Articles
Staying Mindful of our True Priority
Have you ever walked into a room with a goal, but after entering it you get distracted? Satan and the world around us are trying to distract us from Christ’s purpose every single day. However, the devil’s plan can only succeed if we allow it to.
After Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000, He had His disciples journey across the sea of Galilee while He dismissed the crowd. Matthew 14:25-27 then reads, “In the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’ and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’” In response, the apostle Peter tells Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” The Lord asks Peter to come to Him and as Peter starts to walk on the water, a strong wind comes across the sea. Peter’s fear of the storm causes him to talk his eyes off the Lord and he begins to sink.
How often is the Lord telling us to draw ever nearer to Him, but we get distracted like Peter? How often are we in the presence of our Heavenly Father—at church or in the middle of prayer—and we start to lose our focus?
The prophet Daniel was taken from Judah and brought before King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. His name was changed from Daniel to the Babylonian name Belteshazzar as an act of subjugation[i]. Daniel was able to remain faithful to God because he meditated on God and took actions to strengthen his relationship with Him. In Daniel 1:8-21, Daniel refused to defile his body with the king’s food and chose to drink water and vegetables instead. Then in Daniel 2:17-19, he turned to the Lord for mercy so that he would be able to interpret the king’s dreams and not be destroyed with the other wise men. Daniel 6:10 also reads, “He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” Whether he was facing tremendous hardships or rewards, Daniel gave God the accreditation He is due and put in the effort to have Him on his mind.
Romans 12:2 reads, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Keeping our thoughts and actions focused on God is an everyday battle. Luckily, we are not fighting our spiritual fight alone. After Peter began to sink, Matthew 30-31 says, “he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” We are going to have moments of distraction. There is nothing wrong with that; so long as we choose to be like Peter and turn back our focus. We have an amazing and loving God who gives us the opportunity to repent.
Each day you have the choice to make Christ your priority. Will you choose to seize that opportunity?
[i] Daniel—God is my judge
Belteshazzar—favored by Bel or Bel protect the king
