Faith Requires Focus
Recently, I left home for a rehearsal with sufficient time to get to the location. The journey required me to take two vehicles. Thankfully, I was able to get the first rather quickly, which brought me to the midpoint with more than enough time to arrive at my final destination. However, getting the second vehicle was somewhat of a challenge, as it had rained earlier that afternoon, resulting in traffic that was almost at a standstill. Nevertheless, I was able to board a taxi within a reasonable time; I was still on track. Along the way, things took a turn—no pun intended. In light of the heavy traffic, the cab driver deviated (without warning) from the usual route. Unfortunately, I was not paying attention to what was happening and consequently missed the point where I should’ve disembarked. I ended up so far off course that instead of arriving at my destination within 10 minutes of disembarking the taxi, I stood waiting another 40 minutes to get another vehicle to correct my course. Needless to say, it cost me more money than it should, and I was late in getting to my rehearsal.
This blunder caused me to consider how detrimental, and even deadly, distractions can be. The need for sobriety translates even into our spiritual walk. Similar to the previously shared experience, many of us as Believers, having received the Holy Spirit, start out in our salvation with lots of confidence, zeal, and commitment. We enjoyed consistent fellowship with God and the saints. However, along the way, some of us began entertaining a thought or emotion designed by Satan to detour us from the straight and narrow way in Christ and ensnare us in sin. Soon, we find ourselves compromising, at first in little ways,and if we continue, these compromises advance. This results in spending less time doing the things we once enjoyed, and the pleasure of these moments becomes little to nonexistent, costing us true, peaceful fellowship with God. Our hearts become drawn away by the lusts within, and Satan, being so cunning, knows how and when to tug on them. But we ought not to be ignorant of the enemy’s schemes.
Tempting us with daily, momentary distractions (whether subtle or obvious) is one of Satan’s main strategies to hinder the sons of God from inheriting the promise of victory over all the power of the enemy, living abundantly in Christ, and ultimately eternal life. This is why we must remain alert and watchful. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Jesus said, we ought always to pray and not faint; abide in him and don’t stop. We must remain. There is no offseason or time off in the spirit.
Thanks be to God for His proven mercy and faithfulness to us Believers that if we become distracted, He will reveal any mindset we have entertained that is not in line with His character or Word (Philippians 3:15). When He does, we must humble ourselves and repent. This will result in restored fellowship with Him and more of His grace being poured out into our lives, causing us to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Fellow youths, these are the last days. There is no doubt that there are innumerous distractions everywhere, and much of it is geared towards us. There is a war going on in the spirit; it’s very real and not a respecter of age. The enemy does not wait for us to mature before he attacks us. Moreover, once you are born of the spirit of God, He expects obedience regardless of age. We cannot allow distractions to take us off course.
In the story of my journey to rehearsal, I had all the resources and opportunity to get there without the mishap. In like manner, God has equipped us with everything we need for life and godliness. Let us be yielded to the Holy Spirit, and we will always have the power (or grace) to overcome every scheme of the enemy.
In essence, let us love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength so that we can share in this victorious testimony:
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
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