Guarding Your Zeal Against Distractions

I recently read about a young man who was driving home late one night on a quiet country road. He had traveled the route many times and knew every turn, sign, and intersection. Confident and relaxed, he turned up the music, pulled out his phone to check a message, and thought, “Just a quick glance—it’s no big deal.”

What he didn’t see was a deer standing in the middle of the road ahead.

In just seconds, everything changed. By the time he looked up, it was too late. He swerved sharply to avoid the animal, lost control, and ended up crashing into a ditch. He wasn’t seriously hurt, but the damage was done. His car was totaled—all because of a momentary distraction.

The obvious parallel can be applied to our mission, ministry, and spiritual passion. The writer of Hebrews admonished Believers to “run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12:1-2). When we take our eyes off Jesus and become distracted with material concerns, it can result in spiritual disaster.

In Jesus’ parable of the seed and the sower, He warns about the “cares of this world” that can “choke the word,” rendering us unfruitful (Mk. 4:19). These distractions may not necessarily be sinful per se, but they may compromise our focus, imperil our alertness, and weaken our zeal.

Consider these common distractions that may dampen your spiritual passion.

#1 Materialism and an Inordinate Desire for Wealth.

Possessions are not inherently wrong. Becoming financially successful is not a sin. Some of God’s greats were wealthy. However, there is a danger when our eyes and heart shift to placing a greater importance on the physical and material, instead of the spiritual.

Jesus’ cautioned, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Lk. 12:15). The Master is speaking of greed that produces an excessive, inordinate, and unbridled desire to satisfy self.

We cannot serve both God and money (Matt. 6:24). When we put too much emphasis on the material, we become distracted and our spiritual fire grows dim.

#2 Busyness

The cares of this world keep us busy. Work. Family. Hobbies. Bills. Errands. Clubs. Socializing. These can keep us hurried and harried, crowding out time for prayer, meditation, and spiritual reflection. Ironically sometimes, even “church work” can keep us busy, but distract us from deeper devotion.

Like Jesus’ friend Martha, we may feel like we’re busy serving, but have become “worried and [distracted] by many things” and miss the “one thing necessary” (Lk. 10:38-42)

Guarding our zeal calls for intentionally. Deliberately saying “no” to some things that eat up our time, so we can say “yes” to time for spiritual nourishment.

#3 The Pursuit of Pleasure.

The book of Ecclesiastes definitely teaches that enjoying the “fruit of our labor” is a good thing. It is, the Preacher says, “the gift of God.” Yet, seeking pleasure can be abused with an excessive pursuit of activities to entertain, amuse, and indulge our fleshly desires.

Too much pleasure can numb our spiritual passion, dull our hunger for righteousness, and distract us from “seeking those things which are above” (Col. 3:1-2).

Some parents in seeking to provide so many enjoyable experiences for their children, neglect the one thing they need the most–spiritual experiences.

Jesus’ warning about the “cares of this world” choking out the word include the “pleasures of life” (Lk. 8:14). C. S. Lewis was right when he wrote, “Pleasures are shafts of glory… But when they become the center, they become deadly.” Philosopher Will Durant was even more blunt when he said, “The lust for comfort murders the passions of the soul.”

Guarding our spiritual passion and zeal for “the things of God” requires keeping our eyes on Jesus, daily nurturing our relationship with the Lord, and minimizing the distractions which easily cause us to lose focus, and ultimately become disastrous.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman