5 Ways to Protect Yourself from Drifting
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- Don’t sleep with the phone on your nightstand. The reason this is important is because of notifications, but the other reason is should you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, you can’t fall into the trap of grabbing for the phone just to see what has happened.
If you practice disconnecting from devices, it will help you pay more careful attention to what God has said in his word. It will help you to rest and it will also help you hear when God is speaking to you because you won’t be so distracted.
One of the best remedies to keep you from giving into temptation is separation. If you don’t go near the fire, you will not get burned. Because sin can be so enticing and its pull is so strong, one of the best ways to overcome it is to avoid it. We are all prone to certain temptations more than others. When you pay careful attention to those areas, it would be wise not to go around things that can become triggers. This may also include some people in your life.
There was a man who was trying to lose weight and one of the things he loved were donuts. Every morning he used to pass by the donut shop and bring donuts to work. Because he wanted to change, he recognized driving pass the donut shop was too great a temptation for him, so he chose a different route to go to work. After a few months of not bringing donuts into the office, one day he showed up with a box of donuts. His co-workers inquired as to what happened that made him bring donuts. He told them as he was driving to work, he had to take a different route because of construction. This detour forced him to drive by the donut shop. As he was driving, he felt the temptation of the donuts, so he asked God if you want me to get donuts today, give me a spot right in front of the donut shop. Miraculously a spot appeared, so he parked the car and got some donuts. It was an answer to prayer and obviously God wanted him to have donuts today. What he failed to mention in his story is he circled the block ten times before he found that spot.
The point here is simple. If we are going to avoid drifting away or falling back, we must avoid sin at all costs. I am not sure who said this first but here is how the saying goes: “Sin will take you further than you want to go. Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay. Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.”
This is the reality of sin, and the enticements can be strong so run from them because what it costs is not worth the price.
When Jesus taught us to pray, he instructed us to pray “give us this day our daily bread.” The simple line means so much because it re-emphasizes the point that prayer should be part of our daily lives. Not just a prayer you pray in the morning, but an ongoing communication with God that goes throughout the day. Be intentional about including God in every aspect of your life. Pray before work. Pray during work. Pray in school. Pray in the house. In other words, pray without ceasing. By praying you are simply inviting God into every part of your life, and the best part is he wants to be included. This awareness will keep you focused on him and remind you that he is with you. This will help keep you from drifting.
Here is the time for a real hard truth. Drifting does not happen by accident; it happens by intention. It is a result of the small choices we make every day. Sometimes we are aware it is happening and sometimes we are not because drifting can be subtle. When you put the right safeguards in place, they will help prevent you from drifting, not because you don’t have the capability to drift, but the safeguards will cause the alarms to go off, making you aware you are drifting. I encourage you to put these safeguards in place and pay more careful attention because when you do you will not drift away.
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