DO YOU HAVE SPIRITUAL ADD?

“So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.” – Hebrews 2:1-4.

ADD (Attentive Deficit Disorder)has become more and more common. Although the symptoms can be complex and varied, the commonality is difficulty in staying focused on one thing at a time.  People with ADD are easily distracted and wandering attention makes it difficult for them to stay on track.  ADD can have a devastating effect in school, at work, and in family relationships when you have a problem sustaining attentiveness.

Does this exist in our spiritual lives? Is spiritual ADD a concern? We are more easily distracted from the important issues of our lives moment by moment. The nature of the digital world is that we are endlessly distracted. These distractions often keep us from focusing on God. Our minds wander and we have trouble focusing on the things that matter most.

Sustained attentiveness to God is one of the hardest things for us to do, largely because it is a discipline that has gone by the wayside in our culture. We live in the era of sound bites and social media, consuming an endless stream of content without ever pausing to reflect upon it or weigh its merits or significance. As soon as we see it, we double tap to like and quickly swipe on the next thing. While this may be fine for online habits, this is not a recipe to follow for a deep and substantial life with God.

The Bible communicates very clearly that we need to focus on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But life happens so fast in the 21st Century that staying focused on God in today’s ever-changing world is not easy. Jesus had an incredible ability to stay on target. His ability to focus is a strong characteristic of His life. His life never got off track. From the day Jesus started His ministry, He was relentlessly focused on one task – the task that mattered – to reconcile mankind back to Himself again by opening up a way of salvation. He was so focused that His final words were, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

So how do we have that same type of focus? Reading Hebrews 12:2 reminds us to take our eyes off ourselves and our circumstances and fix them squarely on Christ. Because our focus determines our direction. When we look at ourselves, we see our weaknesses, past failures, and the many excuses we make.

“I want to take my focus off myself and focus on God. It’s like setting your spiritual compass so no matter which way you turn during the day, whatever comes up, then my thoughts go back to Him and whatever He said that morning.” – Anne Graham Lotz.

Discussion Questions

1. What types of things cause you to get spiritually sidetracked? 
2. How do you refocus to get back on track?