Deadly Distractions

“Distraction – 1. a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else. 2. extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.Therefore the thing or things that keep you from giving full attention to JESUS and His word and or that keep you in a state of extreme agitation are distractions that over time become deadly to our spirit and soul (mind, will and emotions). When we allow ourselves to constantly be distracted from being intentional in our relationship with the LORD the result is that we do not consistently spend quality time with Him in His word or prayer. When we don’t spend quality time with the Lord it begins to negatively effect our relationship with Him, our perspective on His character and His purpose, our view of the church, life, relationships and circumstances. This is why my point is that distractions can become deadly to who we are in Christ and to the calling He has on our life.I’ll go so far as to say that we are in a distracted state when we choose to spend time with the LORD while doing something else. Because when we try to give our attention to more than one thing we aren’t giving our full attention to either. There is nothing wrong with this sometimes yet it doesn’t need to be the only way or the way we do it most of the time. Quality time is a must in any relationship and our LORD is worthy of our undivided attention.Again a distraction is anything that keeps our attention divided or keeps us in a state of extreme agitation therefore we are not content or at peace. What is a distraction to one may not be another. I do feel in this day and age phones are a source of distraction for everyone. In my humble opinion they are a distraction in two ways. One way is by choosing to scroll on your phone, watch a video even with the sound down, listen to a podcast or the news, research something, maybe even listening to music with lyrics, etc. while also trying to complete a task or spending time with other people or the LORD Himself. The result is we aren’t giving our full attention to either. Another way it is a distraction is that the information we are receiving from it may be keeping us in an agitated state. Therefore we are not content or at peace like the Lord wants us to be. Having a phone and therefore having easy access to all the things you can do on your phone is not the problem. The problem is when the phone “has” you. When you can’t leave it in another room or turn it off when you are completing a necessary task, when spending time with people and especially when trying to spend time with your LORD your phone has become a deadly distraction.When your phone or anything in this life has become a deadly distraction to your relationship with God and people and your responsibilities it is time to take drastic measures.In another post I’ll discuss more specifically how deadly distractions affect us and our lives.

***********************