cell phone while driving was ok.  We ALL like to think that we can handle many things and I am believing more and more that it is not us encouraging ourselves in this way of thinking but actually the enemy having more control over us than we would like to believe.

The next paragraph I caution you on. HIS Enemy will use a tactic to make you think you are having an experience with ELOHIM but it is really deception to get you into the enemies’ arms and away from Elohim so that you look more and more for “signs from Elohim” to lead you and in fact you are being led by the nose by HIS enemy. Be led by HIS WORD. Discern by HIS WORD. Demons can control wind, water, and electricity and attach themselves to objects. Our bodies contain air, water, and electrical impulses and they can pass into and out of us (testimony from people who have seen these things and felt them besides me) and it is stated in Mattityahu (Matthew) 12:43-45. They can cloud your mind and make you think you are seeing things and hearing things. Compare everything to HIS word. See in HIS word what HE has done in the past because that is HIS way of doing things. In fact, with it saying in Revelation that the book was sealed, I believe more and more that it meant that HIS word was complete so anything new would be of HIS enemy not HIM especially adding to HIS word with false prophecies and prophets. HE warns about this in D’varim (Deuteronomy) 4:2 and 12:32, Mishlei (Proverbs) 30:6, and Revelation 22:19. If you have things happen that you think must be of Elohim, I urge you please to go to HIM and ask HIM if what happened to you was HIM or HIS enemy. Ask for the truth, ask HIM to open your eyes and ears to it, and to protect you.

One night, after a very busy day of trying to help someone out who was in need, I was driving and remembered a person I had to call.  I flipped open the phone and a different screen than normal came up.  I tried putting in the number and I could only put in three numbers, then only odd numbers, then only even numbers.  I had pulled over by this time and after a few minutes of trying to figure out what was happening I realized that I was doing something Elohim was not happy about.  I got out of my car and got down on my knees and asked HIM to forgive me.  I went back into my car and opened my phone again and it worked normally.  Before you say to yourself it was just a technical problem, a day or two after that happened I was having another busy day and got home late but this time it was me feeling like I needed to go read my Bible.  I ignored the feeling and was getting caught up on things around me.  I went to go use my phone to make a call to someone and the same thing happened again with the numbers not working.  I put the phone down and got my Bible and started reading it.  Afterwards, I opened my phone and it worked normally again.  I have not had the problem reoccur since then.

While I have not been perfect with my cell phone usage or reading my Bible, I hope to be.  I do not want to incur HIS wrath after HIS having warned me in a way I couldn’t ignore and HIS having protected me many times from the enemy trying to kill me (this will be another study) but I know I do try HIM and grieve HIM at times.  A friend who I had told this to commented to me about how heavy handed Elohim was with me and I believe I know why HE is.  It is because I asked HIM to be that way with me.  I told HIM that I did not want to do anything that hurt HIM (Father/Son/Holy Spirit) or anyone and to please do whatever was needed to help me with this.  It has been challenging and sometimes I am more successful than others but I keep asking HIM to work with me and not to lose patience with me because I do want to be perfect for HIM.

Radios, thinking too much about other things, and talking to others in the car with us are also distractions while driving.  Our minds wander and we forgot where we are for the moment and sometimes we recover without a problem but not always.  I have had times where after I got back to reality, I couldn’t remember a period of time that I was driving.  I know people and have seen people go through stop signs, traffic lights, and almost get in an accident or do because of these things.  A retired Pastor I know was hit by a car that was hit by another car going through a red light in an intersection.  He saw the driver that ran the light when it happened and he said she looked like a zombie.  People believe the enemy can attack us and put thoughts in our minds that are unholy but I believe they can do a lot more.

If the enemy can put evil/unholy thoughts in our minds they certainly can put other thoughts in them as well.  Remember, the enemy wants us separated from Elohim FOREVER.  What is more effective than in a potentially critical moment we have a thought pop into our head about “oh no I forgot about…” or something more lulling “I really enjoyed…”.  I hate saying this, but if we knew how many thoughts we have had that were planted by the enemy and were not our own minds I believe we would truly be ill over how much they can influence and control us.  I pray to Elohim for protection whenever I get ready to drive or get on any kind of transportation, even walking.  I have even asked HIM for this to be a permanent prayer in case I forget to ask.  I also ask HIM to protect us all.

Speaking of walking, is it more important to listen to music on earphones or would you rather hear a car horn honk or a person yell a warning at you?  I have seen walkers oblivious to what was happening around them.  Similarly, a person in a car that I had honked at about something going on, when I went up to her later and asked if she heard me honk she looked at me and said she didn’t hear me because of the radio!  I felt Elohim work with me on that one until I finally stopped playing the radio while driving.  If you have any kind of problem while driving that you feel you need to talk to someone or listen to the radio to help keep you awake/alert I encourage you to go to Elohim in prayer and ask for whatever help you need to get into a better place for not only yourself but also others.  Think about how long in history there were no radios distracting us and people got along just fine for centuries without them in carriages, coaches, chariots, etc.  While there are positive uses for radios and news and weather reports just remember we all will be held accountable for all actions, deeds, and words one day (it is in the Bible) and taking a life or injuring a person is not something I would want to live with.

I had read an article in a local Baton Rouge magazine written about a mother who had warned her teenage daughter about not texting while driving and the very next week her daughter dropped the phone and was searching for it and was in an accident and was killed.  Elohim I believe gives us many warnings of behavior that puts us in the enemies hands.  We end up not listening to HIM but instead to HIS enemy and may end up not only losing or taking a life but we and/or the other person also might be lost forever if we are not saved.  I have seen cars weave because of the person driving and texting/talking/being sleepy and have tried to bring it to their notice if it turned out a common stop or honking allowed me to tell them briefly or to get their attention.  At the very least, I would pray for them and others like them for Elohim to  help them realize what they were doing.  We are our brother’s and sister’s keeper and it is very important to do for them what we would want done for ourselves.

I have friends and family that talk/text while driving and I try to encourage them and everyone to take another look at what they are doing.  If people call me and I find out that they are driving while we are talking, I have asked them to pull over to continue to talk to me or to call me back but I do not always do this.  I have wrestled with guilt about this at times and I hope and pray always to keep doing better and not go backwards but I am not always successful.  I confess, repent and strive to do better not wanting to be the kind of person who thinks I can keep repeating the action, repent, and repeat, repent, repeat.  Our Abba in Heaven please let your Holy Spirit have patience and keep working with us all even if HE or an angel need to lift us up by our hair to get our attention, in your Son’s name – Amen (btw, did you know that Amen is one of HIS Son’s names – see Revelation 3:14).  HE is looking out for us forever and ever, Amen (I love HIM dearly!).