Distraction Causes You to Stray

Prelude: Warning Some Will Depart
Warning this subject may be difficult to realize that it may apply to you. If you are bothered by it; then exit out of this subject and leave it alone! Click to Return to Articles or Choose Arrow Back

Prelude: Warning Some Will Depart

Warning this subject may be difficult to realize that it may apply to you. If you are bothered by it; then exit out of this subject and leave it alone!

Click to Return to Articles or Choose Arrow Back

Distraction Examined in Detail
Distraction Causes You to Stray 1 Peter 5:8 tells us: "Be sober! Be vigilant! For your adversary the devil is prowling about as a roaring lion, seeking anyone he may devour." When we lack a personal relationship with God, we grow spiritually weak, which makes us an easy target for the enemy to destroy. We need to strengthen our spiritual life through praying, fasting, and reading our Bible. When the enemy distracts you from God, you can't hear God's voice. Therefore, it is easy to stray and lose sight of God's plans for you. Not only do we lose sight of His plans, but we replace them with our own. We need to realize God always has better plans for us and we need to allow Him to take control. Satan likes to distract people with worries, concerns, and temptations. Below are nine ways Satan distracts people to pull them away from God and lead them astray. 1. Debt ~ People living with debt are often anxious, stressed, and depressed. Debt can lead to a slew of financial problems. Foreclosure on a home, bankruptcy, and living from paycheck to paycheck. Proverbs 22:7, "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." Your income does not belong to you when you're living in debt. It belongs to the lenders. Until you pay off your debt, it's hard to save money or pay for emergencies. As a result, we work overtime or additional jobs to pay off debts. The more hours we work, the less time we have to build a relationship with God or our family. Set up a budget, with a debt payoff checklist to help you get on the debt-free path. Avoid credit card entrapment. As a last resort, bankruptcy is a valid option for some debts. 2. Work/Career ~ Society tells us to climb the ladder to success. There is nothing wrong with excelling at a job. But we go wrong when we become workaholics—allowing work and career to be an idol. Our jobs, businesses, should never be a priority over God. How can we build a relationship with God when we are working 10-16-hour days? We will hear outcries for the abandoned family but not much about our neglected relationship with God. It is the enemy's goal to keep you busy with building your dream career, so you won't have time to follow God. Scripture reminds us to put God first. Proverbs 3:5-7, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear {revere} the LORD and depart from evil. 3. Materialism ~ We live in a materialistic, consumer-based society. With commercials, ads, and billboards everywhere, advertisers are begging you to spend money on that shiny new toy. Compelling you to maintain a certain standard of living. A materialistic person obsesses over physical possessions, believing the only way to happiness is through getting more stuff. The more we chase material possessions, the less we focus on God. Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust spoil, and where thieves break through and steal; 20 But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust spoils, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Things should never become our source of happiness; we should be content with what we have and look to God for true happiness. 4. Relationships ~ We all want healthy relationships with family and friendship. However the enemy distracts you with lies, convincing you a relationship is lacking, when in truth it's healthy; or making you believe that your relationship is healthy when in reality, it is toxic. We need to be careful to not, turn our relationships into idols. We often make the mistake of putting our relationships on a pedestal—demanding a person act a particular way, or losing ourselves trying to please the other person. It is easy for the devil to influence a relationship that is void of God. It is crucial to discern your relationships and place God at the center of all of them. From parents, siblings, marriages, grandparents, cousins, and other kin to friends and co-workers; consider if such relationships are pleasing to God's purpose. We are warned in James 4:4, "You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever desires to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." 5. Holidays ~ Halloween, Valentine's Day, Easter, and Christmas—holidays have become society's focus. Society created the holidays, not God. If the season is a joyous occasion, why are people stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, and depressed? Why do people drag themselves to family get-together for the sake of tradition? Why do they go broke buying gifts? Why does a family cast them out when they tell them they're not celebrating? Scripture warns us not to follow the tradition of men. Colossians 2:8, "Be on guard so that no one takes you captive through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ." People get too busy planning, shopping, and eating to find the time to spend with God. Satan uses these worldly holidays to distract and isolate us from God. That is why we must follow the teachings of Christ who did not celebrate any of these holidays. 6. Social Media ~ Smartphone in hand, head bowed, fingers scrolling, people feel a constant need to look at social media feeds every 5 minutes. Social media is new on the scene, but it is a distracter. It can ruin your mental and physical health. It isolates you, makes you anxious, and damages your health. Instead of face-to-face engagements, we connect through screens. We are living through others or attaching our worth to likes and the followers we gain. This also destroys your spiritual well-being. People spend an unhealthy amount of time on social media. Think: is reading your Bibles or is praying too much of a chore for us? 7. Entertainment ~ We love entertainment—it is one way we fulfill our desire for happiness and comfort. Through music, TV, movies, video games, sports, and more. The Bible calls Satan the prince of the power of the Air. Ephesians 2:2, "In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience." Satan has a strong influence in the entertainment industry. He teams up with the world and uses entertainment to trap and draw believers away from God. Watching mindless TV shows, listening to music with bad language, or hours watching sports is bad for your health, and opens the doors for the devil to enter and break down your hedge of protection. We must be mindful of how we entertain ourselves. We must put on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-18, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the might of His strength. 11 Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil 12 Because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual power of wickedness in high places. 13 Therefore, take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having worked out all things, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, and wearing the breastplate of righteousness, 15 And having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. 16 Besides all these, take up the shield of the faith, with which you will have the power to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one; 17 And put on the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; 18 Praying at all times with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and in this very thing being watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." We must guard our eyes, ears, and mind against the evil elements of this world! 8. Religion ~ The enemy uses "religion" to distract and divide us. If we are always arguing about religion, when do we worship God? As long as we are distracted by the elements of religion, we don't focus on God, which is what the enemy wants. We get preoccupied debating what foods to eat, or what clothing is appropriate that we lose sight of our walk with God. Many believers desire spiritual connection, but no longer relate to God or His Bible and laws, instead they seek things like the New Age movement which focuses on self and not God. Scripture warns us, in the latter days, some will depart from the faith. 1 Timothy 4: 1-2, "Now the Spirit tells us explicitly that in the latter times some shall apostatize {depart} from the faith, and shall follow deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy, their consciences having been cauterized {seared} with a hot iron." Therefore, we shouldn't allow "the rules of the church or religion" to hinder our relationship with God nor our walk with Christ. The church is a body of believers, not a system or a building. 9. Self ~ The person looking back at us in the mirror is one of our biggest distractions from God. It may seem like society has become more self-centered, especially with the rise of social media. However, from the moment Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge they gained personal knowledge of good and evil and the spirit of being self-centered. We, being human, inherited the same self-absorbed nature, which is why our flesh and spirit are always at odds. Even more, the enemy deceives us and makes us believe we can trust our feelings, perceptions, and limited knowledge. Scripture tells us, our heart is deceitful and warns against trusting it: Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" To gain knowledge and satisfy our desires, we put God on the back burner and place our affections at the center. Temptations will always be around the corner; we can't escape it. To fight our sinful nature, we must first die to ourselves and give the Holy Spirit control.

Distraction Examined in Detail

Distraction Causes You to Stray

1 Peter 5:8 tells us: "Be sober! Be vigilant! For your adversary the devil is prowling about as a roaring lion, seeking anyone he may devour." When we lack a personal relationship with God, we grow spiritually weak, which makes us an easy target for the enemy to destroy. We need to strengthen our spiritual life through praying, fasting, and reading our Bible. When the enemy distracts you from God, you can't hear God's voice. Therefore, it is easy to stray and lose sight of God's plans for you. Not only do we lose sight of His plans, but we replace them with our own. We need to realize God always has better plans for us and we need to allow Him to take control. Satan likes to distract people with worries, concerns, and temptations. Below are nine ways Satan distracts people to pull them away from God and lead them astray.

1. Debt ~

People living with debt are often anxious, stressed, and depressed. Debt can lead to a slew of financial problems. Foreclosure on a home, bankruptcy, and living from paycheck to paycheck. Proverbs 22:7, "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." Your income does not belong to you when you're living in debt. It belongs to the lenders. Until you pay off your debt, it's hard to save money or pay for emergencies. As a result, we work overtime or additional jobs to pay off debts. The more hours we work, the less time we have to build a relationship with God or our family. Set up a budget, with a debt payoff checklist to help you get on the debt-free path. Avoid credit card entrapment. As a last resort, bankruptcy is a valid option for some debts.

2. Work/Career ~

Society tells us to climb the ladder to success. There is nothing wrong with excelling at a job. But we go wrong when we become workaholics—allowing work and career to be an idol. Our jobs, businesses, should never be a priority over God. How can we build a relationship with God when we are working 10-16-hour days? We will hear outcries for the abandoned family but not much about our neglected relationship with God. It is the enemy's goal to keep you busy with building your dream career, so you won't have time to follow God. Scripture reminds us to put God first. Proverbs 3:5-7, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear {revere} the LORD and depart from evil.

3. Materialism ~

We live in a materialistic, consumer-based society. With commercials, ads, and billboards everywhere, advertisers are begging you to spend money on that shiny new toy. Compelling you to maintain a certain standard of living. A materialistic person obsesses over physical possessions, believing the only way to happiness is through getting more stuff. The more we chase material possessions, the less we focus on God. Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust spoil, and where thieves break through and steal; 20 But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust spoils, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Things should never become our source of happiness; we should be content with what we have and look to God for true happiness.

4. Relationships ~

We all want healthy relationships with family and friendship. However the enemy distracts you with lies, convincing you a relationship is lacking, when in truth it's healthy; or making you believe that your relationship is healthy when in reality, it is toxic. We need to be careful to not, turn our relationships into idols. We often make the mistake of putting our relationships on a pedestal—demanding a person act a particular way, or losing ourselves trying to please the other person. It is easy for the devil to influence a relationship that is void of God. It is crucial to discern your relationships and place God at the center of all of them. From parents, siblings, marriages, grandparents, cousins, and other kin to friends and co-workers; consider if such relationships are pleasing to God's purpose. We are warned in James 4:4, "You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever desires to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

5. Holidays ~

Halloween, Valentine's Day, Easter, and Christmas—holidays have become society's focus. Society created the holidays, not God. If the season is a joyous occasion, why are people stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, and depressed? Why do people drag themselves to family get-together for the sake of tradition? Why do they go broke buying gifts? Why does a family cast them out when they tell them they're not celebrating? Scripture warns us not to follow the tradition of men. Colossians 2:8, "Be on guard so that no one takes you captive through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ." People get too busy planning, shopping, and eating to find the time to spend with God. Satan uses these worldly holidays to distract and isolate us from God. That is why we must follow the teachings of Christ who did not celebrate any of these holidays.

6. Social Media ~

Smartphone in hand, head bowed, fingers scrolling, people feel a constant need to look at social media feeds every 5 minutes. Social media is new on the scene, but it is a distracter. It can ruin your mental and physical health. It isolates you, makes you anxious, and damages your health. Instead of face-to-face engagements, we connect through screens. We are living through others or attaching our worth to likes and the followers we gain. This also destroys your spiritual well-being. People spend an unhealthy amount of time on social media. Think: is reading your Bibles or is praying too much of a chore for us?

7. Entertainment ~

We love entertainment—it is one way we fulfill our desire for happiness and comfort. Through music, TV, movies, video games, sports, and more. The Bible calls Satan the prince of the power of the Air. Ephesians 2:2, "In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience." Satan has a strong influence in the entertainment industry. He teams up with the world and uses entertainment to trap and draw believers away from God. Watching mindless TV shows, listening to music with bad language, or hours watching sports is bad for your health, and opens the doors for the devil to enter and break down your hedge of protection. We must be mindful of how we entertain ourselves. We must put on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-18, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the might of His strength. 11 Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil 12 Because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual power of wickedness in high places. 13 Therefore, take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having worked out all things, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, and wearing the breastplate of righteousness, 15 And having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. 16 Besides all these, take up the shield of the faith, with which you will have the power to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one; 17 And put on the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; 18 Praying at all times with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and in this very thing being watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." We must guard our eyes, ears, and mind against the evil elements of this world!

8. Religion ~

The enemy uses "religion" to distract and divide us. If we are always arguing about religion, when do we worship God? As long as we are distracted by the elements of religion, we don't focus on God, which is what the enemy wants. We get preoccupied debating what foods to eat, or what clothing is appropriate that we lose sight of our walk with God. Many believers desire spiritual connection, but no longer relate to God or His Bible and laws, instead they seek things like the New Age movement which focuses on self and not God. Scripture warns us, in the latter days, some will depart from the faith. 1 Timothy 4: 1-2, "Now the Spirit tells us explicitly that in the latter times some shall apostatize {depart} from the faith, and shall follow deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy, their consciences having been cauterized {seared} with a hot iron." Therefore, we shouldn't allow "the rules of the church or religion" to hinder our relationship with God nor our walk with Christ. The church is a body of believers, not a system or a building.

9. Self ~

The person looking back at us in the mirror is one of our biggest distractions from God. It may seem like society has become more self-centered, especially with the rise of social media. However, from the moment Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge they gained personal knowledge of good and evil and the spirit of being self-centered. We, being human, inherited the same self-absorbed nature, which is why our flesh and spirit are always at odds. Even more, the enemy deceives us and makes us believe we can trust our feelings, perceptions, and limited knowledge. Scripture tells us, our heart is deceitful and warns against trusting it: Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" To gain knowledge and satisfy our desires, we put God on the back burner and place our affections at the center. Temptations will always be around the corner; we can't escape it. To fight our sinful nature, we must first die to ourselves and give the Holy Spirit control.

Final Note ~
The enemy will do everything in his power to distract you; however you need to stay focused and Trust in the Lord!
MAY USE LEFT ARROW BACK TO EXIT
Distraction Causes You to Stray "©" 2026 Ekklesia Church of God - New Covenant Saints Click to Return to Articles or Choose Arrow Back

Final Note ~

The enemy will do everything in his power to distract you; however you need to stay focused and Trust in the Lord!

MAY USE LEFT ARROW BACK TO EXIT

Distraction Causes You to Stray

- New Covenant Saints

Click to Return to Articles or Choose Arrow Back