What encouragement is in the Old Testament for the Christian to eliminate distractions in his walk with God?
37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Psalms 119:37
ESV - 37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
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Asked August 26 2020
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Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
Verses that come to mind: Joshua 1:8: an admonition to read God's words and meditate on them continually Proverbs 3:6: God will direct the paths of those who acknowledge Him in all their ways Isaiah 1: A rebuke of the Israelites for having forgotten and forsaken God, making them even less aware than animals who know their masters or owners Isaiah 45:22: God is the only source of salvation. There are no others. Isaiah 53:6: We have all gone astray like sheep, leading to the necessity of Christ's suffering for our redemption.
Grant Abbott
Supporter
Both King David and king Solomon provide good examples to avoid distractions. In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David remained in Jerusalem. David took a break and stopped doing the will of God, that is, lead his people in battle against their enemies. David became distracted with Bathsheba and it led him into a myriad of sins. King Solomon started out well, building the Temple of God, but he stopped using his great wisdom to lead and bless his people, he just pursued selfish interests. He amassed gold (wealth), horses (power) and wives (divided loyalty) which drew him away from a close personal relationship with God. He ended his life believing that “Everything in life was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” If we keep our focus on doing the will of God we will not be distracted by other things in this world.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
There are 2 passages in the Old Testament, in my opinion, that encourage Christians today to eliminate distractions in their walk with God. Psalm 119:37 English Standard Version (ESV) 37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Proverbs 4:25-26 ESV. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Rather than putting our faith on cruise control, Solomon urges us to carefully consider our spiritual trajectory and make adjustments as needed. If you’re not sure how to begin the process of eliminating distractions, make David’s prayer a template for your own: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (Psa. 51:12).
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