Stay Focused

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
--- Will Rogers

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

            We have all had the experience of daydreaming. Our mind becomes unmoored from the immediate situation and begins to float freely over a sea of miscellaneous thoughts. If this happens at school, or at work, we likely will be brought back to reality by someone telling us to focus.

            Satan can use an unfocused mind to lead us into all kinds of places that we should not visit. By doing this, he leads us away from our awareness of God’s presence. He even does this when we try to pray. I have often had the experience of beginning to pray only to awaken a few minutes later to the reality that my mind was really a thousand miles away. At those times, I have to consciously recapture my mind. An unfocused mind inevitably wanders.

            Paul tells us to be alert as we pray. To be alert is to be aware of our surroundings. What is going in our world, our life and our heart? Why is this so important? It is important because our life depends upon it. Annually there are 5,800 traffic deaths and 515,000 injuries due to distracted driving. A few seconds of inattention can be fatal. The impact of having a distracted mind is just as costly spiritually.

            When we are inattentive in prayer, we often miss God’s promptings in our heart. We go through the motions of prayer without fully engaging. When we have a distracted mind, we make decisions that are less than the best; decisions we often regret later. We have all had the experience of asking, what was I thinking? The truth is, we were not thinking clearly at the time.

            So what does it mean to be alert in prayer? It means paying close attention to where our mind drifts in prayer. During prayer it is common for thoughts to come into our minds seemingly out of nowhere. When this happens, rather than trying to ignore them, we need to stop and examine them. Is this thought from Satan or from God? Some thoughts we know instantly are wrong. These thoughts need to be captured and brought before God’s throne. We cannot hide our thoughts from God. It is better to deal with these negative thoughts honestly. We can acknowledge our negative thoughts and ask God to take them captive for His glory. “God my mind keeps going to this lustful thought. I confess that to you, and ask you to replace that thought with your thoughts.”

            Many times, when we pray, our mind drifts to things with which we are struggling. This is often God’s way of bringing something to the forefront He wants to deal with. We may want to hide the struggle, or handle it our self, but God wants to talk about it.

            We also have to be alert to the times when we slip into auto-pilot. We can pray “acceptable prayers” without ever really being involved. The familiar words flow from our mouth, but there is really no substance behind them. When we pray, we need to be aware of what is going on and invite God to take control.

            Being alert is not limited to our formal times of prayer. We need to be alert to all that is going on in us and around us all the time. Our enemy is always looking for some opportunity to take advantage of us. Peter reminds us that our enemy is a voracious predator. He is always on the lookout for an opportunity to overwhelm us. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) We must constantly be on guard.

            Be alert to what is going on physically in your body. We often ignore the warning signs that God has hardwired into our bodies for our good. When we are tired and worn down physically, we become vulnerable spiritually.

            Be alert to the circumstances around you, and primarily how you are responding to them. Our emotional response to our circumstances is a good indicator of what is going on inside of us. Be ready to examine why you respond to certain situations the way you do. Don’t accept your emotions as the final word on the situation. Challenge yourself. Am I responding as Christ would have me respond?

            Be alert to the ebb and flow of your life. Are you beginning to settle into unhealthy patterns? Are you drifting away from Christ, or intentionally moving toward Him?  Are you becoming more or less loving, caring, and joyful? The time to make course corrections is early on. Being alert to what is happening in our life allows us to take action before we crash.