The Enemy of Focus

1 Corinthians 7:35
“I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.” ESV

A friend said, “Nobody is going to read your book.” I gasped (pout-pout), and retorted, “But I’ve got 128 pages written!” “Nobody is going to read your book until it is written. Write it! Then people will read it.”

Devotion is love, loyalty, and enthusiasm with a tenacious focus. The definition of ‘devotion to the Lord’ may be standard, but its lived out differently for every one of us. Some are designed for the cloister, others find their peace and purpose in the turning of a wrench, the engineering of an invention, or helping a customer make a purchase. They’re all holy activities if they mesh with the fabric of your design to connect with the heart of God. It’s the heart of what makes us human, and able to connect with the divine.The Bible says the enemy of our soul comes to kill, steal, and destroy. This strategy is primarily executed through lies and deception, but the runner-up for best tool-in-the-box to accomplish our destruction is (drumroll), distraction. “Watch this commercial to hear, see, get a coupon code, or blah-blah-blah.” For what? To get another ‘free’ segment of viewing or listening?

It’s NOT free. It cost you your focus, your devotion. Did you know it takes an average of twenty-five minutes to get re-focused once you are distracted? Being aware of distraction(s) is the first step. Making a daily to-do list is golden and sticking to that list is the payoff. Let your devotion to God set the workable daily-chunks that you can accomplish in a day form that list. Things that can’t be accomplished in a day are ‘projects’ and should be broken down into tasks.

Aaron F. Jeffers