97. Our Focus Matters When It Comes to Distraction

Distractions in life are everywhere, aren't they? We've discussed many of them in past episodes. This is something I'm sold out on in helping women like you and me overcome distractions in our lives so we can live the abundant lives Jesus came to give us. So much so, I'm writing a book about it which will release in October of this year. But the truth I'm learning over and over when it comes to distractions is this: our focus matters.

Each morning I'm asking God to teach me what I need to yet learn about distractions, and let me tell you, I'm learning a lot. I call it my 40 days of living undistracted, and today I'm on day 7. I pop in on Instagram every now and then to share some of what I'm learning. Over the weekend, God led me to an account in the Bible that puts in perspective how serious distractions in life are, and how important it is we learn how to overcome them. This story also enlightened me a powerful truth.

Our focus matters.

We look at a story you may or may not be familiar with. It's about Peter and how he allows distractions to take his focus off of Jesus. It's found in the book of Matthew, chapter 14. Jesus had just fed 5,000 men, not including the women and children in the crowd, with just five loaves of bread and two fish. He sent the people to their homes and the disciples into a boat to go to the other side of the lake. Jesus went up into the hills by himself to pray.

This is when it gets interesting.

I can relate to Peter.

Maybe you can, too. How often am I excitedly walking with Jesus, when all of a sudden I see the winds and the waves of this life. The unpleasant circumstances, the negative comments of another, the bad news, or the reminder of a health issue. And all of a sudden I, like Peter, get scared and begin to sink. All because I took my focus off of Jesus.

Friend, our focus matters. More than we realize or understand.

We discuss how the enemy of our souls desires to keep us away from Jesus and His call on our lives, and we look at four ways to overcome life's distractions, taken from the verses in Matthew 14.

Yes, our focus matters.

Let's put it back on where it belongs and keep it there. On Jesus.

Thanks for being here, friend. Stay focused! God bless you.

Links in this episode:

• Matthew 14:22-33 NLT
• Hebrews 12:1-2a NLT
• Encouragement for Real Life Community
• Access the free encouraging Resources I've designed for you (printables, lock screens, social posts, and fun tools).