We are all familiar with the opening scene of Job, where the Lord authorizes “Satan” to test that good man. Moving that scenario up to our day, what strategy would an adversary use to test our dedication to the things of the Truth? Perhaps it would be the subtle method of distraction.
The conversation between our tempter and his peers might go something like this: “Go out, keep them busy with hundreds of details of daily living. Tempt them to overspend so that they will need to borrow heavily. Convince them that they need to work six or seven days a week, ten to twelve hours a day, to ensure that they can finance bigger and better homes, faster cars and designer clothes.
“Fill father’s work schedule to prevent quality time with children. Encourage mothers to rush around to sports activities, music lessons and such like. With their schedules full of activity, their homes will become frantic, instead of a calm escape from the pressures of work and school.
“Over-stimulate their minds so they cannot hear the still small voice of God. Prevent quiet time by bombarding them with noise from the radio and television. Make sure that they become addicted to television shows, sports, or crafts. Enhance their social life so that they are constantly entertaining the sort of people that need to be impressed. Fill their minds with magazines and newspapers and the sordid news of a sick world.
“Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies; they will become so exhausted from having ‘fun’ that contemplation of the wonders of God’s creation will elude them. Finally, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they have no chance to really get to know their brothers and sisters.”
Returning to the reality of our everyday lives, no better plan could be devised. It is guaranteed to shift our focus from the ways of the Lord to the ways of the world. The fact is, these things can so easily fill our minds and take up all of our time. Let us be honest now and search our hearts. Are we so caught up and worried about the things of life that we forget to meditate and pray? Are we working so hard to pay the bills that we don’t spend quality time with our families? It is needful for health to take time out from business or ongoing education, but do we neglect that also? Are we so busy with a multitude of activities and having fun with our friends, that we forget to devote some time to helping others?
Once we have recognized that we have problems in this area, the big question is ‘How do we change for the better?’
Developing self-control
How do we take control over the thousand distractions that assail us on a daily basis? The key word is control; if we do not make an effort to rectify the situation, the things of the world will take over and become more important to us than God. In order to take control of one’s life, one must first of all control oneself. It is interesting to note that self-control is one of the attributes of the fruit of the spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:22-24, NIV). In effect, the apostle Paul is saying that without the attribute of self-control we cannot crucify the flesh. His letter to Timothy goes even further in this respect, for Paul states that those who have no self-control are amongst those who are without God in their lives: “For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:2-4).
Self-control is a vital element in how we respond to testing. In any given situation we can do God’s will or our own; God has given us the freedom to choose.
Just three problems
It can be overwhelming to consider the complexities of the twenty-first century, with its advances in technology and its ever-increasing pace of life. How can we learn to cope with the multitude of distractions, and the temptations and expectations of modern-day society? The first step in finding a solution is to define the problems.
The apostle John helps by informing us that all our temptations fall into just three categories: “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father…” (1 John 2:16). If instead of a myriad of little problems we have only three major ones, then we have reason for great hope. Christ was tempted in each of these areas, yet he overcame the temptation — thereby showing us the methods to control ourselves, too.
After fasting forty days and nights in the wilderness, Jesus was desperately hungry: “The devil said to him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread” (Luke 4:3). The Lord exercised the self-control needed to overcome “the lust of the flesh”.
The second temptation concerned “the lust of the eyes”: “The devil taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee… if thou wilt worship me” (vv. 4:5-8). Again, Jesus had to muster great self-control.
Next came the temptation of pride: “If you are the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence” (v. 9). Jesus could have given in to the pride of being the Son of God, but by refusing to put this elevated position to the test, he again used supreme self-control.
Blocking our view of salvation
The Master was aware that temptations arise from everyday events that seem so harmless; he told his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man… People were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark… until the flood came and took them away” (Matt. 24:37-39, NIV). These people were conducting their daily activities in full view of the ark that Noah was building, but they ignored the warning, pushing it to the back of their minds.
The lesson from Christ is to beware that activities, however benign, do not block our view of salvation. We are blessed to have a mediator who was tested in all points as we are, yet overcame, thus becoming an example of self-control.
We need to simplify our struggle to follow him. In our daily determination to overcome distractions it will greatly help if we can stay focused on our walk towards the kingdom. This goal can only be achieved if we are able to hear his message over the clutter and noise of the world.
Only one adversary
Ours is not a single adversary; our “Satan” is composed of a thousand small things that we take into our daily routines, none of which are problems in themselves. It is their incremental nature, one thing added to another, that renders the situation spiritually dangerous. We all go through times when we feel we are being tried and tested almost to the limit of endurance. This is when we need to look to our Lord and take comfort in the knowledge that he was victorious and has shown us the way. When he was overwhelmed by the demands of others, and the pressing crowds, he drew aside for peace and quiet so that he could pray and meditate. This should be our method of release from tension and pressure; in fact, the only way is to make a deliberate effort to create a quiet space in our busy lives. Over the frantic cries of modern society, we must be able to hear “the still small voice” of God speaking to us (1 Kings 19:12).
In conclusion, let us consider how to avoid negative distractions. First of all, pare down nonessentials; in so doing, we will have fewer things to worry about [see Editor’s note]. With lowered anxiety levels we can concentrate on family relationships and building a happy home. There will be more time to devote to Bible reading and the extended ‘family’ in the ecclesia. Our homes should be a refuge from the pressures of work, and the ecclesia should also be a source of strength and encouragement.
Secondly, and most importantly, consider Jesus; when the clamor of the crowds and the demands of the disciples pressed heavily upon him, he prayed to his heavenly Father. Likewise, let us pray for help and the wisdom to control life’s distractions.
Michael Atkin (Toronto East)
Editor’s Note:
This statement is tremendously important. But it is probably beyond the scope of this or any exhortation to get into the specifics. Nevertheless, here is a place where we may usefully pause and ask ourselves, individually at least: ‘What can I do — what can we do, as a family — to “avoid negative distractions” and “pare down nonessentials”?’
Each one’s answer to this question may well be different. But the question ought to be asked, and answered, and acted upon! We should remember that (1) one believer’s nonessential distraction may be another’s more-or-less essential recreational need; (2) what may work for one person or family may not work for another, and (3) this is no place for “judging” others (Rom. 14:10). With these disclaimers in mind, it might be useful to hear from brothers and sisters: ‘What have you or your family done to avoid negative distractions and pare down nonessentials?’ Responses are invited.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One