DOMINION OVER DISTRACTIONS (1)

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you” – Proverbs 4:25

Tragedies can be prevented when we learn to exercise DOMINION over DARTS of DISTRACTION: “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil” (Pro.4:25-27). Several fatal texting-and-driving accidents have occurred globally, with tragic consequences, yet millions of people are not deterred by the potential dangers of distraction. For some reason, they believe that they’ll be able to successfully navigate their cars from one point to the next, even if their attention is elsewhere. This sad trend illustrates a vital spiritual principle: Life’s stakes are high; we must be diligent to remain undistracted!

If Satan cannot get us through a direct attack, he tries to change our focus from UP to AROUND; get our eyes off of Jesus, the Captain of our ship; so we’ll veer into wrong ways, and miss divine opportunities and blessings. The devil may attack someone whose defeat could distract us from Jesus or send disruptions, problems, people issues, work problems, money challenges, and all kinds of circumstances to get our eyes off of Jesus. While being distracted, he would shoot darts at our heart – to destroy our faith.

Stories abound of people who were once passionate about following Jesus, but either abandoned their faith completely or spend a lifetime struggling to be restored to a spiritually mature walk. Diverse things can cause distraction. For example, King Uzziah served Judah for fifty-two years, during which time he sought the Lord and prospered, but as his fame spread and the kingdom flourished, pride distracted him from devotion to God: he became corrupt and unfaithful (2Chr.26:16). In his twilight years, God struck him with leprosy, and he died cut off from his people – a tragic portrait of the danger of distraction!

Israel’s history depicts a pattern of disloyalty, as worldly culture distracted them from devotion to God. Often led by wicked kings, they abandoned God to worship the idols of neighbouring cultures, choosing idolatry over adoration. Even King David, distracted by lust, gave in to an affair that led him to commit murder, in desperation to cover his sin. David tried to groom his son, Solomon on the path of loyalty: “know the God of your father, and serve Him with a LOYAL HEART and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts” (1Chr.28:9a). God cherishes loyalty of heart: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose HEART is LOYAL to Him” (2Chr.16:9a).

Paul cautioned Corinthian Believers on the danger of distraction: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain…Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1Cor.9:24-27). He warned against their minds being “corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2Cor.11:3).

Beloved, let us not compromise our devotion to God through distractive pursuit of cares of this life, deceitful and uncertain riches, fleeting popularity, positions and possessions (Mk.4:19; 1Tim.6:17). Our closest friends – the people we spend the most time with – should be Jesus Lovers, if they are not to draw us away from Him! We’re aliens and pilgrims in this world, citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Let’s examine our lives, get rid of worldly influences, and be undistracted and loyal in our walk with God!

God wants our path to be “like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (v.18). His indwelling Spirit empowers us to be focused and loyal, but we must cooperate by being alert to the enemy’s distractions. We must intentionally act to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mk.12:30). Anything less is idolatry!