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Get Rid of Distractions So You Can Hear God
By Rick Warren

“The seed that fell among the thorny weeds is like those who hear God’s teaching, but they let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life keep them from growing and producing good fruit.”(Luke 8:14 NIV)

God wants to speak to you. But first, you must eliminate the distractions to hear from him.

You can’t hear God when your mind is crowded with worries, plans, and activities. You can’t hear God when your mind is filled with TV, the Internet, and cell phone. For many of us, there is too much noise going on for us to hear from God.

This is the soil with weeds. In Luke 8:7, Jesus says,“Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it”(MSG). Notice that the seed does get to sprout and actually starts growing. But after a while the weeds choke it, so it never bears fruit.

In verse 14, Jesus explains the meaning:“The seed that fell among the thorny weeds is like those who hear God’s teaching, but they let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life keep them from growing and producing good fruit”(NIV).

One of the biggest distractions that keep us from hearing from God is busyness. A lot of people confuse activity with productivity. But these are not the same. You can always be on the go but still going in circles. If you’re always busy but not making any progress, then there won’t be any fruit in your life.

Three common weeds tend to choke God out of your life.

The first is worry.The word “worry” really means “pulled in different directions.” You forget God because you’re filled with anxiety and stretched to the limit.

The second is riches.You can be so busy making money that you forget God. You put in a full day’s work, come home exhausted, and then get up the next morning and do it again. You’re so busy making a living that you’re not making a life with God.

The third is pleasure.What’s wrong with pleasure? Nothing — except when you’re so busy pursuing fun that you forget God.

There are lots of different kinds of weeds. A weed is anything you allow to take first place in your life instead of God. A weed is anything you allow to choke God out of your schedule.

How much effort does it take to grow weeds? None. Weeds are a sign of neglect. Whenever you neglect time with God and your small group, guess what? Weeds are going to grow in your life. It may not be these three, but there will be some. They will grow up and strangle the spiritual life out of you.

God is trying to make contact with you. Is he getting a busy signal? You’ve got to be proactive and eliminate the weeds in your life so that God can speak to you and produce fruit in your life.

Talk It Over

What does your schedule say is most important to you?

What are the other weeds that you have allowed to grow in your life and that choke out your opportunities to hear from God?

How can you adjust or eliminate things from your schedule so that you have more time to spend with God and in developing your relationships?