Delete Distractions

For this blog, I really just want to be transparent. The past week or two has been rough. I have felt very distracted and, honestly, not like myself. My devotional time has not been as consistent as it should be, I am sucked in by my phone; and for what? By not reading my Word and being on my phone more than I probably ever have, I am not adding anything to my life. If anything, I am just prolonging the call of God from coming to fruition in my life by being consumed by the wrong thing. Social media can be a great outlet to share what God’s done in your life with your “followers”, but it also has the potential to bring utter destruction. This week I have experienced the unfortunate side effect of spending too much time on my phone/social media. No motivation. (Way too much) Time wasted. As a result, I am now disappointed in myself for allowing it to happen so then I self medicate by spending MORE time on my phone because I have “already ruined today so why change now? It is not going to make that big of a difference.” Please do not believe that lie! No matter when you decide to dedicate your time to the Lord, IT IS VALUABLE. Do not misunderstand me, though. Should we spend as much time in God’s presence as possible on a daily basis? YES! However, please know that even if you wait to spend time with God until your last few minutes before going to sleep for the night, that time is still so valuable. You are not a failure for not spending more time with Him. His love for you is not based on how much time you spend with Him or how often you read your Bible. He loves you because He IS the person of love. All of that to say, if you have had a bad day or a week, etc., do not beat yourself up. Yes, reading our Bibles and spending time in God’s presence so we can hear his His voice and get fresh revelation of Him is fundamental to our relationship with Him, and we should make those things a priority, but if you slip up, do not let your thoughts (aka the enemy) feed you lies that you are a failure or that God loves you any less! We are human. We make mistakes and we sometimes get caught up in “our” time and just want to do what WE want to do. Allow Him into that place and let Him wash his rivers of refreshing over you. Now more than ever how we steward the time we have is crucial. God is moving and, I don’t know about you, but I want to be ready and on the front lines! Now is not the time to be selfish with our time. We should be jealous of God’s time! If you had a rough day or week like me, let this be a lesson to never underestimate the strength of our fleshly desires. But there is hope! These two verses come to mind.

Galatians 5:16 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Romans 8:5 says, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”

The flesh is strong, but the same spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives on the inside of you! Victory is possible and readily available to you. If you want victory, set your mind on the things of the Spirit! I hope this encourages you!