Defeat Distractions

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”—Psalm 90:12 (NIV)  

By Danny Saavedra  

C.S. Lewis, a well-known apologist and Christian scholar, wrote some of the greatest stories of the last hundred years. One of his greatest works of fiction is a book titled The Screwtape Letters. It is the story of an elder demon named Screwtape who counsels a junior demon, his nephew Wormwood. In the story, the nephew had just become a tempter. His job? To get new Christians to not grow, to stay stagnant, and to become ineffective Christians.

The following excerpt is from The Screwtape Letters: “You can make him waste his time not only in conversation he enjoys with people whom he likes, but in conversations with those he cares nothing about on subjects that bore him. You can make him do nothing at all for long periods. You can keep him up late at night, not roistering, but staring at a dead fire in a cold room. All the healthy and outgoing activities which we want him to avoid can be inhibited and nothing given in return, so that at last he may say, as one of my own patients said on his arrival down here, ‘I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked’ . . . Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man’s best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why.” 

Distraction has seemingly become the greatest weapon in the utility belt of the Enemy. A distracted Christian is a disengaged Christian, and a disengaged Christian is a defeated Christian. Distractions are what Jesus was referring to in Luke 8:7 (NIV), when He said, “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.” When we become inundated by everything and anything, we become ineffective and unfruitful as disciples. Whether it’s the barrier of busyness, the impediment of idleness, the obstruction of amusement, or the pitfall of pleasures, the outcome will be the same: a wasted life. 

But imagine if you knew exactly when your time was going to be over; envision how you’d act. Do you think knowing would help you starve your distractions and invest in what’s important? Do you think you’d be able to defeat interruptions if you were acutely aware of the preciousness of each moment? Well, you don’t need to know the exact moment of your death for that; you simply need to ask the Lord. Follow Moses’ example and ask the Lord, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NIV). With a heart of wisdom that is attuned to the things of God and to the movement of the Spirit, we can defeat distractions and live a focused, intentional life of purpose and fulfillment . . . a life well spent and well lived. 

What are the biggest distractions in your life? What non-essential things keep you from accomplishing all God has for you? What are the little time vacuums that fill up the empty space in your schedule? List your biggest distractions and time drainers. For brevity’s sake, stick to the five biggest. Then try to estimate how much time you spend on each one throughout the week. Add up all five and write down your grand total.

1. _____________ Time Spent:____________

2. _____________ Time Spent:____________

3. _____________ Time Spent:____________

4. _____________ Time Spent:____________

5. _____________ Time Spent:____________

Total Amount of Time Wasted: ________

How many of these did you list on your time management sheet? How much time are you using on these five that can be used in other areas? What’s the time comparison between these five things and your time spent with God and/or your engaging in spiritual disciplines? How does it compare to your intentional relationship time? 

Twice per week, replace one of these distractions with a spiritual discipline and intentional relationship building.