OVERCOMING DISTRACTION 1: THE DISTRACTED GENERATION

My Dad would at times spend time playing with us as kids. We would always get into mock boxing. It was not the real deal. Dad was a professional (at least in our eyes). He would make a move as though he was going to kick your stomach. As you attempt to cover your stomach, he would attack another part of the body. We were always frustrated when he made his hit. 

Beloved, distraction is a tool of war. It is an age-long strategy that has always worked especially when a warring party is not discerning. Distraction diverts attention. It does not just divert attention, it steals attention. 

In the strategy plan of the enemy, the first step is to “steal”: 

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.…”

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It is easy to kill a man whose attention is already stolen. It takes a cheap and easy move to destroy a man who is already distracted. Some years ago, the Lord said to me, “Whatever can distract you can defeat you”. 

How does the enemy steal from us? He steals from us by adding to us. The enemy adds to us to dilute our impact and reduce our productivity. He does not uproot the wheat, he only needs to play tares. Once your life is a mixture, the enemy has succeeded. 

The enemy would not stop you from praying (or chewing your mouth in tongues), but he is satisfied as long as you are not focused. You can be pressing fire but you are not on fire. He would lie to you that you prayed while he preys on your soul. 

Hear the words of Apostle Paul to Timothy, his son in the faith: 

“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The rate at which we tap our phones daily is alarming. A particular statistic says that we tap our phones an average of three thousand times a day! When you get into your phone, it takes an average of fifty minutes to get your focus back. Have you heard of FOMO? The fear of missing out! You cannot see an athlete carrying his phone on the tracks. You cannot see a soldier engaged in the heat of war and checking up on WhatsApp status. 

You can walk into a home today and all the children are focused on gadgets. You can sit with friends in a restaurant and you talk more on the phone than with people you see physically. You can stay on the phone all day while legitimate goals are left unattended. 

Why do you have to put aside so you can run faster? 

What do you have to lay down so you can be a sharpshooter? 

Destiny is at stake. Are you distracted? 

temilOluwa Ola, Eruwa