In our last blog on distractions I felt there was more to share on this topic. So here is part two. Thanks for joining in. Did you know your most dominate thoughts determine your direction in life and the choices you make?
It’s so true and God knows that! I think that’s why He gave us the Bible, inspired by Him to give us wisdom, counsel and direction (2 Tim 3:16).We are told in Romans 12:1-2, that we are to present our bodies, the vehicle we live and drive around in to God. That we are not to be conformed, shaped or molded by this world’s system of ideas and thoughts. That we should renew our mind, will and emotions with the Word of God that is alive and active.(Hebrews 4:12) So that we might know His will in every area of our lives. The book of Proverbs deals with the importance of focus. We read in Proverbs 4:20-22, that we are to focus on the Word of God as a lifestyle. We are to keep it in front of us, to keep in our hearts, for from the heart flows the issues, the manner or direction of our lives. The heart matters! Think about a person filled with strife, bitterness, or un-forgiveness and how that has corrupted their lives. Its caused them to be prideful and self centered. It has an negative effect on relationships and decisions in life and even their walk with God. They think different, they see things from skewed point of view. they have become hard hearted and the desperately need a heart transplant. We see things, hear things, and entertain with our thoughts and imagination and those thoughts eventually drop down into our hearts and so with it our life goes in a direction either good or bad.
Hebrews 12:15 (PassionNTPsa)
15 Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace. And make sure no one lives with a root of bitterness sprouting within them which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many.
Why do we give attention to God’s Word because there is so much distractions in this culture we live in. An old phrase is “garbage in garbage out” Not everything is garbage, there can be good things. Yet if we are going to live as God would have us to live we need to set boundaries. We need to guard our hearts. (Proverbs 4:23) this should be basic Christianity. What you value will direct your life.
Proverbs 4:22 (PassionNTPsa)22Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health (medicine) into the very core of your being.23So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.
Your eyes and ears are the gateway to your heart. You want to keep the good things in and the bad things out! Healing, a solid marriage, prosperity, relationships, etc. are connected to to your heart.
Matthew 13:15 (NKJV)
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. (Indifferent, careless, lack of attention) Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’
We see this in Jesus teaching on the parable, the story of the sower in Matt 13:3-9. Jesus is talking about four different grounds that represent the hearts of men. They all received the seed (Word of God) into their hearts but three out of the four grounds produced nothing. The seed wasn’t the problem. God’s Word is not the problem but the answer. The problem was their hearts. (That’s hard to admit, we want to blame God and people for our problems.) Lets just focus on the first ground which Jesus called the wayside. This ground was a ground that was worn and traveled upon by people and animals. The seed was just sitting on top of the ground. It just wasn’t getting through. It couldn’t produce any fruit. It wasn’t taking root in the soil. It just wasn’t sinking in. Some people are like that! They just don’t get it.
Matthew 13:19 (NKJV)
19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.” The word understanding is not just comprehension, a mental grasp of things, like a math problem you know-two plus two equals four. It goes much deeper than that. It means that you put two and two together and that it registers on your heart (What God is saying in His Word) so much that it changes the direction of your life. It becomes revelation to you-I see it now! Its the opposite of being indifferent, careless, distracted by other things. Jesus said the wicked one snatches, seizes by force, steals the Word from their hearts because they do not understand. Again the heart matters for out of it flows the direction of life.
In closing lets look at Martha again in Luke 10:38-42. We see that Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. Can you imagine Jesus sitting in your own living room? This is not like hearing Jesus from a mountain side as He taught a multitude of people. This is up close and personal. This is an intimate setting. Both Martha and Mary sitting at His feet. What a picture. We need to welcome the Word of God into our lives like never before. Someone once said that “Christianity is a mile wide and an inch deep.” We have exalted the superficial over the lack depth-ness. We wonder why our lives are in a heap of turmoil and confusion. So we see Martha at the feet of Jesus but at some point she started being distracted, entertaining thoughts of worry, and anxiety because people needed to be fed. I think if Jesus fed the multitude supernaturally He could have taken care of this need? Martha was so upset because Mary wasn’t helping that she basically rebuked Jesus. “Jesus don’t you care?” People in the storms of life can say that. Martha went from the feet of Jesus to standing over Him. From humility to pride and self centeredness. Martha should have just guarded her thoughts and heart. I see the same thing happening to Peter in Matt 16:22-23. Peter was rebuking Jesus and couldn’t accept the fact that Jesus was going to the cross.
Matthew 16:23 (PassionNTPsa)23Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get out of my way, you Satan! You are an offense to me, because your thoughts are only filled with man’s viewpoints and not with the ways of God.” Jesus recognized where those thoughts really came from and it just wasn’t Peter’s. Notice Jesus said Peter was filled with man’s viewpoint rather than God’s viewpoint. Jesus said to Peter you are an offense to me. In other words Peter you are not helping me, you are setting a trap for me, a stumbling block. Do you see how important words are, how important our thoughts and imaginations are. How we need to guard our heart. Jesus knew the will of God and nobody was going to change the direction of His life. Wrong thinking, a lack of understanding is a trap. An unguarded heart is a trap. Mary chose the right thing! Refuse to be distracted, focus on Jesus, focus on the Word of God. Hide it in your heart and don’t let go. Heb 12:1-3. We need to place a value upon the seed of God’s Word and let it be planted in our hearts always. What we value in life we will give our time and attention to.
Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)-3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind (Imagination) is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)-3 You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
Its in our hearts and thought that conception takes place. It will produce the peace of God or confusion, strife, despair or hopelessness. Finally in Philippians 4:6-8 it tells us what to focus on that produces a peace that will guard our hearts. Setting a military guard against intruders. Martha’s mind got dragged into the kitchen away from the feet of Jesus. She lost her peace and Mary held on to hers. How about you? Until next time God bless always.
Brent and Linda