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So... have you ever been studying or reading, and the next thing you know you're 15 videos deep into youtube? Or have you ever started to tell a story and get sidetracked so many times that you're not even sure if you're on the same story anymore? Or have you ever been reading the Bible app on your phone and get that little social media alert, and now you're checking Facebook? Social media, fear, your past, comparison, fitting in, the list of distractions go on and on. Getting distracted is soooo easy! Especially in a world that is so loud. It can be hard to focus on one thing at a time in a society where we are raised to be expert multitaskers. It can be difficult to listen to one voice and let one voice be the loudest in your life when there are voices yelling at you from all directions. This world is loud, this world is busy, and this world is distracting. And it can be difficult for us to focus on what we need to focus on. And that's God.
You see sometimes God speaks to us in these loud magnificent ways where we can't miss it. But more times than not, God speaks to us and reveals himself to us in the quiet moments. It can happen subtly. And when we are walking around with our noses in our phones, too wrapped up in comparing ourselves to the person next to us, or so bound in fear, we can end up missing God. We can miss his voice because we are so tuned in to the world and into what the world is saying. There are so many examples of distractions throughout the Bible. Abraham was distracted by fear. Paul was distracted by pain. David was distracted by pleasure. We give our distractions all sorts of names, but all in all, distraction is anything that pulls our attention away from God and it can come in many forms.
We have an enemy... One who only wants to steal, kill, and destroy. And one thing the enemy comes to steal is our attention. The enemy will try to distract us in many ways, but there are three specific tactics that the enemy always seems to use. And these lies, these distractions, can be difficult to overcome, but it becomes easier when you know what God's Word says.
The Enemy Will Distract You By...
1. Bringing up your past
The enemy will remind you of your past sins, your past failures, your past mistakes. He will bring up all the times you have failed, and make you question yourself. He will bring up your past so that you are so consumed with your past sin and guilt that you aren't able to look forward and see what God has ahead for you. The Lord tells us in John 1:9 that if we confess our past sins that He will forgive us and wash us clean. We don't have to be bound by the guilt and shame of our past, because the Lord says that if we confess it, He will forgive it, and then He chooses to forget it.
2. Making you question your qualification
Honestly, how many times have you thought to yourself, I can't do it I'm too *fill in the blank*? The enemy will say "You can't impact the world for God you're too young", or "You'll never be able to lead others to Christ, you're too quiet and timid", or "You have no idea what you're doing". And what we have to say to the enemy during that time of doubt is that you're right. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, I am unqualified, and I can't do this... But I have a God that can! All throughout the Bible, we see instances of God using unqualified and unlikely people to do His will. He used David, a small shepherd boy, to fight a giant {1 Samuel 17}. He used Paul, a guy who murdered thousands of Christians, to spread the Gospel {Act 9: 19-22). And He used Mary, a young girl with no experience other than her faith, to bring Jesus into the world {Luke 1:29-33}. You see God doesn't need your qualification. He just needs your heart to say yes.
3. Crippling your faith with fear.
The enemy will put thoughts of fear in your head to paralyze you.The thing about fear is that it can be absolutely crippling. You see fear is the belief that something bad is about to happen, and faith is the belief that something good will happen! Faith and fear both involve both involve believing in something we can't see or predict. We just have to choose which side we are going to run to. God tells us "do not fear". Do not fear... period. There are no exceptions, no excuses, just do not fear. Now it's easy for us (me) to find ourselves bargaining with God, or trying to make excuses. We might think "well God you wrote those words so long ago, and the world is such a scary place right now, I have a right to be scared." But God has heard every excuse, He has heard every exception, and He still says "Do not fear". Why? "For I am with you". {Isaiah 41:10}
You know what your distractions are. You know the sound of your distractions. And you can get rid of them if you want to! If snapchat is the first thing you check when you wake up in the morning instead of God's word... delete it, it's a distraction. If Instagram is causing you to lose confidence and doubt who God created you to be... delete it. If following a certain person on social media is causing you to compare yourself and have negative emotions about who you are... unfollow them. If there's a party or an event that you know will cause you temptation and might damage your identity as a child of God... don't go. Here's the thing. You can decline an invitation from the enemy. You can say "Nah, doesn't sound like a good idea" to sin. You can say "no thanks" to your distractions. You have the authority to do that... but only in the name of Jesus, because alone you will fail.
I know it's a lot easier said than done. Sometimes we don't even realize we are being distracted until it's too late. But it's so important to remember that when those distractions come up, when Satan brings up your past, when you start to question your qualification, when you feel fear's grasp, that God's Word is still true. We have to find other Christians who can keep us accountable. We have to stay in God's Word so that we keep a heavenly mindset and so that we know His truths and His promises to us. And we have to develop a longing and a desire for Christ. Because you see, until we want to break away from the distractions, and until we want to be free from the things that steal our attention from God, until we absolutely 100% want all of our attention towards God, we will continue to struggle. In the end distraction is a choice. So turn off your devices, embrace the quiet, spend time in solitude and prayer, and be still and know that He is God.