The bible says: Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:13.
Pay attention to the word of God, be ready, focus on Jesus and Allow him to speak with you. Don’t let the noises of the world keep you from hearing the voice of the Lord.
Let’s read:
“And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.”
1 Corinthians 7:35 KJV
The message today is: DISTRACTIONS
Distractions! How can we serve The Lord without distractions?
It’s so easy to lose our focus.
Nowadays, we are reading things on our phones and suddenly we receive a text and we completely forget what you were doing in the first place…
-You are driving your car, paying attention on the road and your phone rings. You take out your phone and try to answer the text.
-You are studying the bible or doing school work and your favourite TV program starts. You change plans, you drop what you were doing and go do something else….
If you are doing something important, like driving your car…if you get distracted, you cause an accident.
If you are working with a knife in the kitchen, or you holding a heavy weight at the gym and you get distracted, you could hurt yourself.
Why do is it that we think we can be distracted in God’s presence, in our spiritual life, and nothing will happen with us? It’s not different.
Distraction from God is extremely dangerous. As believers we believe that God is the captain of our ship. When you start losing sight of your captain, you start trying to steer your own ship. Not only does this cause the ship to go the wrong way, but it can lead you in the direction of trials, sins, missed opportunities, and missed blessings.
When you lose sight of your captain you start to fear and worry. You start to think ‘I’m in this by myself’.
Your captain promised to guide you and help you but instead of focusing on Him, you started focusing on the huge waves and the other sailors around you.
As technology advances being distracted from God is becoming easier and easier. Distraction from God could be because of sin, but that’s not always the reason.
The main reason is life itself and getting caught up in the world. Reasons for distractions include ourselves, money, hobbies, relationships, cell phones, TV, and more.
Sometimes we’re consumed with our technology all day and we only acknowledge God right before we go to sleep with a quick 20 second prayer and this should not be so.
This quick prayer is a selfish one as we don’t even take the time to say thanks and give Him praise. In life we’re supposed to do God’s will not our will.
When we allow other things to consume our lives we drift away from God.
But the bible says we are running a race and we can not be distracted.
Look in Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2
Our goal as Christians is to “look only to Jesus”…to focus on our relationship with God. But it’s so easy to get distracted.
Do you want to see what I mean? What are you thinking about right now?
While I am preaching here, what are you thinking about? Maybe about the dinner you’re having after this, your college work, maybe you want to sleep a little bit, you have some bills to pay… Are you distracted?
The Bible tells us to “remove from our lives anything that would get in the way”.
We have to remove what is holding us. Think about your life: What is stopping you? What keeps you far away from God?
In other words, don’t get distracted from your personal relationship with Jesus.
Distractions come in many forms: sin, problems, successes, friends, family, school, girlfriends/boyfriends, etc.
But, Don’t Waste Time And Energy On Little Battles That Will Distract You From The Ultimate Win. Little battles talk about confusion, discussions, who is in the right, who is in the wrong… Sometimes the enemy will draw you into a fight that has nothing to do with your destiny and purpose. We are so busy trying to prove we’re tough enough to win the battle and we lose the war against our flesh.
Choose to Spend your time in the battle that really matters, the race until heaven!
Instead of focusing on the distractions, focus on Jesus.
Look what Jesus says in Luke 9
“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”” Luke 9:57-62 NIV
The title of this text in my bible is: The cost of following Jesus.
There is a cost for those who want to follow Jesus.
And we have to know it. We were called by Jesus to follow him and to serve him with what we have. So, we have to live a life for him and focus in what he has for us.
In these verses, we have some lessons…
1- Things happen when you are on the road.
Verse 57 says, ‘While they were walking along the road…’
Jesus and his disciples met people while they were going places to preach the gospel. Jesus could speak with 3 different kinds of people.
Things happen when you are walking on the road of God. You cannot stop to serve the Lord. You cannot stop to walk with God.
I know God calls those who are already doing something for him.
If you walk and talk with God, you will never miss the direction of your future. Be bold and offer your heart to be led by God.”
2- Make the decision to Follow Jesus
In this text, We have 3 different kind of people.
The first person told Jesus: I will follow you wherever you go.
He made a decision. He chose Jesus. He saw Jesus, and his desire was good in that point.
I invite you today to make a decision with all your heart: Choose to follow Jesus. It’s the best thing you can do in your life.
My testimony: Grew up in the Church (parents), decision when I was 12, work for Jesus in my youth, my calling and now Im here…
Decide to follow Jesus today!
3- There is a cost to follow Jesus
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
God doesn’t promise us a comfortable or easy life. Jesus had no place to lay his head. The life that awaits is a life of surrender before God, and knowing that our reward is in heaven. But, unfortunately, we see people starting their race of faith and they stop along the way, because they love the things of this earth more than things of heaven.
Jesus told:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21
Beware of the distractions of comfort. This world offers us a nice life to be far away from God. It’s a temptation to be distracted and store up treasures on earth. Put your heart in Jesus.
God did not create you to live a distracted life. God created you to live a Jesus-infused life.”
4- If you are called by Jesus, follow him now!
“He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”Luke 9:59
It’s a different situation here. The first guy decided to follow Jesus, but now Jesus himself called the next person. He said: Follow me, but the person said: Let me go and bury my father first…
In truth, this person wanted to live with his family for longer, spend more time in his home. He was not saying that his father died. His father was alive, but his desire was to serve God later…
Distractions! How many of you were called by Jesus to do something but you stopped, you told Jesus: let me live my youth first. Let me date someone first, let me work first.
You had a plan built by God to your life, a calling, but you said: Let me live my life, my own desire first…
Distractions can lead us to Ruin! We can be ruined trying to live our own life without Jesus’ permission.
You have to know your time, the point and stage where things become valuable to you and become important enough that you cannot afford distractions.
So, look at your life. If you were called by Jesus to study and be a pastor or missionary, go! Don’t lose time! If you are called to work in the church, do it. If you were called to serve God with your job, your finances, please do it now.
If God spoke to you, do it! Don’t think twice. If you stop to think you will lose focus. Don’t be distracted! Go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
5- Don’t look back
“Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:61-62
Another person wanted to follow Jesus, but he was not ready to move on. Jesus said: No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.
Brothers and sisters, it’s hard to lose people, family, friends, it’s hard to lose things and jobs, but nothing compares to being in the centre of God’s will. You can be far away from home, far away from those who you love, and still be happy, because you are in the centre of God’s will.
Don’t be distracted, don’t look back. Looking at the past, looking at your old life with longing, with a desire to go back, is a risk.
Remember Lot’s wife?
When God was destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, The angels told to Lot and his family: Run, and Do not look back and do not stop anywhere! Genesis 19.
But what happened?
“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Genesis 19:26
She missed her old life, old sins, her bad habits. She became a pillar of salt, she didn’t die because her curiosity, but she died because she desired her old and bad life again! She looked back.
What does the bible says about looking back?
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14
6- Forget the past, look head!
Do not look back and think: oh, that was a nice time and I will never have such a good time again. No! Look ahead with hope and faith, with Jesus, your future will be better than your past!
Do not be distracted by the things of this world.
Career is important, but seek God first!
Family is something precious! But do not forget God! There is a time for everything, time to spend with family, time to work, time to seek and worship God!
“The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with Him, the more the Spirit will make you like Him. The more you are like Him, the better you will understand His utter sufficiency for all of life’s difficulties. And that is the only way to know real satisfaction.”
To finish the message, let’s read again Hebrew 12.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2
Today, we learned:
We have to be working to be used by God. He won’t use people who stopped along the way by distractions.
We have to make a decision. Doesn’t matter what you are doing g today, you can change it by Jesus’ power.
Decide to change your life and be far away from sins that try to hold you back.
Know it: There is a cost to following Jesus.
The Kingdom of God doesn’t work like this world. If you lose in this life you gain in the Kingdom. Do not store up treasures on earth! Think about heaven at all times! Don’t be distracted.
This is your time to be changed by the word of God and fulfil your purpose to live for Christ.
Don’t look back! Do not wish to live the same life you lived before Christ. Look ahead, do not let your mind deceive you! Don’t be deceived by feelings.
Look ahead and run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.