Daily Devo

Focus

By: Jenny Hinners

Thursday, December 11, 2025

I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. Psalm 123:1

In Western culture, we face immense mental, emotional, and physical pressure to ignore life's distractions. We are rewarded for multi-tasking, and we are encouraged to "bite off more than we can chew.” The American advertising industry thrives on distracting us! Most of us are constantly connected to the internet via our phones, tablets, and laptops, but that technology isn't always good for our health and well-being.

Distraction is a sneaky tactic that Satan uses to distance us from God. He uses distraction to impede our kingdom advancement and to impair our relationship with God. It's safe to say the world's distractions can keep our eyes off God’s purpose for our lives. Here's something to think about: When you spend time with God, does He have your undivided attention?

Where does Scripture say we should focus our attention?

1. On Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).
2. On God’s Word (Joshua 1:8).
3. On Heavenly things (Colossians 3:1-2)
4. On what is true, pure, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8).
5. On the future God has for us (Matthew 6:34; Philippians 3:13-14).
6. On God’s majesty, work, and mighty deeds (Psalm 145:5, Psalm 77:12).

God's Word tells us where our minds should be, but do you ever have a difficult time keeping it there?

1. Ask The Holy Spirit for help.

God knows each of us personally, so He knows how to help us minimize our distractions. He will help us pinpoint our personal issues and He will provide us with a perfect solution... one He's tailored to our specific needs.

2. Consider other factors.

Our body is God’s temple, so we must take good care of it. Here are some factors that can affect our attention span:

1. A sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity.
2. Improper nutrition and an unbalanced diet.
3. Staying up too late and poor sleep habits (sleep hygiene).
4. Stress levels, constant multi-tasking, a diagnosed clinical depression.
5. Excessive alcohol use, overmedication and/or medication side effects.
6. Spending too much time indoors -vs- getting outside in the nature God created.

3. Recalibrate your attention on your High Priest.

If distraction sets in and your attention strays from God, seek the Lord and turn it back toward Jesus. After all, God's Word says we can always count on His mercy, grace, and continuous help!

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16 (NASB)