Video
Summary
TODO: Summary
Content
Initial question:
Practical things people do to deal with distractions in this world, as we do live in this world. How do we stay focused on our time with the Lord in this world of so much noise? Is there any way we can focus our attention on the spiritual in a more quick and effective way?
As Christians, we ought not separate ourselves completely from the world
1 Corinthians 5:9-11
Matthew 5:14-16
There is enmity between the world and us as believers
James 4:4
1 John 2:15
Romans 12:2
1 John 5:19
Metaphor: We are servants or ambassadors of Christ. Their are behavioral expectations that go along with this role.
- If a human king sent us to the court of an enemy, he would not expect us to betray him, but to be a witness in the court of this enemy. How much more so God.
Classes of distractions:
- Everyday distractions. Work, family, etc.
- Then there are wider things: the shot and shell of life. Political change. Economic philosophy. And so on.
There are lots of types of distractions.
So how to manage all these distractions?
- Something has to be relevant for our spiritual pursuits for it to be a worthy thing to spend time on.
- How do you draw lines between any action you take, and your spiritual growth? We should think in such terms.
- It can get a bit complicated. Watching a movie may help you relax, and relaxing may help you regain energy to pursue spiritual matters. But the underlying calculus is actually still there.
So when we think of distractions, what makes one thing a distraction, and another thing not? It is their relevance to the spiritual.
Q: What about distractions that are more internal (like over-focusing on our problems, or worry, fear, etc)? Is this the same thing as external distractions since Satan’s word system is designed to play on our sin natures, or is there separate tactics we should use to combat these types of distractions?
Definitely, Satan’s World System does try to prey upon our sin natures.
Also, oftentimes the triggers for internal struggles comes from external factors or external stimuli.
This actually means that some degree of internal struggles can be helped by trying to avoid external triggers. Maybe not 100%, but definitely some degree.
So we shouldn’t focus on the world, but on the eternal and the spiritual
Colossians 3:2
Matthew 6:20-21
Philippians 3:20
Hebrews 11:13-16
2 Corinthians 4:17
Doesn’t matter what shape the world takes or what our circumstances might be, but only what we are fighting for and our attitude about that fight.
Cf. military analogy. Soldiers cannot hesitate; they have to know their objective. So when we face worry and anxiety, we need to think in terms of removing obstacles that get in the way of our objective. We must be resolved to chase after our mission.
- Not that this is easy in the slightest. But the point is that the attitude we need to have as Christians is similar to the attitude soldiers have in carrying out their missions on the battlefield.
- Resources are available to us on the battlefield, and so are the opportunities for us to achieve victory
The battlefield for us is our minds; the spiritual battlefield is where we put our thoughts and our focus. So it’s not a physical fight per se.
How we fight this fight is based on what ideas we have, and our mindset/attitude towards them. This is true even in other matters in the world, but even more so for us, dealing with eternal, spiritual matters.
Focusing on the spiritual: practical considerations
Basically, what are some practical steps we can take to sharpen our focus on the spiritual, and continually keep our eyes fixed where we ought?
Praying continually; meditating on the Word continually
Praying continually:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Luke 18:1
Meditating on the Word continually:
Psalm 1:1-2
Joshua 1:8
Psalm 119:97
Thinking in terms of the military mindset = being good Christian soldiers
For a full analysis of the metaphor, see BB6A Peripateology, §The Military Analogy
Pleasing him who enlisted us:
2 Timothy 2:3-4
Fighting the good fight:
1 Timothy 1:18 1 Timothy 6:12 2nd Timothy 4:7-8
The armor of God:
Ephesians 6:10-17
Building up spiritual momentum, habits, and routine
Link to a past study where we discussed spiritual momentum:
There is nothing inherently spiritual about habits, and we need to be careful not to get legalistic. It is the concept that is important, not any specific routine.
Eternal reward motivation
2 Corinthians 4:17
Hebrews 11:6
Hebrews 11:26
Ichthys talks about this as a subpart of Peter #16:
https://ichthys.com/Pet18.htm#6.%20Legitimacy%20of%20Rewards