“God first..God first”. Sometimes, it really feels like I am in a conflict zone, dealing with an enemy – myself. You might have been in my shoes, tempted to skip doing what God wants you to work on, because your urge to dive into activities like gardening or playing badminton that pique your interest is just too enticing to pass up. As someone with so many interests, staying focused or committed to what God has called me to do hasn’t always been a straight shot, you could say, not without any friction.
Our current world is not conducive to following God’s heart, is it? Our days are often filled with work schedules, personal responsibilities, and hobbies we want to pursue. It’s one of the reasons we, at times, feel flat-out depleted to even spend quality time with Him or do God-centered work. Compared to previous generations, we have way more distractions that divert our attention from God and the work we need to accomplish for Him.
With our new technology, social media, and what have you, it's way too easy to get tugged every which way. Have you ever been glued to your cellphone for an hour or more at some point? The struggle to overcome distractions is way too real for most people.
Obedience Entails Making Time for God
We should know by now that neglecting God and failing to make time for Him are mistakes. We’re living in the last days, and as such, time is precious. And it seems the enemy is finding ways to keep us tied up on things that aren't worth our time.
But we can fight back.
Aren't we told to redeem the time?
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Eph 5:16 NKJV
This directive from the Scripture has never been more timely, considering how our current world setup is geared towards keeping us entertained and distracted, filling every spare moment with something to work on. God knows the future. He must have anticipated how distracted people in the last days would be, so He commands us, “to redeem the time,” to ensure we spend our time wisely and use it for good work.
Let me share with you some of the things fellow Christians have shared with me to minimize distractions and focus on what truly matters. I have to admit that I still slip up from time to time, but one thing we must not do is give up. We must strive to start again after every stumble.
Ways to Minimize Distractions to Have More Time With God
Be Intentional with Your Time
Aren’t we all guilty of this at one point? Going about our day without a structured schedule for the things we need to do. After realizing how I have been neglecting my work for the Lord, I decided to create a workable time frame for every activity that needs to be completed each day.
“Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” Prov 16:3 NKJV
Plan Your Days According to Your Mood and Energy Level
For busy moms or caregivers, these may not be applicable. Some things have to get done, whether you feel like it or not. But for the parts you can control, soften the edges. Make it easier on yourself by trying to turn the task into something that wouldn’t leave you struggling for air.
To make things easier for me, I usually tackle more complex tasks when my energy is high and save lighter work for when my brain isn’t moving at full power or starting to wander off. For example, as a writer, I prefer writing at dawn because my brain feels sharp and it isn’t a mess in the early morning.
Choose a Career That Makes You Come Alive
Doing work we genuinely enjoy not only makes us more efficient with our time but also benefits our well-being. You may have noticed that when we work on something pleasurable, we naturally get into the right mindset for work, helping us wrap things up faster.
“Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 NKJV
Your Work Can Be a Way to Live Out Your Faith
We can draw on our proven skills to do good work for others, reflecting our Christian faith. And if you’re constantly faced with splitting your time and energy between your career and God, why not build a career around serving the Lord? For example, if you’re a writer, write Christian-aligned themes. If your job is in editing videos, work as a video editor for a church community or organization. If you’re a food caterer or gift basket curator, why not serve Christian believers or even non-believers and add or distribute complimentary cards with uplifting Scripture verses?
By doing so, we don’t have to split our time between work and God. We can focus all our time and energy serving Him. That being said, you don’t always need a Christian-related job to honor the Lord. For as long as you treat others well, you can help your coworkers see God’s love through how you act and behave.
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Col 3:17-25 NKJV
Seek God’s Help
Being human makes us susceptible to being distracted. The problem is, the pull of today’s distractions can be both strong and persistent. We may need to include our struggle with distractions in our prayers –because consistent prayer works. These last days, distraction is the enemy’s greatest ploy— it is the culprit behind why obeying God feels more complex than ever. The enemy knows too well that when we take the time to sit with God, being in His presence, obedience stops feeling like a struggle.
Set Aside Time for Deep Rest
Saturday is my day of rest. It’s my time with God. You can pick whichever day feels right for you. I just chose Saturday because I felt inspired to observe the Sabbath during my stay in Israel years ago. The locals would stop doing what they typically do on busy weekdays. Not everyone, though. But there are definitely fewer activities. It’s quieter, more relaxed. I didn't observe the Sabbath the way Orthodox Jews do during my stay in the country. I would still go out and buy food from Russian-run shops in Ashdod. We need to make sure, as much as possible, to keep our activities light and focus on resting and spending time with God.
It doesn't have to be the whole day if you don’t have the option. Just spending some time, sinking fully into His offer of rest, really changes things up. Besides, haven’t you noticed that obeying God seems to come more naturally to us when we make space for Him even in the small, quiet bits of our day?
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His.” Heb 4:9-11 NIV
We have somehow forgotten that our time with God is just as important. Be reminded that the more time we spend with Him, the more productive we become in carrying out the task we are called to do.
Didn’t Jesus often go to a secluded place to spend time with the Father? And didn’t He remind Martha of what truly matters when she was too busy with the household chores?
Given that, I couldn’t help but recall one of Billy Graham’s biggest regrets during one of his last interviews before his death: "If I had to do it over again, I'd spend more time in meditation and prayer and just telling the Lord how much I love Him." –Billy Graham.
As Christians, especially for anointed preachers like Billy Graham, bringing more souls to God becomes the utmost priority. There’s nothing wrong with that, as doing so is tantamount to fulfilling the great commission. But at times, in our desire to do more for the Lord and take on more than we can handle, we end up sacrificing or trading away precious time meant to be spent in His presence.
So, yearn so deeply for God that even silence speaks His name to you. Indeed, the best gift we can ever give to those we love is our time, our attention. Thus, if we genuinely love the Lord, shouldn’t we make time for Him?
“As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.” Psalm 42 NIV
Photo credit: Unsplash/Bethany Laird
