The irony of the situation I currently find myself in is not lost on me, I have came to my usual wiring spot to spend some time writing about distraction and its subtle ability to keep us focused on anything but God and I find myself completely unable to string a single thought together.
It is this very situation earlier this morning that got me thinking about the role of distraction in our spiritual lives. I woke up and began to get ready for the day ahead, thinking about how at what time I would spend some time with God to begin my day, of course this thought continued with me as I read the news, ate breakfast, got the dog sorted, etc etc.
Eventually I sat down to read scripture and pray, During which time I couldn’t read more than one sentence without thinking about the day ahead, instantly forgetting the verse I had just read as I hurried into a prayer before heading out the door to work.
How can I call this time with God? Its simply not time with the Father, its confused time with scattered thoughts and no attention paid to what God has to say.
My mind is constantly working, thinking about the day, week, month ahead. Making plans and creating ideas, analysing things and solving problems (usually non-existent problems)
As I mentioned in the Spiritual M.O.T blog post, these thoughts come strongest when i go to spend time with God, of course they do! The enemy will use anything he can to stop us spending time with the Father, from the thoughts in our head, to a text message tone, a sudden realisation that its lunchtime and you’ve never been hungrier, needing the bathroom (my current predicament – Seriously I’ve finally gotten into writing this post and suddenly the tea I have had is bursting!)
Distraction is such an easy tool to use against us, because it doesn’t look like a tool from the enemy.
Distraction appears like bad timing, of course there are times when it is a simple case of bad timing but we need to be alert to when the thoughts or external circumstances are an attempt by a devious enemy to keep us from hearing the Fathers voice. He wants to stop us hearing what God has to say and he will use things tactics that don’t appear to be coming from a place of distraction from he Fathers voice.
God speaks to us in a soft, warm fatherly voice, the enemy comes with noise and chaos.
The challenge in this post is this, wake up in the morning and before you look at your phone, or begins thinking about the day, get up and go out of your room, listen / sing along to a worship song and declare the day to God, Open that dates Proverb (15th Aug = Proverbs 15) read it and pray it over yourself;
“15 A gentle answer turns away wrath,but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. 3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,keeping watch on the wicked and the good. 4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life,but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
Father I pray that i learn to give gentle answers to those with questions, and that I would learn to not speak harsh words to those around me, I pray that my words are filled with your knowledge and that I would not have the mouth of a fool. I pray father that your eyes keep watch over me to protect me from the distraction of the enemy and that my words would spring forth trees of life all around me and that my words would never crush my spirit or the spirit of those around me.”
Finally spend time listening for what God has to say to you, he speaks all the time, he loves you and the thoughts in your head? He has answers to those to. Then get on with the rest of your day, looking out for the Father in the small and big moments, searching for the times when he is speaking softly through the loud noise and distraction.
Declare the day / Pray the Word / Actively Listen / Go