Have you ever talked with someone with divided attention? Frustrating, right? You are in mid-sentence and they engage someone else in conversation. Although not purposeful, I know I have done this to others. I am sure most of us have done this at some point and time. You see, there is so much going on around us, that we are easily distracted from the task at hand. To combat this, we would need to be purposeful.
We can do the same thing with our relationship with the Lord! There is much around us … much that is appealing … much that seems harmless and catches our eye. However, it is harmful when it gets us off mission. When something or someone gets us off the God-given mission of our calling, the mission of our marriage, the mission of our family, the mission of pursuing unity, or the mission of bringing glory to God, the mission of the gospel – IT IS HARMFUL!
We must keep our eyes -- our heart and mind -- on the mission.
Purposely Impossible (Judges 7:3-12)
Go home if you want (22,000 leave & 10,000 stay…v. 3)
Drink like a dog and go home (9,700 sent home…v. 6)
Left with 300… against unnumbered multitudes (sands of the sea – v. 12)
Numbers diminished to guard against pride (v. 2b)
Purposely Encouraged (in a dream) (Judges 7:9-10, 13)
Take a moment to read the Bible verses above. Did you notice the first thing Gideon did after God allowed him to hear the dream? He worshipped. The man who struggled with doubt and with the illogical being presented as logical — stopped what he was doing and worshipped God. Gideon was so encouraged by God’s encouragement that he worshipped the Lord God of Israel.
Purposely Ran (God fought for them) (Judges 7:19-22a)
Purposely Turned Away (Judges 8:33-35)
They forgot God after Gideon’s death – and worshipped false gods again. This incredible story of victory does not have a happy ending! After the greatest victories, we will often have great defeat because we became distracted from the mission.
Marla Runyan gave her all to qualify for the Olympic Games in 1996, but her best time finished short of the mark to make the United States team. Undeterred by that failure, she returned in 2000 and made the team for the Sydney Olympics. Her eighth-place finish in the 1,500-meter race was the best finish ever for a United States woman runner. The thing that makes Runyan’s accomplishments even more remarkable is that she is legally blind. She is the first legally blind athlete to ever qualify for and compete in the Olympic Games. After her Olympic career was over, she switched to running marathons and in 2002 posted the second fastest debut marathon time ever by an American woman.
Runyan can only see shapes and blurs, but she says that her lack of vision is actually an asset—she just focuses on the finish line in front of her rather than looking around to see what the other runners are doing. Not having visual distractions helps her compete and win her races. The same thing can be true in our lives. There will always be things that try to pull us away from what we should be focused on doing. Many times these will be good things, but we must be willing to set them aside and stay focused on what is most important. (Source: USA Track and Field)
5 Guards against spiritual distractions…
1-Reveal your weaknesses (Ask God - Ps. 139:23-24… Be honest with God – Prov. 28:13)
2-Remind yourself of the finish line every day (devotions – Ps. 119:11; Phil. 3:14; II Tim. 2:15)
3-Rehearse your training regimen regularly (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2; 119:105 – Bible memory)
4-Rely on your coach (God’s grace: it’s how you started-Eph. 2:8; it’s how you continue – Rom. 5:1-2; it’s how you improve/prayer – Heb. 4:16 ; it’s all you need – II Cor. 12:9)
5-Remember your coach is watching (live in the reality of God’s presence-Prov. 15:3; Ex. 33:14)
The writer of Hebrews said, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1–2). No matter what is going on around us, Jesus never changes. As long as we focus on Him, we will stay on course.