DISTRACTIONS

DISTRACTIONS

A distraction is something that distracts which in turn means to divert the attention of someone from one thing to another. There are good distractions as well as there are bad distractions. If someone is focusing on something good and the attention is shifted unto something bad, that is a bad distraction but if the individual's path was on the wrong and is distracted unto something good, that becomes a good distraction.

A driver along a highway can be easily distracted whenever he comes across something that catches his fancy, which could distract him so much that he looses his gaze on the road ahead and he crashes. A housewife cooking dinner and suddenly her favourite Indian show comes up and she becomes distracted and pays attention to the show and looses her focus on the assignment in her hands, she could have her food burnt and the family goes hungry that night or she has to face the wrath of a very offended husband.

Jesus spoke of a parable in Mark. 4 about a sower who went out to sow seeds and how the seeds fell on different locations and how these locations affected their growth process. He went on to explain that some of the seeds fell among thorns, such that when they began to grow, they became choked up by the thorns hence they being unable to survive. In verse 19, He explained those thorns to be majority distractions such as the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in which choke the word, and makes it becometh unfruitful.

Just after the feeding of the five thousand men in Matthew 14, the Lord JESUS asked that His disciples got into a ship before Him while He dispersed the crowd, after which He went up a mountain to pray. A little while into the sea, the disciples met with a storm and they surprisingly saw JESUS walking towards them on the sea.  As expected they got scared and claimed it must be a ghost because normally human beings shouldn't float on water.

After they were a bit convinced, Peter then asked to come join Him on the water, a request which JESUS obliged and Peter walked on the sea towards JESUS. But as soon as Peter got distracted by the waves, he lost his focus on JESUS and began to sink into the sea until JESUS stretched out His hand and pulled him back up.

Peter would have walked a great while on the sea, which was truly a huge attainment for a human being,  but he got distracted and quickly sank as any other human being would. Lesson learnt here is simply not to get distracted away from JESUS,  as it is only in full focus on Him that one's life can attain the seemingly unimaginable. Away from Him, one's life remains normal or even less than normal, but with Him, the extraordinary exists.

JESUS went to visit His friends, Mary and Martha in Luke. 10 and it would normally be amongst men whenever we have a very important guest coming around, Martha was quite busy trying to arrange something tangible for JESUS to eat and she became truly busy with this assignment such that it became stressful for her till she now remembered that she had a sister who wasn't getting involved with this preparation. So she quickly complained to JESUS that He should ask her sister, Mary to help her with the preparation. A request that JESUS replied to by saying in verse 42 that one thing alone is truly needful and Mary has taken to it which is to focus on JESUS, beyond every desires in the heart of man whether good or bad, not being distracted from the person of JESUS still remains paramount.

Truly it is the aim of the devil to distract us from focusing on JESUS, that is why the scriptures give us a heads up in James  4:7 instructing "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." He further reiterated this guide in 1Peter 5:8 by saying "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"


We should never be deceived into believing that there exists an adversary in anything else except the devil and his lifetime assignment is to seek out those he can devour by distractions. We would win always only by focusing on JESUS.

Matthew 6:19-21 & 31-33 warn us about how we can easily also get distracted by the cares and affairs of this world. We could even get caught up being engrossed in the work of GOD that we forget the GOD of the work (Rev. 2:3-4).

Distractions away from JESUS comes in various forms and skills of the devil. It remains very important for the child of GOD to pay attention to details and be careful to note whenever the focus/interest isn't anymore of honouring/obeying GOD. This is the point whereby one needs to diligently retrace his steps and like Mary pay attention to that which really matters - JESUS.

So how really does one get to maintain focusing on JESUS? Various scriptures help in answering this question (Joshua. 1:8, Mark. 6:31, 1John. 5:21, Eph. 5:15-16, Prov. 3:6, Mark. 1:35, Gal. 1:10). One of them remains having a set time, apart from every form of distractions whereby we pay full attention to GOD, appreciate His love for you, adore His majesty and acknowledge His sovereignty over all that concerns you. Study the word of GOD, Pray and Meditate.

In conclusion, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." - Eph. 6:11.

GOD BLESS YOU.