The Danger of Distraction
by Jeremy Pearsons
Have you noticed how, in today’s fast-paced, always-on, internet-connected world, it can be challenging to keep your focus?
Sarah and I have seen how our children’s ability to pay attention is a definite earmark of their growth. The more mature they become, the better they can keep their minds set on one thing.
Watching them struggle to stay focused is cute sometimes. What’s not so cute is when a fully grown adult still has that struggle…especially when it’s you or me.
As adults, we must have the ability to lock in on something and not let go. According to the Word, our peace depends on it.
Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You...” ("New King James Version"). That’s pretty straightforward: Peace depends upon our ability to keep our mind in one place—stayed on Him. In fact, the Lord shared it with me this way, 'The absence of peace is the product of a wandering mind.'
“But that’s just my personality,” some say. Sure, having a wandering mind can sound innocent, but no matter how we’re wired, we must build our ability to stay focused…or risk our peace.
The Parable That Rocked My World
To stay focused on the Word, we have to receive it into our lives. This is the principle found in Jesus’ parable of the sower in Matthew 13. In it, Jesus revealed how, when the seed of the Word is sown, one of four things happens:
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