One of the biggest wars we will face as believers is DISTRACTION! If the enemy can’t get you with sin directly, then he will do everything in his power to keep you so distracted from the things that God has placed on your life. Each one of us have a plan and a purpose that we were created for…but many times those plans go in a journal and that’s as far as it goes… Because like anything else LIFE HAPPENS.

Mark 4:18-19 NLT

18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

Let it not be said of us that we are like the seeds that fell among the thorns and our purpose got crowded out by all the ‘distractions’ of this life (career, family, hobbies, wealth, popularity, power, status, etc.). Are we living a life that is talked about in the next verse?

Mark 4:20 NLT

20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Let us live a life that realizes our callings & our purpose. We then go after it with everything we have so that God can then use us to produce even more than what He originally gave us! This my friend isn’t always easy but in the end it’s so worth it. We can’t just live each day by a whim… we must take each step with purpose.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

This scripture is so clear and it lays out exactly what it takes to ‘walk with purpose’!

Step 1: STRIP OFF EVERY WEIGHT THAT SLOWS US DOWN; well that sounds a whole lot like distractions… these can be sin issues as well as day to day tasks that just keep us soooo busy we can’t get in a routine to keep our mind & heart focused on the purpose for our lives. Let go of every distraction… BE FREE to say NO! You can’t do every event with your children 24/7; you can’t be a slave to your job constantly working overtime and staying late; you can’t always be trying to compete with the family down the street; these things make us exhausted and many times aren’t even necessary. We just allow these things to weigh us down to an already weighty schedule.

Step 2: RUN WITH ENDURANCE the race GOD has set before us; scripture is clear we aren’t running our own life race…no we are supposed to run HIS race set before us…God will give us the grace to be a great spouse, parent, employee, friend, sibling, volunteer at church, etc. if we are following after His heart for our lives. He will give you the ability to do all the things WELL if your not trying to live your OWN LIFE and squeeze God in…

Step 3: KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS; this is the ONLY way you will ever be able to keep up. Jesus knew the end of the story and therefore everything He endured was worth it! I love how it states because of the JOY awaiting Him; even the cross was worth it. This is the only way we can stay rooted in our walk with God, is by keeping our eyes locked on Jesus through the day to day and mundane things of this life! He wants to help you parent your children and see them succeed, He wants your marriage to thrive; and He wants to see you pouring from the overflow of your life into others around you! But your first duty is always to Him FIRST!

Please don’t allow distractions to keep you from the dreams and visions that God has placed on your heart. Make time to put those things FIRST! Trust me in the end it will always be worth it, and everything else WILL fall into place with Him guiding you step by step!

Don’t fall into the trap of distraction… BEWARE!

-Much Love, Not Moved