PARKS BROWN

Distractions are a way of life but they demand discipline and not acceptance. You will be distracted from reading this blog before you get to the end of the first paragraph. More content is produced in a shorter period of time than in all history and it competes for your attention. The world is increasingly well connected and more easily accessible for your consumption via outlets that are informative and social. All distractions demand discipline not just time management and a good ‘to-do’ list.

It’s hard to miss the fact everyone’s attention span is decreasing and empirical data supports what everyone is experiencing (Distractions)  At work, employees surf the web, waste time on their phones and productivity and morale go up and down depending on the distraction. People try to ‘balance’ their personal lives. Time management is a hot topic and a skill necessary to survive. The fruit of being distracted manifests in living in a tyranny of the urgent. The result is high stress levels, epidemic claims of ADHD and less joy in everyday life.

Easter was a reminder this problem has been around forever. When Jesus was stressed to the max, ‘to the point of death’ and asked his best friends, His closest confidants, His trusted inner circle to give Him an hour of their time…they were too distracted and couldn’t do it. That may help you feel better about yourself, but His reply identifies what is behind the curtain. ‘… “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak.” ‘ Matthew 26:40-41. Distractions take away your focus and lead to temptations.

Distractions are temptations. We are tempted to change focus and redirect our hearts, minds and actions. In business this means missing deadlines and disunity on the team. In your personal life, it may look like binging on a television series instead of building or repairing a relationship with a child, friend, spouse or parent. In the BIG picture, distractions make us operate on a more shallow level and take us away from a relationship with God. This, is the original distraction and is at the root of why we experience so many distractions today.

The God of the Old Testament, the Creator of life, heaven and Earth, saw this happen in the Garden of Eden when Satan distracted Eve. He knows distractions are a problem so He made it easier by creating the first ‘to-do’ list, otherwise known as the Ten Commandments. The top three on His list were reminders not to be distracted away from HIM. I paraphrase, but read it in Exodus 20:4-7…You shall have no other gods before me…don’t make anything else a god to you because I’m a jealous God and punish those who hate me and show love to those who love me and keep my commandments…and by the way, don’t even misuse my name. In other words, don’t be distracted from ME!!

In 2015, 75% of Americans called themselves Christian. This number has been decreasing as the distractions increase. If the original Christ followers were distracted when they could physically see and hear Him, where does that leave us? Jesus said when we are distracted from Him, we can fall into temptations because we focus on ourselves, the physical and not the spiritual. Temptations originate with distractions and can lead to death.

If you think death is a stretch, James reminded us that ‘…each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.’ James 1:14-15. What makes this unpalatable is the reminder our first focus should be God and not ourselves. Lucifer had the same problem.

The low hanging fruit of distractions tempting us away from God are easy to see…too tired to go to church and worship…kids sporting events on Sundays…politicians in office that mock God with laws and actions that are self serving. So, we start the day without acknowledging and listening to Him…only turn to God when something blows up or is too big…get obsessed with politics and believe you are in control of who gets elected and not God…think love and respect has to be earned and not given freely…believe punishment and wrath is your responsibility…simply too busy and distracted from a God you don’t see.

If the nature of a distraction is to tempt us and lead us away from God, it makes you wonder why the increase in distractions these days? Is there a reason the world is less focused and more distracted or is it more of the same thing, the same tricks used by the same enemy of God? This is a better question for theologians but it remains a fact as our attention spans shrink each year.

Distractions demand the discipline to identify what IS important and remain focused. You can’t completely avoid distractions but you can avoid losing focus on what matters to you. This will lead to a more productive workplace, a better home life and stronger relationships with everyone.

Decide your focus and learn to recognize and avoid distractions. This discipline could determine your happiness in life and your eternity.

“Every time I look around, it’s in my face.” The lyrics from the aptly named tune How Bizarre released in 1995 by the New Zealand rock band OMC, are applicable every day. Something is in your face every morning whether you start the day with a Twitter feed, a Facebook post, tune into the TV, radio or spend a quiet moment reading or meditating. All around you can see, sense and hear chaos and calamity, division and unity, peace and prosperity. The world never stops cranking out a plethora of noise and activity to occupy the heart and mind of every living creature on the planet. Where it comes from, what it means and what you do with it is what matters.

It’s not difficult to see we are in the midst of a changing world order. Transitions cause havoc in politics, society, business, churches – you name it. Populist upheaval from Paris to New York City and everywhere in between reminds us economic and geopolitical systems are in a struggle for survival.  The deeper dive is the struggle for the mind and soul of men, women and children…born and unborn. With everything in your face, it’s easy to lose sight that “..our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12. The struggle is not against income inequality or socialism, the struggle is against the lies of the evil one. How bizarre.

You want bizarre? “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say…'” Genesis 3:1. How bizarre is it that a snake can talk? More bizarre is that Eve didn’t think anything of it and had a conversation with the snake. At some point a talking snake questioning and changing God’s words didn’t seem so strange. This is the nature of the battle we still fight today. If the enemy can make bizarre so commonplace and in your face each day, maybe you won’t even hear what God says anymore.

In the Bible, God addresses every subject that gets in your face. The Bible talks about the devil and hell, but many churches and believers don’t want that conversation in their face. It’s more palatable the way C.S. Lewis wrote in his book The Screwtape Letters….“We must picture hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives with the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment.” Geez, sounds less bizarre and more familiar.

The enemy is in your face each day and he has been since the beginning when “God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. Each of us know there is more going on than meets the eye and things aren’t quite right; everything is off. The enemy prefers to deal in being a little off, not quite right. Remember his first words were, “Did God really say…” Genesis 3:1. When you doubt God or what He says, or relegate Him to a position one degree less than complete sovereign Creator, YOUR struggle has just begun. If you started a journey at the equator and flew around the earth, one degree off would land you almost 500 miles off target. The longer you travel off course from God’s truth the further you will be away from God. Guess it begs the question if He is your target?

The world is more than just not quite right, folks. Christians know what is right even if they don’t like it. “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the King.” 1st Peter 2:17. ‘Proper respect’ means not trashing someone who has a different opinion than yours on social media or in a private conversation. ‘Loving the family of believers’ means not being a part of any hatred regardless of your belief on same sex marriage or the church not sanctioning same sex marriage. The only way to ‘fear God’ is to know Him and what HE says about a subject. ‘Fear’ is a healthy respect and reverence for what He is, does and has done…and says He is going to do.

In the scripture above, ‘honoring the King’ means the earthly king. This means honoring Obama, Trump and God only knows who comes next. “Everyone must submit to the governing authority, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.” Romans 13:1-2. How much more in your face can God be on this subject?

The mayhem we are watching across countries and continents is in your face each day and it’s far from over. Your faith may be private, but what collective society believes about God has a public effect each day. The changing state of governments, businesses, schools, churches, personal relationships…everything, is a reflection of our belief and unbelief in God and his Son, Jesus. Your belief in Jesus, who He is and what He accomplished is the primary focus for the enemy.

Most everyone claims to have a faith in God but they have a hard time with Jesus and believing everything in the Bible. Your belief or unbelief doesn’t effect God’s truths or his existence, but it does effect you….and the world we live in.

Every day the enemy is in your face coaxing your faith and belief in God and his Word to be a little off. Start your day drawing near to Christ and knowing His truth. Don’t let bizarre get you even a little off target.

 

In 1969 the Isley Brothers released a hit song with the lyrics, ‘It’s your thing, do what you wanna do’. Isaac Hayes and Aretha Franklin crooned the same quip, ‘Do Your Thing, baby’. ‘You do you’ is the latest variation. What started as individuality and freedom of expression has become a ubiquitous attitude for tolerance and acceptance. There is more here than meets the eye. The flippant ‘you do you’ mindset is leading a narcissistic culture to a lack of unity in America. This attitude is separating us from a relationship with and the knowledge of God.

‘You do you’, putting yourself and your feelings on the front burner is a dead end game. This mindset teaches life is not something that happens, life is what you create it to be. YOU alone are accountable for your life. These lies serve to further separate us from the God who is a holy, loving sovereign Creator and Father. God is becoming a nebulous entity not someone with which to have a personal relationship. Deeply embedded in the ‘You do you’ mantra is the spiritual battle to disassociate and separate mankind from God. Knowing God is the best way to do you. Greatness only happens when you doing you starts with you doing God first.

God is easily found but knowing Him takes more than a half-hearted effort. ‘ “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity…” ‘ Jeremiah 29:13-14. It takes more than 280 characters to read about and get to know God, so tweets will only take you so far. In the Bible, God is known as a loving Father who has given you free will to ‘do you’ and make your own choices. Without knowing God and what He thinks on a subject, free will and the ability to choose can enslave and kill dreams.

Jesus told his followers, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ John 8:31-32. Martin Luther King knew the truth and it set his people free. MLK is the accepted expert and authority on freedom and slavery in America. MLK definitely did MLK, but he knew God and put Him first to accomplish great things for our nation. The State of New York has become a reminder of what happens when we don’t know God and we don’t follow Him. ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart: ‘ Jeremiah 1:5. You would think every heir of MLK’s legacy would rally for a pro-life platform regardless of political affiliation.

A heartbreaking reminder about the prevalence of abortion, statistics compiled by Worldometers indicate that there were nearly 42 million abortions world-wide in 2018. Despite what God tells us about forming and knowing the unborn child, more human beings died in abortions than from any other cause of death in 2018. The byline for the pro-choice movement should be Satan’s words from the book of Genesis, “Did God really say…?” The enemy does not want you doing you with the knowledge of God…he never has.

Mother Teresa definitely did Mother Teresa and accomplished great things for the least privileged around the world. Mother Teresa was a great spokesperson for the Catholic faith and Christ followers at large. How can you be a follower of Christ or the Christian faith and be pro-abortion? You would think every Catholic and every believer would stand for pro-life causes regardless of political or social pressure.

Greatness happens when you doing you starts with knowing and doing God first. To know God, you have to spend time with Him. ‘ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ‘ Isaiah 55: 8-9. If His ways aren’t common sense or the worldly standard, where do you learn about God?

In a recent survey of 1,800 students at a collegiate session for Christian students on abortion (pretty closed survey), only 2.5% reported hearing a pro-life presentation from the pulpit of their home church. Churches are doing church and not teaching God’s word on the most deadly subject effecting the planet. Christ said doing you requires personal responsibility to seek God and his Kingdom first. Jesus said it was simple,  ‘ “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.” ‘ Matthew 7:7-8.

You doing you is a responsibility that comes with grave consequences. The State of New York’s recent legislation puts the world on notice regarding what you say and don’t say about abortion.  Christ put us on notice as well, ‘ “But I tell you that men will have to give an account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ‘ Matthew 12:36. Think about that next time you stay quiet.

We all need to take ‘You do you’ to a new level of action and understanding. There is no human lower on the food chain than an unborn child depending on a mother for it’s life. The unborn child is the least of the least. Jesus spoke directly to this subject. ‘…”I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” ‘ Matthew 25:45. Let that soak in and see how comfortable it feels.

Next time you hear anyone say “You do you” or “Do your own thing”, let the bell go off in your head and heart. ‘Do you’ by getting to know God and His views on every subject. Do the best you by putting God first and give greatness a chance to change the world.

 

 

 

 

Anxiety is everywhere. Anxiety is in your home, office and it’s reached epidemic proportion. Everyone suffers from anxiety at one time or another. No one is exempt. It can kill productivity, relationships and steal your joy. Where your anxiety comes from and how you deal with it is what matters most.

There is no longer a stigma attached to anxiety and the search for treatment has led to opiod addiction, a boom in counseling and whatever else will work. Anxiety is worry and nervous concern over the unknown that stems from a lack of control. Anxiety is the fruit of many ills but a lack of faith in God and His sovereignty is the deeper problem that has resulted in widespread anxiety.

Mainstream treatment of anxiety is medication and counseling. Anxiety is so widespread even psychics advertise on TV. Psychics promise to relieve your fears and provide a glimpse of things to come. Pharmaceutical companies blanket the airwaves encouraging you to self diagnose. It is acceptable to tell your physician the medication you need to relieve your anxiety.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), prescription drugs are the number one cause of death in the U.S. and 60-70% of emergency room visits are attributed to side effects of pharmaceutical prescription drugs. Real problems need real answers but in many cases emotional and physical pain is a reflection of spiritual pain. There are real physical issues, but many of today’s social ills result from a lifestyle that separates us from God. In Christianese, much anxiety and physical ill is the result of sin.

Medication and counseling are a legitimate prescription. The Holy Spirit and the Bible should be the first line of treatment when you’re anxious. If you think another prescription, a psychic or eastern holistic methods are options, then turning to God should not be so far-fetched. It may be hard to tell if your anxiety stems from a disease or a spiritual problem. In the New Testament, ‘…Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.’ Luke 7:21.

Jesus cured people from disease…and demons. Demons haven’t gone away they’re just not mainstream headlines and everyday conversation. The mere word just made some of you anxious. There hasn’t been any resistance and intolerance built up to demons, only a lack of faith and belief in God’s word. Maybe the starting point with anxiety is to ask for greater faith and help with your unbelief.

The Bible gave a prescription for anxiety thousands of years ago. ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 4:6-7. God is the counselor, go to Him. Thank Him…for everything. Tell Him…what you’re anxious about and ask Him…to heal you. His remedy is peace. The peace of God is the cure to your anxiety about anything and everything. God gives peace and it doesn’t come with negative side effects.

The gorilla in the room is that a lot of anxiety comes from the fact we are children of God but choose to live as children of the world. ….’We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.’ 1st John 5:19. Being a child of God can mean you have to make unpopular choices…AND if you choose to live as a child of the world and not of God, the consequences for those choices will separate you from God and cause anxiety.

Some of the choices that separate us from God have become socially acceptable. ‘But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity or greed because these are improper for God’s holy people….For all this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person -such a person is an idolater- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.’ Ephesians 5:3-5. The world says sex before and outside of marriage is fine, homosexuality is a legitimate lifestyle, sexual orientation is a choice and greed is good as long as it helps you retire early and doesn’t hurt anyone. These are lies that can cause anxiety and separation from God.

The stark dichotomy between the life we were created to live and the choices people make leads to anxiety, alcoholism, stress and opioid addiction. Everyone has anxious thoughts about your job…finances…kids…sexuality…mistakes in the past that led to divorce, broken relationships, abortion? If you’ll take a pill or a drink when you have anxious thoughts regarding these things, why not give God a chance to help? The key is the choice we make to deal with our anxiety.

‘Search me God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.’ Psalm 139: 23-24. Submitting and trusting God is cheaper than the mainstream alternatives the world is advertising. Repentance is easier and much more effective.

Either God is a liar or He is a cure for your anxiety. Try this Rx. ‘Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast ALL your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1st Peter 5:6-7. This advise comes from a man who made enough mistakes to be manic depressive and have a lifetime prescription for Xanax; but he wasn’t. In the next verse, Peter also pointed out the main culprit behind so much anxiety and social ills. ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’ If you’ve seen the devastating effects of anxiety, alcoholism or opioid addiction you recognize someone being devoured.

If you have anxiety regarding where to send the kids to school…how and when to expand the business…managing a personal life and work, politics, whatever, turn to the Holy Spirit and meditate on His Word. ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously without finding fault, and it will be given to you.’ James 1:5

God is the great healer. The Holy Spirit has cured anxiety for centuries. Take a knee and not a pill. Make a relationship with God the choice to get rid of YOUR anxiety.