Distractions

Be honest, how many times a day do you find yourself getting distracted? If you answered once or none at all then please, tell me your secrets!

Living in the 21st Century it is now easier than ever to get distracted, especially when more than 80% of the entire population of the world is in possession of the most distracting tool known to man, a smartphone. Websites, apps, social media, radio and even physical locations, no matter where we go or what we do we are constantly being bombarded with advertisements and the whole purpose of an advertisement is to distract you, to entice you and pull your attention away from whatever or whomever you’re trying to focus on.

The devil works the same way. Haven’t you noticed how the moment you start to read your Bible that random thoughts will suddenly start pouring into your head like “why DID the chicken cross the road” or “did I leave the oven on” next thing you know you’re in the kitchen, checking the oven, reminded of the laundry that has been sitting out for a while and by the time you know it an hour has gone by and you’ve ran out of time to read the Bible or how you try your hardest to strictly set aside time to worship God and connect with Him on a daily or weekly basis but somehow during that time something will always suspiciously come up, this isn’t by accident, that is the devil interfering with your life and trying his best to keep your attention off God. Satan is conniving and deceitful and if he can’t get you hate God he will at least do anything he can to distract you or preoccupy your time so that you aren’t focused on God but rather focused on yourself, on the world or literally anything else.

The question then must be asked, how do you we stop from getting distracted? How do we stop the devil from infiltrating our minds and leaving us alone so that we can focus our attention on God and enjoy that time together with Him? Unfortunately, preventing the devil’s advances in our life isn’t an option. 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan is hard at work, he is relentless and will not give up, constantly seeking to devour those who are weak in their faith.  

Weak in their faith. Here’s a hard pill to swallow, the devil doesn’t waste his time on people who are already far from God, he only cares about those who are living for God, those who are focused and committed in their relationship with God. If you feel like the devil isn’t pursuing you or trying to destroy your life than maybe it’s because you’ve let yourself fall further away from Christ, maybe you aren’t living for God or as focused on Him as you should be. Maybe you’ve let your faith crumble or let yourself already get so distracted you’ve lost focus. Satan doesn’t care about the lost he only cares about the faithful, the closer you are to God the more the devil will pursue you and hope to entangle you in his web of lies and distract you further from the truth but as we’ll discover shortly there is hope in Christ and God has given us definitive ways to combat the devil and his advances and have victory in those moments.

Before we determine how we can keep ourselves from getting distracted or combat the devil and his advances in our life we must first determine what distractions are in our life and how those distractions can get in the way of our relationship with God. Knowing the definition of a word is a great way to gain better understanding and clarity of what we’re trying to determine. If we do a quick Google search, we learn that the definition of distraction is “a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.” Distractions are intrusive and unfortunately something we often simply cannot escape. What is it in your life that you’re allowing the devil to use to distract you from God?

To preface, I’m fully aware that distractions aren’t always a bad thing, trust me, I’ve been at the DMV and waited HOURS to be helped, I’ve camped in an airport after multiple flight delays, I’ve waited patiently in countless lines that appeared to have no end, in these situations and many others it’s absolutely vital to have something ready and available to kill the time with otherwise you can go a little crazy. I also understand that it’s not plausible to read the Bible during every free moment of the day so I don’t expect you to fill every free moment with the Word of God but why not? There’s no better way to spend free time than connecting with God but I digress, distractions can be a good thing; when distractions get in the way of your responsibilities or interfere with your relationship with God then you should be concerned.

What are some distractions that you should be aware of?

Fear. Unfortunately, we live in a world that is full of sin and evil, while good can still be seen around us it is easy to get swept up in the chaos of current events especially when the media is consistently playing a role in spreading fear into our lives by promoting pain and misfortune. Not to mention the situations in your personal life that bear negative consequences which can flood your mind with uncertainties. These fears can often lead us down a path of worry and anxiety and distract us from the hope that God provides.

Entertainment. A part of life that is quite literally impossible to escape, whether it be social media, music, TV, sports, fashion, food, travel, books, games or any other extracurricular activity you can think of there is so much this world has to offer that may bring you artificial happiness or seem entertaining for the moment but in the long run when we spend too much of our time entertaining we can easily create an addiction causing us to spend less time with God and more time on the entertainment of our choosing. 

Temptation. The devil knows the desires of your heart but sometimes your heart can be deceiving causing you pursue what you shouldn’t. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” The moment the devil gets wind of these immoral thoughts or desires that are displeasing to God then Satan will do his best to tempt you and try to distract you from God with these evil desires and temptations.

Yourself. One of the single biggest distractions of your life is yourself. We live in a world where we are constantly being berated with a substantial amount of methods by which we can improve ourselves ranging from self-help books to podcasts that offer quick solutions and temporary satisfaction; this generation would rather you focus on yourself than anyone else and when we become so focused on ourselves we lose focus of God.

Work. I understand that work is an essential part of life, unless you’ve won the lottery work is an absolute must to survive and without work there’s a lot we couldn’t do for ourselves or for God but when we overwork, when we take on more than we know we need because we would rather stay busy then at that point we’re putting the time we spend at work before God and we’re prioritizing the need to stay busy over our relationship with Him.

These are just a few examples of distractions the devil can use to pull our focus off God and redirect our attention on something other than Him. Each distraction may vary from person to person; what the devil attempts to distract me with may differ to what he uses to distract you with. It’s up to you to be vigilant in your own life and walk with God; to be on guard during those times and prepared for the devils pursuits because the devil is constantly trying to seek out and devour the weak and if you aren’t aware he may use whatever method he can to distract you.

Now I’m not saying to quit your job, get a flip phone or throw out your Xbox but I am saying that one day we will be held accountable for the time that we spend on earth and rather than wasting our time and letting these vices distract us from our purpose and relationship with God we ought to be aware of how we spend our time and not let a single moment interfere with our time with God. Cherish the time you have with God, stop letting Satan use distractions to pull you away from Him. God has given each of us exactly 24 hours in a single day and how we spend that time is important. When we allow ourselves to get distracted, we negatively impact the limited time we have available in our day. 

So how can we learn to manage our time better? How can we keep ourselves from getting distracted and stay focused on God? I’m glad you asked, even though I’m sure this may seem like a simple answer, with God’s help. If you’ve been a Christian long enough, I’m sure you’ve noticed this little thing God likes to use when we find ourselves stuck in a situation where we are poised with a decision to either obey God or go against God, a crossroads of sorts, and that feeling is called conviction. There will undoubtably come a point in your life when you know you should be focused on God whether it be in church, reading the Bible or any other moment throughout your faith where the devil will try his best to distract you and God will be right there convicting your heart and tugging at you reminding you to stay focused. Ultimately the choice at that moment is yours, it’s up to you decide how you want to spend that time going forward, do you want to be distracted and easily swayed or would you rather be focused and determined.

Here are some tools God has provided to help you stay focused:

The Bible. Psalms 119:11 says this “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” When you study scripture and hide God’s Word in your heart, not just reading the Bible but learning to memorize every verse, when the devil comes at you like a roaring lion and attempts to tempt you or sway you with distractions, you’ll be able to combat his attacks with Scripture. Even Jesus, when He fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil, quoted scripture to combat the devil’s advances. Luke 4:4 says this “Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” The Bible is a key ingredient in our walk with God, it is our sole authority and without it we would be lost and hopeless. 

Prayer. Hebrews 4:16 says this “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” No matter what situation you find yourself in, whether you’re dealing with distractions or temptation, going through trials and hardship, through joy and sorrow, all you need to do is come boldly before God and he will be there for you; God promises to hear our prayers. Prayer is absolutely vital in our walk with God, it is through prayer that we are able to communicate with God and draw closer to Him.

God has given each of us all that we will ever need combat the devil and defend ourselves in times of distractions or temptation. Satan may be a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour but this is not a battle you should ever have to face alone or unprepared. No matter what you’re going through God is right there fighting alongside you, through prayer and scripture and the whole amour of God the devil doesn’t stand a chance. Being a child of God means that God doesn’t want to see you fail, He doesn’t want to see you get hurt and just as importantly He doesn’t want to see you waste your time. God desires that we live full lives and when we become distracted, straying further away from the purpose and plan He has set before us, we hurt ourselves and subsequently hurt God. So, the next time you find yourself feeling distracted stop, say a prayer or quote scripture, reach out to God and I guarantee you’ll find yourself with a fresh perspective and a renewed focus!

📍Cape Disappointment