Dangerous Distractions – Conclusion

Take a minute and think carefully on these questions. Be honest about your personal situation:

Do you devote more of your free time to social media than you do to prayer and Bible study?

Do you worry and feel frustrated that your social media posts, images, comments etc. are not as clever, funny, charming, and popular as your “friends’?”

 Do you sense deep inside yourself that you have no real peace and you may have less of it every day? 

If you admit to any or all of these as true for you, then GOD is no longer your first love. You have an idol in your life.

Idolatry is sin that we must overcome.

Step one to gaining victory over sin is to admit the sin exists. Step two is to commit to doing whatever it takes to restore what is lost because of our sin.

Like any sin, idolatry takes us out of GOD’s will and His peace.

We feel the absence of peace when we reject GOD’s love and accept cheap idol substitutes and idols are powerless to complete us. To choose a god over the GOD is to invite chaos into our lives. Fullness of life and the power to live it comes only when GOD has influence over us as our Father. (Ephesians 3:19)

Scripture gives as but one sure way to restore peace back into our lives and that is to throw ourselves on the mercy of GOD, the Source of Peace. We confess our sin to GOD and ask Him to help us gain control over it as we give control back to Him as Almighty GOD and our Father.

“…let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. Hebrews 4:16

GOD willed the gift of peace to His children through CHRIST. If we accept His gift we receive a life that is complete and a benefit to the Kingdom in exchange for the tension-filled and stressful one we had. (John 14:27) 

  

When we do not accept and use GOD’s gift of peace we continue to have an underprivileged lifestyle as a believer. We are weak and ineffective believers who have little influence in GOD’s Kingdom. 

This could be your life as a believer who is more involved with worldly distractions like social media than with the Father. 

This type of distraction is dangerous spiritually as it:

• takes GOD’s place in our lives
• puts us outside of GOD’s will
• hinders spiritual growth
• destroys spiritual vitality

GOD does not leave us in doubt about what He expects from His children. His WORD is clear:

• put Him and His Kingdom first Matthew 6:33
• consult Him about everything Proverbs  16:3
• make Him our delight Psalm 37:4
• love the things of the world less 1 John 2:15-17

The desire of every child of GOD should be that GOD have complete control over our lives. Why? Because nothing or no one deserves that right more.

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! Romans 5:8

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy Father and our GOD, we praise YOUR Almighty Name! Thank YOU for the gift of peace given through YOUR SON, JESUS. Father, like the psalmist of old we ask, how we can repay YOU for all the good YOU have done for us and our answer can only be the same: that we accept our salvation and all that it means – we yield all to YOU, we put YOU first as LORD over our lives and we honor and obey YOU before the rest of the world. To YOU belong all dominion and all power and all glory for ever and ever. We pray and ask all things in the precious Name of Jesus Christ our LORD. Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile