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Dangerous Distractions

 You‘ve heard it’s the small foxes that spoil the vine - I’m here to tell you, it’s the small distractions that destroy the mind!   

You see, we know what to do when we’re faced with something big - a fatal car wreck, a drug overdose of a loved one, the infidelity of a spouse, the hopeless diagnosis for your child… 


We know what to do! We start a prayer chain ... we start fasting and seeking God ... we keep His word in us day in and day out to get through that. 


But then the small things like laundry or dust bunnies or teenage kids happen, We have all these things pile up around us - 

"Mom I need this"….." Mom, sign this for my teacher"… "Honey, did you make that appointment?"..."Sister, can you do this for me?"…."Mom, where’s my socks/backpack/belt?"…Oh, I need to get this posted...I need to call this person… This person isn’t doing her job....Can you believe what she said? … I need to do this...I need to...


And we find ourselves running ragged, getting distracted by all the sideshows, feeling overwhelmed, feeling discouraged, depressed, down….all because of current circumstances...all because we’re distracted from the TRUTH.  (note, I did not say FACT, but TRUTH  - see, in this world facts can change based on a person’s circumstances, but the TRUTH remains steadfast!)

 

I'm going to share a little truth with you now: We need to REALIZE that we have a CUNNING enemy who uses CURRENT events to cause CARELESS emotions.  


And when we have careless emotion (because of everything we allow to distract and impact us), our mental health starts becoming affected.  My mentality (what I think) becomes my reality - and that affects my FOCUS.  And what I start to FOCUS on, affects my WORTH.  


So what do I choose to focus on? Let's pull out a Bible story, shall we?


**MATTHEW 16:13-16

 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”


***then he makes it personal!  


15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”   (In other words, but what are you tweeting about me; what are you posting about me??) 16 Simon Peter answered, “YOU ARE THE CHRIST, the Son of the living God.”


Simon Peter knew this was the TRUTH, no matter how many said otherwise; no matter how many times he would fail himself, Peter declared the truth: YOU ARE THE CHRIST.


Sister, when we have all these distractions and sideshows all around us, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with it all -- and it’s easy be UNDERWHELMED in our faith...but we HAVE TO SHIFT OUR FOCUS….REMEMBER, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"


What YOU SAY matters!  We need to be saying what the word of God says, and we need to hear ourselves saying it!


We already have an enemy - don’t be your own enemy too! 

Instead of SUCCUMBING into the DISTRACTIONS of negativity and overwhelming depression and discouragement and doubt, OPEN YOUR MOUTH and declare that He is your CHRIST out loud!! 


You are my Christ!

You are my Messiah!

You are my Deliverer!

You are my Leader!

You are my Savior!
You are my Provider!

YOU ARE MY TRUTH!


Distractions come and go, but the TRUTH comes to stay! 





Do not let the distractions of life take your eyes off the message of truth you’ve been given: HE IS ARE YOUR CHRIST!


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