“But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink” – Matthew 14:30
The devil attacks us most successfully when he distracts us from God. It doesn’t have to be a huge distraction, just a little thing that makes ours eyes flick from Jesus. The last thing Satan wants is for a soul to keep his eyes on Jesus – to be focused upon God.
This is a struggle for sure – I’m sure everyone walking on the Road of Faith struggles to remain fully focused on God. I know for me this is often a very difficult thing. When sitting alone in the early morning, reading my Bible, I can be like the squirrel looking to the shiny things. I take my eyes from Jesus. Sometimes these distractions are a blessing. God shares something from a verse I’ve read, I stop to journal or blog it so I can capture His thoughts. Or, a thought of someone comes to mind and I stop to pray for them. But, mostly these distractions are the devil trying to pull my eyes from God.
The risk of this isn’t in the moment – we can and should immediately refocus our thoughts on God. Call out, “Lord help me.” The risk is getting used to the little distractions, not pulling our eyes back to Jesus’ eyes and letting the ‘world’ take over. This slowly risks hardening our hearts. It can make the mind think, “I can’t do this so I won’t.”
Fight back against Satan and against your own weaknesses. Call out to God prior to prayer, reading the Bible and throughout the day. Stop and recenter yourself. Ask Jesus to speak that He may draw your attention back to His eyes. Practice refocusing immediately again and again. Each mind waiver – each time your eyes go from Jesus to the storm – call out and look back.
“Lord, save me. Help me keep my eyes on You. Help me keep my focus upon You. When I start to stray, speak and draw me back.”
“he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him” – Matthew 14:30-31
