WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.200 There is something far more dangerous than getting off track. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:08.680 It is thinking you are still on it. 00:00:08.680 --> 00:00:13.360 There is something far more dangerous than missing the mark. 00:00:13.360 --> 00:00:15.840 It is thinking you've hit it. 00:00:15.840 --> 00:00:21.200 There's something far more dangerous than being distracted - 00:00:21.200 --> 00:00:26.280 not seeing it, not realising. 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:35.720 Grace and peace to you all, wonderful children of God. 00:00:35.720 --> 00:00:40.840 You are welcome once again to another Interactive Prayer Service 00:00:40.840 --> 00:00:43.560 here at the God’s Heart TV Studio. 00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:52.600 People of God, let us begin this message with a moment of prayer. 00:00:52.600 --> 00:00:55.720 Join me in prayer right now. 00:00:55.720 --> 00:01:12.560 Oh Holy Spirit, let Your light shine in our hearts and minds 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:17.800 that we may understand Your Word, 00:01:17.800 --> 00:01:22.880 that we may abide in Your Word, 00:01:22.880 --> 00:01:34.360 that we may apply the truth of Your Word in our daily lives. 00:01:34.360 --> 00:01:40.720 In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. 00:01:40.720 --> 00:01:45.160 And the children of God said, “Amen!” 00:01:45.160 --> 00:01:51.000 I want to start this message with a very serious statement. 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:53.000 We're going to jump straight into the Word! 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:55.200 Think about this statement, people of God. 00:01:55.200 --> 00:02:08.760 Right now, there is a spiritual battle being waged for your attention. 00:02:08.760 --> 00:02:22.840 As Christians, we should not be ignorant of the devil's influences (2 Corinthians 2:11). 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:28.480 We should not claim ignorance of the devil's devices. 00:02:28.480 --> 00:02:38.920 There is a spiritual battle ongoing for your attention. 00:02:38.920 --> 00:02:49.400 Because you are what you give your attention to. 00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:55.160 Now, when I say there's a spiritual battle going on, 00:02:55.160 --> 00:02:59.040 some of you are looking at me and saying, ‘What do you mean, Brother Chris? 00:02:59.040 --> 00:03:02.800 What do you mean there's a battle taking place?’ 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:05.360 Well, the heart is always busy. 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:08.880 The question is, what are we busy with? 00:03:08.880 --> 00:03:11.360 Think about this. 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:24.040 Think about how easy it is for you to give your time 00:03:24.040 --> 00:03:32.960 to things that have no eternal significance. 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:40.600 This is an opportunity to reflect on your life. 00:03:40.600 --> 00:03:53.440 Think about how easy it is to waste our time 00:03:53.440 --> 00:04:00.560 on things that have no lasting value and significance. 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:07.960 It's far easier to find worldly distraction than godly direction. 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:16.080 It's far easier to be entertained than to be edified. 00:04:16.080 --> 00:04:23.080 If you're wondering whether or not there's a spiritual battle taking place, just check yourself. 00:04:23.080 --> 00:04:25.600 Think about how easy it is - 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:29.440 if you pick up your phone and want to check something for a few minutes, 00:04:29.440 --> 00:04:32.800 if care is not taken, it can become hours. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:40.760 It's a spiritual battle. 00:04:40.760 --> 00:04:43.360 Check your own life as a Christian. 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:51.040 If you don't create time for your devotion, you will surely find time for distraction. 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:55.200 To read the Word of God, or let me say - to study the Word of God... 00:04:55.200 --> 00:04:58.680 Because God's Word is not meant to merely be read. 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:05.000 It is meant to be studied - with full attention, with all of our hearts. 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:14.480 When you want to pick up your Bible and read, many things try to discourage you, 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:23.400 try to sidetrack you - try to take your time, your mind, your attention away. 00:05:23.400 --> 00:05:34.360 Even to join this Interactive Prayer Service - if you don’t mean it, you will miss it. 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:40.360 If you are not determined, you will get distracted. 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:49.920 There's a spiritual battle going on for your attention, 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:54.560 and the prize is your affection. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:06:03.040 Because where attention goes, affection tends to follow. 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:09.160 People of God, I want you to think about what I'm saying right now. 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:12.600 This is a serious message. 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:20.120 The reality of this spiritual warfare is not a reason to be fearful. 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:29.360 It's a reason to be watchful. Watch and pray. Why? 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:34.640 Because as a child of God, 00:06:34.640 --> 00:06:47.240 the devil holds no sway over your life unless he finds a way into your heart. 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:54.760 For him to deceive us into sin, he will first distract us. 00:06:54.760 --> 00:07:05.440 Because distraction dulls our conscience from danger. 00:07:05.440 --> 00:07:15.000 Distraction makes you insensitive to intrusion. 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:26.320 And when your guards are lowered, the intruder can become an insider. 00:07:26.320 --> 00:07:30.720 Let me give you an example. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:41.960 As Christians, we know that God has sent His Holy Spirit 00:07:41.960 --> 00:07:50.040 to open our eyes to see how wrong our sins are, 00:07:50.040 --> 00:08:00.360 to convict us when we sin but also to warn us before we sin. 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:13.920 Many believers today - their conscience only strikes with conviction after they have sinned, 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:19.600 instead of their conscience striking with warning before they sin. 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:31.760 Because we are too easily distracted and not consistently connected. 00:08:31.760 --> 00:08:43.480 When you knowingly give your heart to distraction, 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:57.680 then you willingly start the path towards destruction. 00:08:57.680 --> 00:09:03.640 This is the message I want to talk about today, people of God: 00:09:03.640 --> 00:09:08.920 “The Trap Of Distraction.” 00:09:08.920 --> 00:09:16.880 Be careful of the trap of distraction. 00:09:16.880 --> 00:09:24.840 Turn with me to a Scripture in the New Testament in 1 John 2. 00:09:24.840 --> 00:09:31.960 Look, we're in a world where there is no shortage of distractions. 00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:37.800 We're living in a world where there is no shortage of temptations. 00:09:37.800 --> 00:09:47.880 We are in the world - but how do we live in this world without this world living in us? 00:09:47.880 --> 00:09:58.200 The answers are in the Word of God - 1 John 2:15-17. It says this, 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:04.560 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. 00:10:04.560 --> 00:10:10.480 If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:20.680 For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - 00:10:20.680 --> 00:10:40.440 is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away...” 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:50.160 Don't get too comfortable in a danger zone which is not your home. 00:10:50.160 --> 00:10:58.120 “...the world is passing away, and the lust of it...” 00:10:58.120 --> 00:11:11.360 There are many today who are busy building mansions in a market - 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:18.520 a place that is passing away, fading away. 00:11:18.520 --> 00:11:27.080 No matter how long you live there, you will one day leave there. 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:35.440 Whether this world is laughing with you or laughing at you, 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:40.400 one thing is clear - we do not belong here. 00:11:40.400 --> 00:11:45.560 Don't get too comfortable in a danger zone. 00:11:45.560 --> 00:11:49.360 Let me finish that Scripture - 1 John 2:17. 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:56.800 “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; 00:11:56.800 --> 00:12:05.080 but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:07.600 Thank You, Jesus. 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:09.920 Remember what I said. 00:12:09.920 --> 00:12:16.880 The prize of that spiritual war is not simply your attention - it is your affection. 00:12:16.880 --> 00:12:28.440 The devil wants to take your love from God and transfer it to the things of this world - 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:36.880 the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. 00:12:36.880 --> 00:12:44.000 The devil uses what attracts us to distract us. 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:46.320 The lust of the flesh - what you see. 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:53.480 The lust of the eyes - ‘I see this, I want it. I see this, I must have it. 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:57.640 I look at this - I want to taste it.’ 00:12:57.640 --> 00:13:08.360 He wants to shift your focus from what is unseen to what is seen. 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:15.240 This is a trap - the trap of distraction. 00:13:15.240 --> 00:13:26.560 Now, children of God, let me describe a scenario to try and illustrate what I mean 00:13:26.560 --> 00:13:29.520 by the danger of this distraction. 00:13:29.520 --> 00:13:42.640 Just imagine there is a ship sailing in a vast ocean and it's heading clearly in one direction. 00:13:42.640 --> 00:13:44.320 This is the path. 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:45.920 This is the course. 00:13:45.920 --> 00:13:50.080 This is the way it is going. 00:13:50.080 --> 00:14:04.920 But suddenly there is a gentle breeze that subtly shifts the direction of that ship. 00:14:04.920 --> 00:14:12.240 Instead of going straight, it’s shifted off course. 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:21.480 And if care is not taken, the captain may not even know he has gone off track. 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:26.280 I don't know if you understand this illustration, children of God. 00:14:26.280 --> 00:14:31.320 There is something far more dangerous than getting off track. 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:34.800 It is thinking you are still on it. 00:14:34.800 --> 00:14:39.480 There is something far more dangerous than missing the mark. 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:41.960 It is thinking you've hit it. 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:47.320 There's something far more dangerous than being distracted - 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:53.280 not seeing it, not realising. 00:14:53.280 --> 00:15:00.320 If you don't know that you're going astray, 00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:09.520 you will not know the part to play to get back on the right way. 00:15:09.520 --> 00:15:18.400 The trap of distraction. 00:15:18.400 --> 00:15:26.920 As you're listening to this sermon right now, I want you to look at your own life. 00:15:26.920 --> 00:15:37.160 To avoid this entanglement in this web of distraction woven by the devil, 00:15:37.160 --> 00:15:40.800 we must identify his tactics. 00:15:40.800 --> 00:15:46.360 Look at your life. Examine yourself. 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:52.640 Recognise what are the sources of distraction in your own life. 00:15:52.640 --> 00:15:57.560 Take a moment and think about that right now. 00:15:57.560 --> 00:16:06.080 No one knows you better than you know yourself. 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:19.400 What is it that is a source of distraction in your Christian journey? 00:16:19.400 --> 00:16:29.880 I know there are so many areas your heart may be highlighting at this point. 00:16:29.880 --> 00:16:37.960 But I just want to give everyone a very practical word of advice. 00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:49.560 People of God - before checking your phone, check your heart. 00:16:49.560 --> 00:16:54.240 I said this is a very practical word of advice. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:17:00.360 Before checking your phone, check your heart. 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:04.800 Because if you pick up your phone without a purpose, 00:17:04.800 --> 00:17:11.200 rather than you using it, it may end up using you. 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:18.360 For many of us connected at this moment, 00:17:18.360 --> 00:17:25.600 the source of our distraction is right now in our pockets. 00:17:25.600 --> 00:17:32.880 Many people fall into the trap of distraction because 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:36.800 they pick up their phone without a clear purpose. 00:17:36.800 --> 00:17:41.200 And before you know it, something that you look at for a few minutes 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:46.400 can turn into a few hours. 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:53.920 When it comes to meaningful activities, you must mean it. 00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:58.480 When it comes to meaningless or mindless activities, 00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:02.920 you will find the time for it and you will waste the time on it. 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:06.760 This is the case of many people today. 00:18:06.760 --> 00:18:11.320 We are falling into the trap of distraction 00:18:11.320 --> 00:18:21.040 and we're trading our attention for the sake of temporal enjoyment. 00:18:21.040 --> 00:18:27.400 In today's generation, in this world that we’re living in today, 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:33.880 where there's so much connectivity, 24/7 streams of information available - 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:39.040 many of us, the source of our distraction is in our pockets. 00:18:39.040 --> 00:18:43.400 Look, many of us, when you wake up in the morning, 00:18:43.400 --> 00:18:47.640 you greet your phone before you greet God. 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:53.000 Even when you are going to go to the toilet, you first take your phone. 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:57.200 You are using your phone in the toilet. 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:58.600 Can I give you an advice? 00:18:58.600 --> 00:19:06.720 When you go to the toilet, you are sitting down - before checking your phone, check your heart. 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:09.120 Is your heart right with God? 00:19:09.120 --> 00:19:11.320 Is there an issue you need to settle? 00:19:11.320 --> 00:19:14.480 Is there someone you need to reconcile with? 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:16.800 Is your focus in the right place? 00:19:16.800 --> 00:19:19.280 Don't just bring out your phone. 00:19:19.280 --> 00:19:22.560 Before you check the news, check your heart. 00:19:22.560 --> 00:19:30.080 Before you examine your social media feed, examine your heart - 00:19:30.080 --> 00:19:33.880 to avoid the trap of distraction. 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:37.360 When you wake up in the morning, 00:19:37.360 --> 00:19:44.080 we should greet God first before anyone or anything else. 00:19:44.080 --> 00:19:49.680 Get down on your knees and say, “Thank You, Jesus, for a new day” 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:55.120 before you open your phone and check for messages or what someone has sent to you. 00:19:55.120 --> 00:20:02.320 Greet God before your phone. 00:20:02.320 --> 00:20:11.080 This is just a practical word of advice in the light of this message. 00:20:11.080 --> 00:20:16.200 People of God, let me be clear. I'm not here to demonise your phone. 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:20.760 I'm not saying you can't watch things on your phone. 00:20:20.760 --> 00:20:23.000 Let's be real, people of God. 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:29.480 When it comes to recreation, you are relaxed and want to look at something - 00:20:29.480 --> 00:20:34.600 don't simply look for something entertaining; look for something edifying. 00:20:34.600 --> 00:20:39.960 Because the devil does not recognise your relaxation. 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:46.040 Satan is ready 24/7 to strike. 00:20:46.040 --> 00:20:53.520 He's looking for an opportunity to deceive and enter your heart. 00:20:53.520 --> 00:20:58.200 Your time off is his time on. 00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:02.440 Some of us deceive ourselves. We say, ‘Okay, I will just look for a little bit. 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:12.200 In ten minutes, I will finish. By 8pm, I will stop.’ You put a time. 00:21:12.200 --> 00:21:17.760 You don't employ self-control to manage distraction. 00:21:17.760 --> 00:21:22.600 You employ self-control to avoid distraction. 00:21:22.600 --> 00:21:25.560 ‘I will just look at this for five more minutes.’ 00:21:25.560 --> 00:21:29.240 If care is not taken, it will become hours. 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:31.560 ‘I will stop doing this by 8pm.’ 00:21:31.560 --> 00:21:38.040 Look, if you set a time for doing what is right, you set yourself up for doing what is wrong. 00:21:38.040 --> 00:21:53.000 Because you are always only one decision away from distraction. 00:21:53.000 --> 00:22:01.560 Can I also say something very direct, people of God? Please, be careful. 00:22:01.560 --> 00:22:12.840 Isolation often amplifies temptation because lust feeds on loneliness. 00:22:12.840 --> 00:22:23.600 When you are alone, the voice of temptation often becomes louder. 00:22:23.600 --> 00:22:30.840 But when you think no one is watching you, 00:22:30.840 --> 00:22:44.760 remember the One who never sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121). 00:22:44.760 --> 00:22:50.680 There is no secret that can be kept from God's Spirit. 00:22:50.680 --> 00:22:59.440 There is nothing hidden from His sight. 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:07.680 The concept of secret sin, hidden sin exists only in your mind 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:10.480 as a mechanism of justification. 00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:15.800 Because what happens in the dark will eventually come to the light. 00:23:15.800 --> 00:23:22.360 If you don't deal with it, it will one day deal with you. 00:23:22.360 --> 00:23:27.320 This is not a message of condemnation. No! 00:23:27.320 --> 00:23:37.680 As I said to you, the reality of this spiritual battle is not a reason to be afraid. 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:43.320 It's a reason to be alert, to watch and pray. 00:23:43.320 --> 00:23:48.640 Because you are always one decision away from distraction. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:53.720 Watch and pray. 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:55.560 This is the way out. 00:23:55.560 --> 00:24:00.400 You hear this message and say, ‘But there's so many things capable of distracting me. 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:05.680 There's so many issues that life brings. There's so many things that are 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:09.080 present in this world, in this generation around me 00:24:09.080 --> 00:24:12.640 that can easily take my focus and time away from God, 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:16.920 away from what I’m meant to be doing. What’s the way out?’ 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:22.840 Let me encourage you today. 00:24:22.840 --> 00:24:25.480 Yes, we are weak. 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:30.040 Yes, we're living in a world with a lot of distraction. 00:24:30.040 --> 00:24:40.720 Therefore, you must consciously surround yourself with things that remind you of God 00:24:40.720 --> 00:24:50.040 and intentionally invest daily time with Him. 00:24:50.040 --> 00:25:00.360 The best defence against distraction is godly habits. 00:25:00.360 --> 00:25:05.560 Because when you take the Word of God into your heart, 00:25:05.560 --> 00:25:12.280 the light of His Word shines in your heart, 00:25:12.280 --> 00:25:16.560 and opens your eyes to see where you have gone astray, 00:25:16.560 --> 00:25:21.360 where you have missed the mark, enabling you to get back on track. 00:25:21.360 --> 00:25:25.880 Yes, we can be distracted. 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:28.920 Yes, we will be distracted. 00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:33.760 But how quick are we to realise and get back on track? 00:25:33.760 --> 00:25:42.720 To get back on track, we need to dedicate ourselves to the Word of God. 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:47.560 There's no other secret shortcut to get back on track with God. 00:25:47.560 --> 00:25:59.760 As you read His Word, study His Word with devotion, you see yourself clearly. 00:25:59.760 --> 00:26:03.280 You see life clearly. 00:26:03.280 --> 00:26:10.000 You can identify - ‘Oh, this was the tactic the devil used to distract me. 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:16.000 Oh, this was the weapon the devil used to shift my focus.’ 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:22.640 You realise it. You recognise it. You repent from it. You get back on track with God. 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:24.200 That's the way out. 00:26:24.200 --> 00:26:27.720 Yes, there will be distractions. 00:26:27.720 --> 00:26:32.320 But please, people of God, take this message seriously. 00:26:32.320 --> 00:26:39.040 We can't claim ignorance of the devil's influence. 00:26:39.040 --> 00:26:50.040 There is a spiritual battle being waged for your attention. 00:26:50.040 --> 00:27:04.120 And if you don't engage your heart with God, the world will engage it. 00:27:04.120 --> 00:27:10.120 As I bring this message to a conclusion, 00:27:10.120 --> 00:27:25.080 I want to read a profound word of wisdom from the Proverbs - Proverbs 4:20-27. 00:27:25.080 --> 00:27:28.360 Ponder on these words. 00:27:28.360 --> 00:27:36.600 The answer to distraction lies within the truth of God's Word. 00:27:36.600 --> 00:27:49.400 “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:59.840 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; 00:27:59.840 --> 00:28:08.960 for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:18.760 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. 00:28:18.760 --> 00:28:27.560 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. 00:28:27.560 --> 00:28:40.120 Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. 00:28:40.120 --> 00:28:50.320 Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. 00:28:50.320 --> 00:29:12.280 Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.” 00:29:12.280 --> 00:29:22.320 May God bless His Word in the midst of our hearts 00:29:22.320 --> 00:29:30.960 as we stay alert to avoid the trap of distraction 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:37.640 whilst navigating this wicked world. 00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:45.240 In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen!