Mind Stayed on Jesus

When you pray and read your Bible, you need to keep your mind stayed on Jesus.

Your time with the Lord must be:

Undivided – we say “Give me your undivided attention”.  When you come before the Lord in prayer and Bible reading, your thoughts and affections must be on him.

When you approach the Lord while thinking about your thoughts, you can’t discern his thoughts.  You’ll be reading your thoughts into the text.  And in prayer, your mind will be on your thoughts rather than on him.

This is why it’s not good to check your email, social media, news, and texts before you sit down to read.  It’s best to start fresh with the Lord.  He should be your priority, anyway.

Undistracted – when you sit down to read or posture yourself to pray (kneeling, prostrating, standing, or whatever), you must get rid of the distractions.

Your phone or smart watch will get your attention if you receive a notification or a call.  Nearby noises will get your attention.  If you’re walking and praying, things you see can draw your eye and mind away from the Lord.

You can easily be distracted by thoughts of things you need to do today and things you remember to do that you don’t want to forget.  No priority exceeds your time with the Lord.  Yet, if you keep a note pad handy you can jot down a note you don’t want to forget so that you don’t get distracted by it.

Uninterrupted – when you sit down to read, read.  Don’t get up and go do something.  Or turn to your computer or phone and start searching for something.  Don’t break off the time that the Lord is speaking to you through his words by chasing a rabbit idea you get while reading.

If someone comes in while you’re reading or praying, ask them to wait till you’re through.  If someone wants to talk or text, schedule a later time to get back to them.

You have to learn how to settle in for uninterrupted time with the Lord in prayer and Bible reading.  This takes discipline.  When everyone in your family knows the time that you spend with the Lord, they’ll learn to leave you alone.  Your friends should learn this, too.

Conclusion: We live in a time when we’re constantly dealing with distractions and interruptions.  It’s hard to give undivided attention to the Lord like this.  So, you have to work at keeping your mind stayed on Jesus. You will reap the blessing of perfect peace when you succeed.