“I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.”—1 Corinthians 7:35 (NLT)

We have so many distractions in our culture today. There is a spiritual war going on to draw our attention away from God.  I cannot tell you how times I sit down to spend time with God letting my phone notifications sidetrack me. Rather than sit in my living room chair with my Bible, devotions, and journal, I look at my phone.

The next thing you know, I’ve wasted 15-20 minutes of precious quiet time on social media, texts, or emails. Rather than rest in His presence, I become rushed. I lose my closeness and connection when my day starts like this. Spending time in God’s presence without distractions isn’t easy. Rushing through my morning meditation keeps me from hearing from God.

Honestly, I am thankful electronic devices weren’t so prevalent when I started my faith journey, or I might not be where I am today. This is a battle in our society, especially with children, teens, and young adults. They don’t know what life is like without them. While I do like the convenience of having a Bible app for when I travel, I prefer flipping through the paper pages of my Bible to read it. It keeps me more focused and less likely to respond to any messages or notifications that appear on my tablet or phone.

I encounter this with my knitting too. As much as I love knitting and use it as a ministry tool, I can spend more time looking for a pattern than knitting. The thing is, if I am being totally honest, my whole time online can go from looking for a knitting pattern, to Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and even online shopping. The next thing you know, I have spent well over an hour on my computer and could have probably finished one of my knitting projects that was already on needles. I had no business looking for a new pattern when I had other projects going.

Satan is going to do whatever he can to try and keep us from spending time with our Lord and Savior and doing Kingdom work. I don’t put a time limit on my morning quiet time or ministry work. The enemy wants me to feel guilty for getting side tracked, but the reality is, any time spent in His presence and serving in His name is a threat to the devil. I am thankful each day I am given a fresh start to not let those distractions rush my time with Him.

Father God,

I need You. Forgive me when I give into distractions that create a barrier between us. Help me to fight what the enemy puts in my pathway tempting me to spend less time with You or serving You. Remove temptations that prevent me from doing Your work for Your Kingdom. I lift those up to You whose busy days seem to make it impossible to spend much needed time with You. I ask for You to carve out space in their day to find rest in You. I pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

  August Verse

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”—Matthew 6:33

If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make