“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

1 PETER 5:8 (NLT)

Buzz. Buzz. There it was again, my phone lighting up while driving on the highway. It was a message from someone I hadn’t heard from in a while. I glanced at it quickly as I pulled off the road to get gas, and my chest tightened. It wasn’t malicious or even intentionally discouraging, but the words carried weight.

“Are you sure about that? Have you thought about what could go wrong?” I put the phone down, got into my car, and pulled away from the gas pump on the highway. The road ahead was clear, but my mind wasn’t. That message sat heavy in my spirit, and I realized something I’d felt before but never named.

When you’re working on something that matters, when you have a dream you’re chasing, the three D’s will always show up: doubt, discouragement, and distraction.

While driving, I notice that the fields off the side of the highway were wide and open. Harvest was over, and the land looked bare. I thought about farmers and how they plant in faith, knowing there’s no guarantee. They can’t control the weather. They can’t force the crops to grow. But they plant anyway, trusting the process.

That’s where I was. Planting. Trusting. Moving forward. And yet, the three D’s kept showing up. Doubt came first. It sounded like my own voice, questioning whether I had what it took. Whether the work I was doing was good enough. Whether anyone would even care.

Discouragement came second. Sometimes from people who meant well but couldn’t see what I was building. They’d offer opinions based on where they were sitting, not where I was going. And even though they didn’t mean harm, their words planted seeds of hesitation.

Distraction came last. The enemy on assignment, trying to pull my focus away from what God called me to do. A notification here. An opportunity there. Something shiny and appealing that looked good but wasn’t aligned with my purpose. Leaving the gas station, there is a stop sign that says, “WHOA” instead of “STOP.” That sign always made me smile. And at that moment, I thought about how that word applied here. Whoa. Slow down. Pay attention. Recognize what’s happening before you get derailed.

The three D’s are real, but they only have power if you give them attention. Doubt only wins if you stop moving. Discouragement only sticks if you let it rewrite your vision. Distraction only works if you take your eyes off the goal.

So, when they show up, and they will, you must make a choice. Will you let them define your journey, or will you keep driving? I now realize the three D’s were passengers I didn’t invite, but I refuse to let them steer, and you shouldn’t either.

Doubt, discouragement, and distraction will come. Don’t let them drive.

Keep moving forward,

Dr. Key