I was driving home last week after running some errands and passed the main HQ for YouTube; yeah...the place is about a mile from our house where we live these days. It was close to 5PM and people were exiting the building to head home. I stopped at a red light and glanced over to see nearly two dozen individuals all standing out front waiting for presumed rides, or maybe the shuttle that takes them to where their cars are parked at a remote site. What caught my attention was that every single one of them were totally engaged with their phones in hand. I carefully scanned the crowd to confirm what I was witnessing and nobody was talking to anyone else beside them. Their attention was all held by that hand-sized device that we are all too familiar with. And can I just tell you that scene has haunted me ever since, not to mention brought great ‘conviction’.

I get it...I’m sure it was the end of day and there were text messages to respond to, emails to glance at, maybe rides to call for. I’ll even give them all the benefit of the doubt and assume nobody had been on their phones nearly all day so there was just regular ‘catching up’ to do, depending on wherever their interests took them. But I have a hunch that you know as well as I do that this scene really is a sad commentary as to what has happened to our society and culture in this 21st century . I so wish I had taken a photo of what I was looking at. And for the record...I am just as guilty as anyone else with the amount of ‘down time’ I can spend on these phones...scrolling, reading, amusing myself, etc. I will also be the first one to admit...as much as I like the many benefits my ‘smart’ phone provides, I don’t like how it has a way of controlling my time and attention; and personally... I must ‘do better’.

There’s a reason I bring this up here today, and it all has to do with examining what is capturing our minds, our thoughts, our affections, and most importantly...our ‘attention’. This past week, I have been speaking to the fact that we ‘believers’, whether we are aware of this or not, are in the middle of a ‘spiritual war’, with a legitimate foe who is evil and out to destroy each and every one of us. We are told that this ‘wicked one’, a.k.a. ‘Satan, the devil’ holds the whole world under his influence and deception. (1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:9) And he has 'tactics' or 'schemes' too. (2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11)

For this reason, Peter writes these words of advice and warning: “Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.” (1 Pet 5:8- Amp)

We should all know by now what this ‘thief’ comes to do -steal, kill, & destroy (John 10:10).

So what is competing for your time these days...your affections and thoughts? No doubt there are pressing bills to pay and kids to raise and watch after. You probably have a ‘to do’ list a mile long that screams for your attention and Lord knows there are not enough hours in the day anymore to get done all that needs to be done.

And while the last thing I want to do is make this about ‘church attendance’, I have to ask...is God getting your ‘leftovers’ or does He fully have your heart and mind these days? And can I just say that 'showing up' at a church building once a week is 'not enough'. I only ask this because Jesus spells out a scene in multiple places as to how people will be caught up in so many ‘distractions’ that they will miss out on what matters most. You might glance at Luke 14:15-24; Matt. 22:1-14 & Luke 17:26-30.

When you do have ‘spare time’ after paying the bills and putting the kids down, how quickly do you ‘set your mind on things above’ (Col. 3:2) where ‘perfect peace’ is found (Isa. 26:3)? How diligent have you been to ‘guard your hearts and minds’ (Phil. 4:7) from all that is ‘coming upon the earth’? Are you more caught up in all the drama taking place in the world today, wanting to argue and debate as to ‘whose side is right’? Do you find yourself going down ‘rabbit holes’ to chase and confirm every ‘conspiracy theory’ that pops up on any given day? (Isa. 8:11-12) And to whom are we warned to 'give no place to' in Eph. 4:27?

What did Paul remind Timothy regarding what ‘good soldiers in Christ’ avoid doing when it comes to the ‘affairs of this life’? (2 Tim. 2:3-4)

What did Jesus warn would happen to those who start out rooted... and on their way to bearing much fruit (which is the way we can bring glory to the Father- John 15:4-5,8), but then got ‘entangled’ and remained unfruitful (Mark 4:19)?

One last verse for today- Luke 8:11-12, another version of the parable of the sower. Jesus clues in His disciples here as to what the parable even meant, and He goes on to explain what happens after someone hears the word of God - “Satan comes (immediately Mark 4:15) and takes the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” 

How does he (Satan) do that with you? Well...if this message resonates with you at this very moment...make a point to come back later today and read it again...and then look back over the day to see if it still resonates with you, and then ask yourself...why...or why not? Oh, and one last thing- please take an extra 2 1/2  minutes and watch this news story that aired a year or two ago. I’ll post the link in the comments below; it is eye-opening! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaqzyQH79d4 

Join me tomorrow?