Distractions Causing Distance [From God]Örnek

[IMAGE CONTENT] ### Introduction Welcome to the fourth and final day of “Distractions Causing Distance [From God]!” So far, we have learned about God’s free and freeing Love, eliminated worry, and disconnected from the things that take away all of our time. Now, we are going to tackle our third and final distraction–You Are What You Eat! ### Devotion ### Distraction #3: You Are What You Eat! Don’t worry, this isn’t “Health 101” where I judge you for your vice in the kitchen. Quite honestly, I don’t do as well as I should when it comes to eating right–whether we’re referring to physical food or mental food. While I was meditating on this topic, I John 2:15-16 (NLT) became the focal point of my devotion. It says, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” So what is the Bible telling us? Does this mean we cannot enjoy the pleasures of this world? Of course we can! In fact, God desires that we laugh, eat, and enjoy life! So what is the Bible saying? The Bible is telling us to avoid becoming enamored with the physical pleasures of this world. In other words, we should pursue our purpose in God and the upbuilding of His Kingdom. Though enticing, pursuing physical pleasures distracts us from achieving what God wants us to achieve and drives a wedge between our relationship with Him. ### My Moment of Self-Reflection In my moment of self-reflection, I realized while I am distracted by my continuous craving for/pursuit of the physical pleasures of this world ( like great food, accolades, keeping up with the “Joneses,” and being the “first to know ”) I could be praying in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion–staying alert and being persistent in my prayers for all believers everywhere. (Ephesians 6:18, NLT). While I am constantly seeking to obtain my oral fixation, I could be doing what Jesus instructs us to do in Mark 9:29 when He healed the boy who was possessed. That is to fast, pray, and meditate on Christ. While I am constantly feasting on the negativity of the media, I could be “Fixing [my] thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think[ing] about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8, NLT). ### What We Eat Becomes Who We Are The “old folks” used to say, “You are what you eat.” In other words, choosing to enjoy healthy physical and mental food increases energy and brain function, and it improves your overall mood. But what happens when you feast on negativity? It leads to the following in the spiritual realm: * Indigestion: We reject wise advice and biblical teachings and turn to “strange doctrines” for hope and guidance. * Heartburn: Our hearts are burning with anger, rage, and hatred for others instead of burning with compassion for the poor, widowed, and sick. * Diarrhea of the mouth: Instead of being silent and patient, we are quick to vent our anger or frustration and our disdain for others but slow to talk to God. I Corinthians 6:12 (NLT) does an excellent job of summarizing this last point by saying, “You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’—but not everything is good for you. And even though ‘I am allowed to do anything,’ I must not become a slave to anything.” We must choose to avoid becoming slaves to our appetites! Let’s pledge to make sound choices with the physical and spiritual food that we enjoy. I am confident that if we apply the basic principles that we have discussed the last few days and avoid these distractions, we will begin to live more healthy and whole lives, build better relationships, and most importantly, draw closer to God. I am excited and proud that we serve a God who can be described like this: “There’s no shadow He won’t light up, no mountain He won’t climb up coming after me. There’s no wall He won’t kick down, no lie He won’t tear down coming after me!” I said all of that to say, that with all of our daily distractions, our loving Father is still there, waiting on us to reconnect with Him. So my question to you is: Will you defeat these distractions and reconnect with God? ### Prayer Father, we honor You. We praise You. We thank You for Your Word. Thank You for being a great God! Now Father, we pray that over the next few days, weeks, and months, we become less distracted with our daily lives and more focused on You. And ultimately Father, we pray that everyone reading these words can feel Your unfailing, unwavering, and never-ending Love. We magnify Your Holy and Righteous Name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Thank you for reading! Have a wonderful week!