It is so very easy to be distracted. We begin with determination, the best of intentions. We concentrate. And then it comes. Not always in the form of some evil thing to be avoided. Usually the distraction is something good and we reason that we deserve it. After all, we have worked hard and stayed disciplined until now! And so the end begins.

The Danger of Distraction

Distraction. It is one of Satan’s favorite tools. While not as powerful as some other weapons like discouragement, it is nevertheless the means for leading so many of us down a path away from the direction God intends. Never has the possibility of distraction been any greater. Our world is filled with sights and sounds that are more readily available than ever before. Technology has made it so.

The word entertainment is often used in our society. Few know the origin of the word. It comes from two Latin words: tenere, which means “to keep,” and enter, which suggest “someone in between.” Literally entertainment is to keep us living “in between.” To keep our minds away. But, away from what?

People use movies, music, games, and a plethora of other options to bear them away from their own mundane lives. A momentary escape from their troubles. We have all allowed entertainment to do just that. It has become the drug of choice for many decent, God-fearing people. The danger is that entertainment becomes our refuge. Only God should hold this place. Repeatedly in the Psalms we are reminded that the godly run to the Lord as their place of refuge and refreshing. Everything else is a distraction, a cheap substitute for the real thing.

This does not mean there is never a time for entertainment. I am not advocating that we all become hermits and live in the shadows of life. A true Christian faith does not bring the believer out of the real world; it brings God into it! But I am suggesting that some guidelines must be set to prevent us from walking distracted through the rest of our lives.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is my entertainment taking away from time alone with God?
• Does my entertainment distract me from meaningful conversations with my family?
• Have I allowed my schedule to revolve around my daily entertainment?
• Do I put as much energy and effort into serving the Lord as I do into my entertainment?
• Has my entertainment begun to distract me from work I am to be doing and the needs of those around me?

Entertainment cannot become a way of life. Life is more than that! The Lord means more than that! One old author suggested that man chooses so many diversions to keep from having to think serious thoughts about God. Perhaps he is right. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to discern what is distracting you from God’s best and help you to discipline that area of your life.

^“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:14-17).

About Scott Pauley