Five For Focus 01- Distracted From God

Pre-Roll

Welcome to the first episode of the Five For Focus podcast. I’m Ryan and I can’t wait to spend 5 minutes with you each week to pause and focus on Jesus by looking at how his word helps us through all of life's issues. Thanks for joining me and let's go!

Welcome to the first episode of the Five For Focus podcast. I’m Ryan and I can’t wait to spend 5 minutes with you each week to pause and focus on Jesus by looking at how his word helps us through all of life's issues. Thanks for joining me and let's go!

Distractions are everywhere. How many times have you turned to your phone and then all of sudden 10 or 15 minutes have gone by. Or you might be working on a task and something interrupts you.

Lesson

Distractions are everywhere.

How many times have you turned to your phone and then all of sudden 10 or 15 minutes have gone by.

You might think that you are multi-tasking but it doesn’t seem like multi-tasking is actually possible. A 2015 article in the Chicago Tribune cites a study done by University of Michigan professor David Meyer, says that the brain has one channel for each type of information — auditory, visual, manual, etc., The example he gives is that this is why you can't read two things at the same time. It could be that when your brain is focused on one task, that another task will actually distract you. So you’re not getting twice as much done, but instead maybe only accomplishing half or less of the original task.

We hear about distractions while driving, and you’ve heard talk about attention deficit disorders and how our attention spans are just not as long as they used to be.

It would be fascinating to study how the effects of modern technology are making it harder to stay focused, but I want to show you in the Bible that being focused on the main priorities was a struggle even then. Distractions are, to a large degree, an issue of our hearts. The things that distract us can often easily become idols in our lives.

Let me show you a comical scene in the Bible between Jesus and His disciples. Let me read :

(CSB)

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side. 14 The disciples had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then he gave them strict orders: “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. 17 Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact you have no bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts?

Here’s Jesus trying to teach an important lesson on the leaven of the the Pharisees. Leaven or yeast is used in the NT to symbolize evil. This is an important lesson— and the disciples immediately are talking about how they don’t have any bread! It’s like they hear one word—leaven—and it takes their mind to thinking about lunch instead of the lesson Jesus was trying to teach them! Tell me this doesn’t happen in Sunday worship services!

God is always speaking through His Word. Let’s make sure we are putting ourselves in an environment to be able to hear and not be distracted.

Try this-

Ways to Limit Distractions that could keep you from God:

Put away devices. Maybe read a printed Bible so there are no vibrations and sounds pulling you away to something else.

Take notes. During Bible studies or preaching.

Read the Bible out loud. You’ll wander less than if you read in your mind.

Keep a prayer journal so you are looking at requests and not wandering from them too much.

Let’s stay focused on Jesus by being aware of distractions.

Keep a prayer journal so you are looking at requests and not wandering from them too much.

That’s it for episode 1! Subscribe to this podcast and be encouraged by other writings and resources at ryanstrother.com.

I’ll see you next week on Five For Focus.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-distraction-online-political-sean-pennperspec-0308-jm-20150313-story.html