Squirrel....

Squirrel

Fighting the Distractions

08-05-2018

I am going to be honest Church. I struggle to stay focused on God.

Maybe like you I allow life to get in the way and struggle to keep my focus on God and God alone

I try and have a quite time and I do but not as regularly as I would like

If I do it in the morning I get distracted with my phone or I am so tired I sleep and skip it in the morning then to try and have one through out the day is difficult and then I get home and because I allow my feelings to become involved I feel like a bad father and husband if I come home and miss time with my family to spend time with God

See I struggle to keep my focus on Jesus

I allow life to get in the way and I allow situations to get in the way of my walk with God

There is a lady in the Bible who does not get distracted

When I was reading her story it hit me like a ton of bricks this lady in the midst of personal turmoil and stress and life does not get distracted with any of that but goes to God

I would like to think when things start to happen I run to God

I would like to think that about you as well

But if you and I will be honest then we both know that you and I get distracted by our situations and we get distracted by the junk that goes on in our life, maybe it’s kids, work, spouses, family issues, money issues

You and I allow those to distract us from our walk with God and when that happens we struggle

We struggle to keep our heads above water

Hannah was in a similar situation

The background on Hannah she is one of two wives, already the cards are stacked against her being 1 of 2 wives

On top of that she doesn’t have any kids and she can’t have kids

Back in the Old Testament days that would have crushed a women and crushed a person

Then to top things off the other wife has kids and throws it in her face that Hannah doesn’t have kids

So to recap Hannah is married to a guy who has 2 wives and can’t have kids and then the other women mocks her for it

You would think this would stop Hannah

1 Samuel 1:9–13 NASB95

9 Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 She made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” 12 Now it came about, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli was watching her mouth. 13 As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.

Wow with all that Hannah has going on she goes to the Lord

Then in the temple of the Lord where she is praying and with others watching and starting to murmur she continues to pray

To be mocked in the temple and made fun of again would have crushed a family and person in this time period, Hannah does not get distracted

In what you and I would consider a very distracting season of life Hannah stays focused

Church that’s what I want you to understand is that during you most distracted you run to the Lord

When you are struggling in your marriage or in your family rather then letting the situation still your joy and crush you as a person you run the Lord,

And you cry out to the Lord in prayer

Hannah had a rough home life having to share her husband and being mocked by the other women and then maybe she let her mind run and struggled maybe what others were saying and maybe what her husband was saying

But she didn’t let it distract her from her focus on the Lord

You and I should not ride the waves of this life all you get is sea sick

We cannot allow the situations of this life to distract us from the Lord

Peter is another example of not getting distracted

Maybe we should preface this with in this one episode of Peters life he doesn’t get distracted

Matthew 14:24–29 NASB95

24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

In the midst of a scary situation in life and when others are saying not Peter is focused on the Lord

When you and I are in tough situations either at home with family or at work or school or with kids or what every the case may be we must stay focused on the Lord

If we are not focused on the Lord the waves consume us

Matthew 14:30–32 NASB95

30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.

The waves consumed Peter because he stopped focusing on Jesus

And maybe you won’t physically drown but you become consumed by whatever situation you are you are currently in and it steals your thoughts, your sleep, your time, and ultimately it will crush you if you don’t keep your focus on Jesus

Notice I haven’t once talked about what Hannah prayed for or the joy Peter felt walking on water

Church I want you to understand that your focus should be must be needs to be on the Lord

I heard a quote CS Lewis and he said “If you first things first, second things are thrown in. If you put second things first, you lose both first and second things.

If you and I put the second things first, our relationships with others, our family, your kids, your ministry, your job your money whatever it is you lose both first and second things

Oh but church if you and I will keep the number one thing number one your relationship with Jesus, your focus on Jesus then we gain both one and second things. Things are in their proper place

So church I want to move into a time of invitation and challenge you

Maybe you are here today and you have no relationship with Jesus I want to invite you to the front in just a minuet and we will have to people to walk with you and pray with you and show you how you can have a personal relationship with Jesus

or maybe you are here and you are struggling and you simply need to spend sometime at the altar in pray realigning your focus from your current situation to the Lord, the altar is open

Don’t let the waves of this world and the waves of the distraction drown you, be bold and go to the Lord and cry out in prayer