Prioritizing God: Dealing with Distractions

We live in a world full of distractions. Making God a priority has become a difficult task for most. Prioritizing God is a matter of setting our mind to it. Paul charged the disciples in Rome to set their minds on Christ (Romans 8:5). Good intentions are not enough to set our minds. A set mind is developed through a series of decisions starting with each new morning.

• Romans 8:5
• Luke 10:38-42
• Mark 1: 35:39
• Psalm 90:14

Our morning matters, and sets the tone for the rest of the day.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Psalm 90:14

This scripture gives us a visual of what our morning time with God should produce… a feeling of being satisfied.

• Can you write down sins you remember from the day before? Can you identify what was driving your behavior or heart at that time?
• Can you think how different your day would have been if you started your day satisfied because of God’s unfailing love?

Questions:

• How much do you trust in God’s unfailing love?
• How much does anxiety push God out of your mind?
• How much are you preoccupied right now with a to do list?

Setting your mind requires decisions

The most important decision to setting your mind in the morning is made the night before.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Mark 1:35 – 39

What decisions do you need to make tonight to set you up for a great focused time in the morning?

• Do you need to clear a spot on the kitchen table?
• Do you need to find a quiet spot to minimize distractions?
• Do you need to decide what you are going to read and what you need to grow in?
• Do you need to put your cell phone in another room?
• Sometimes the most relief we feel is when we make a decision to do something… whether to repent, change, do something good, or talk to someone you have needed to talk to.
• What decision this morning would bring relief and allow you to focus the rest of the day.

Prayer Idea

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Mark 9:24

Sometimes our ability to be distracted is rooted in unbelief. We can’t stay focused in prayer because we don’t honestly believe God will come through or that our prayers will make a difference. We can become unaware of our unbelief. The first thing we need to do is be honest with God regarding our unbelief.

Other times, the prayer that helps us decide to let go of a grudge is the prayer that allows us to focus on God and let go of our focus on people.

What prayers can you begin to pray that would help you let go of distractions?

Additional Reading

• The book of Mark is a great book about focus and action