Overcoming DISTRACTIONS!

Distractions – things that prevent someone from giving full attention to something else.

SATAN’S GREATEST STRATEGY — The enemy knows he can’t steal our salvation (the Lord won’t let him), so he does the next best thing, he attacks us with a seemingly never-ending barrage of distractions so we can’t focus on what the Lord is currently speaking and doing.

Remember, Jesus only speaks what He hears the Father speaking (Jn.12:49-50) and only does what He sees the Father doing (Jn.5:19).  As a Christian, this is your enemy's ultimate purpose for distractions in your life!  Many Christians are so distracted by religion, they don’t even know the Lord still speaks today!  And many are so distracted by troubles; they can’t see what the Lord is doing in their midst!

Mary and Martha make CHOICES!

There is a touching story in the New Testament which highlights how easy it is to become so distracted by the temporal busyness of life that we neglect the most important thing, which is building an eternal personal relationship with Jesus.  That eternal personal relationship has a name, do you know what it is?

Luke 10:38–42  38  Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha (rebellious [non-conformist]) welcomed Him into her house.

Martha is a type of believers who meet Jesus and believe, then continue on with their normal life.  Their “normal life” becomes an immediate distraction from hearing and seeing Christ.

39 And she had a sister called Mary (rebellious [non-conformist]), who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 

Mary is a type of believers who can’t be content with just having salvation and going to heaven, they have fallen in love, their hearts have been stolen, and their world has turned upside down.  They sense an overwhelming desire to throw conformity to the wind; relentlessly pursue the object of their affection; know everything about Him; and be with Him forever.  For Mary this choice is rebellion [non-conformity] focused in a righteous direction!  The Bible is filled with rebellious [non-conformist] personalities used mightily by God because they made righteous choices to not conform to this world (including the flesh), but be transformed by the renewing of their mind, able then to prove and conform to the true will of God (Rom.12:2).

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore, tell her to help me.”  41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that GOOD PART, which will not be taken away from her.”  (According to Jesus, the choice Mary made to focus her attention fully on sitting at His feet and hearing His Word has given her something she can never lose).” (NKJV)

Choosing “that GOOD PART!”

If there is one thing that stands out in this story, it’s that building a relationship with Jesus doesn’t just happen in the normal course of life, it requires us to make clear and concise choices!  But it’s also important to understand that our new life in Christ not only began with a choice, but requires many more choices daily, for our love relationship with Him to grow in depth and intensity.  Remember, when Paul taught on relationship between husbands and wives, he revealed that marriage is actually a mystery depicting the love relationship between Christ and His Church (Eph.5:22-32).”  Anyone who knows anything about marriage, which also begins with a choice, knows that to be successful, it requires many daily choices that deny self and prefer the other person in the relationship.  I’ve learned there is also “that GOOD PART” in marriage which must be continually chosen.  And every time that choice is made, it ensures “that good part” we have “will not be taken away” from us.  “That good part” is everything that attracted us in the beginning; it’s what eventually grew into real love; and should still be growing in us and adding momentum to the process of God making the two into one (Gen.2:24, Mat.19:5, Mk.10:8, Eph.5:31).  Understanding this should make it easier to yield continually to His process of making us one.

The nature of that “choice” is revealed by what Mary did.  She “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.”  To “sit at Jesus’ feet” symbolizes submission and devotion in wanting to learn from Him, but even more to hear His heart and get to know Him more deeply and intimately.  Paul continued to choose “that good part” as he expressed that choice from deep within: “That I may know Him (Phil.3:10).” 

But today, how do new “Marys” choose “that good part” and “sit at His feet and hear His Word?”  Jesus answered that in Revelation 3:20-22, with an even greater promise.  He said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door (it still begins with a choice), I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  To him who overcomes (the distractions of life) I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame (many distractions) and sat down with My Father on His throne.  He who has an ear, let him hear...”  Mary overcame distractions, came to Jesus, and sat down beside Him, but now, after the resurrection, Jesus comes to us (into us) and we sit down with Him on His throne, and “that good part” we chose in the beginning never stops growing until it becomes a Kingdom of which we are joint heirs with Christ (Rom.8:17).  Is this “that GOOD PART” or what?

“Take heed HOW YOU HEAR!”

Anytime Jesus is going to speak to us, the enemy sends and stirs up distractions—that’s what he does!  Mary overcame those distractions by making a choice to stop everything else, sit at His feet, and hear the Word of God.  Martha, on the other hand, yielded to the distractions and then became a distraction herself.  I believe Mary modeled the best way to overcome distractions.  The focus is HEARING THE WORD OF GOD—What He is speaking to each of us NOW!

In Luke 8:18, Jesus said, “Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

Have you ever wondered about the “what” Jesus was referring to that some have, some do not have, and some seem to have, that WILL be taken from them?  This statement sounds opposite to what Jesus told Martha: “Mary has chosen that good part, which WILL NOT be taken away from her (Lk.10:42).”  The “what” in Luke 8:18, Jesus calls “that good part” in Luke 10:42.  And making the choice that Mary made to overcome all distractions and “hear His Word” will ensure “that good part” WILL NOT be taken from us!

Sixteen times in the New Testament, Jesus said, “He who has (If anyone has) ears (an ear) to hear, let him hear (Mat.11:15, Mat.13:9, Mat.13:43, Mk.4:9, Mk.4:23, Mk.7:16, Lk.8:8, Lk.14:35, Rev.2:7, Rev.2:11, Rev.2:17, Rev.2:29, Rev.3:6, Rev.3:13, Rev.3:22, Rev.13:9)!”  I think we have established that HEARING (with the heart) is of utmost importance to God!  But have you ever wondered how to have “ears/an ear” to hear?  I believe it’s part of “that GOOD PART,” and when we regularly make the choice to sit at His feet and hear His Word, we receive those “ears to hear” that WILL NOT be taken from us!  Hallelujah!

Closing Thoughts…

There is a book, “A Practical Guide to Prayer,” by Dorothy Haskins that tells about a noted concert violinist who was asked the secret of her mastery of the instrument.  This is what she said, “There are many things that used to demand my time.  When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, straightened the room, dusted, and did whatever seemed necessary.  When I finished my work, I turned to my violin practice.  That system prevented me from accomplishing what I should on the violin.  So, I reversed things.  I deliberately planned (chose) to neglect everything else until my practice period was complete.  And that program of planned neglect is the secret to my success.” 

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Mat.4:4).”  Are you LIVING or EXISTING?  It’s a CHOICE!