There was a point when I felt that my phone was under attack. I was receiving spam calls all day long. They were coming morning, noon, and when I finally sat down to rest. It got so bad that I stopped answering unknown numbers altogether. But before that, I noticed something. On the days I did answer, didn’t say a word and just stayed quiet, the call would hang up. No conversation. Just silence, then click. So, I decided to stop responding altogether. I just let the phone ring and let it go to voicemail. After a while, the calls stopped. Then one day, out of nowhere, a call came through. It didn’t say “spam likely,” so I thought, “Well maybe I should answer”. So, I picked it up, and just like before, silence, then click. And guess what came back? Spam calls. Back-to-back. Like they were waiting on one thing, a response.
The enemy works the same way. He’ll back off when you don’t react. When you don’t entertain the thought. When you don’t engage the distraction. But the moment he gets a reaction, and the moment he sees he still has your attention, he comes back stronger.
Maybe you’ve felt that too. You were doing fine. You were peaceful and focused. Then one thought came in. One old habit. One familiar temptation. And when you reacted, it felt like everything came rushing back. Jesus warned us about this in Matthew 12:43–44 (KJV). “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man… Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out”. In plain words, the enemy checks back. He tests to see if the door is still open. But the Word of God also gives us the answer in James 4:7, (KJV). “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Notice, it doesn’t say entertain him. It doesn’t say respond. It says resist.
Sometimes resisting isn’t loud. Sometimes it is silence. Like not answering. Like not reacting. Like letting it ring. You don’t owe every thought your attention. You don’t owe every distraction your energy. You don’t have to answer every call that rings. “Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27, KJV). Not a seat. Not a moment. Not a reaction. Don’t give up your peace by answering what God told you to ignore. Stay focused. Stay prayed up. And when the enemy comes back testing the line, let it ring.
Prayer: Lord, help me to recognize the distractions that try to pull my attention away from You. Give me the strength to resist and not react. Help me guard my peace and stand firm in Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Reflection Questions
- What distractions have been trying to get your attention lately?
- Where do you need to resist instead of respond?
- What would it look like this week to “let it ring”?