Don’t be Distracted

   A distraction is defined as the act of drawing someone’s attention away from something. I’ve said many times that this is a word that could describe our generation!  
                                               S O    M U C H    D I S T R A C T I O N!!!!
  There are statistics that divulge the astronomical price industries are paying for employees spending their working hours on their phones, with financial losses mounting into the millions. We talk about the dangers of distracted driving; but what about living our lives in a distracted state. I believe this is more than just a small concern, however, recently during a message I understood this in a deeper way. (2 Corinthians 11:3 AMP)
   We talk about screen time, lost hours of scrolling, and countless other ways distraction has become a part of “normal” life. However, this goes beyond how we are using our time to what we are allowing to fill our hearts and our minds. (1 John 5:19 TPT)
    We must understand that even though we may have experienced God and are endeavoring to follow Him in life, we live in a world system that is increasingly anti-christ in nature. This “system” is not passive or willing to co-exist. This “system” is vying for our hearts and our devotion. It’s endeavoring to shape the way we think and what we believe. The absolute threat of this is how covert and how integrated this has become in our everyday lives. Countless hours of our lives are being given to being shaped by the narrative of this “system.” (1 John 5:19-21 AMP)
    The real question is not whether or not we love God, but what is taking first place in our lives? What are we sowing our lives into? Are we progressively coming to know Him better or are we gaining knowledge in another direction? Are we substituting anything for that first place that belongs to Him? Satan’s plan is to seduce us away from that simple devotion (2 Corinthians 11:3). This most likely won’t come with fanfare, but with repeated luring in another direction. The truth is: whatever we are giving our time and attention to grows and is replicated in our lives. (Proverbs 4:25-27 TPT)
    The Holy Spirit in the book of Proverbs releases so much practical wisdom and direction for our daily lives. Let’s not miss what He’s telling us through familiarity. We must live our lives with intention and fixed purpose! Living distracted is the absolute opposite of this.
    Preceding these verses in Proverbs, there are such important instructions with how to fill our hearts with what will produce life and sincere devotion to the Lord and His ways. (Proverbs 4:21-23 TPT)
    I think what I have missed, and maybe several of us have missed, is that we are not just mindlessly scrolling – we are filling our minds with things: information, ideas, mind-sets, even alternate indoctrinations. More than a few of those things tell us how to think, what we need, what we’re lacking, how we can measure up…the danger in this is that many of these things have their origin in this “world’s system.” Truly we must ask ourselves, what am I allowing to shape me? Is this giving me greater devotion or something else? What is this plethora of information producing in me and through my life? (Colossians 2:8-10 TPT)
   We are so desperately trying to fill the ache or the emptiness in our hearts, when Jesus in all His fullness, glory, and splendor is available to us! Let’s make this a summer to increase the spiritual temperature of our hearts and lives! Let’s fuel ourselves to burn for Him!! (2 Corinthians 11:3 The Message Bible)