Distractions & Renewing my Mind (Part 1)

It’s funny how the human mind works. Well truthfully, I can only speak for my mind because that’s the only human mind I truly know. Just typing that last statement makes me wonder how much “I truly know” my own mind. But I digress. That’s not the topic for the day.

Firstly, I would like to point out what “distraction” means to me. It is anything that stops me from doing what I have to or need to do at a specific moment. So if my scheduled bedtime is 10 p.m and a phone call comes in at 9:45 p.m AND I am on that call till way past 10 p.m, then that call is a distraction. 

Distractions come in many different forms. It may come in the form of people, the internet, thoughts, etc. I think a little background story may be appropriate at this point. In both University and Law School, I shared a flat with my friends. Sharing a flat in Uni and Law School meant that we had similar schedules and we were free at around the same times. It was okay to randomly barge into the other person’s room to discuss something (many times not school related). Talking was always a good excuse to leave whatever I was doing at that moment and after a couple of hours I would blame the other person for distracting me from my work. This was not an obvious problem because just like most students I did not quite understand the concept of time and I was arrogant enough to think that time could be manipulated.

Fast forward to Present day Adim. I have to be self-motivated to achieve the things that I set out to do. I also do not have people to distract me anymore but I still find myself getting distracted very easily. My mind easily wanders to other things. I may be in front of my laptop, trying to write an article and my mind takes the liberty of painting some very vivid fantasy that I would be lost in for a considerable amount of time. I finally admit to myself that this is the result of years of indiscipline. My mind has gotten so used to getting distracted that when there is no one around to offer some distraction, it creates some on its own. This is in no way beneficial because one needs to be focused to turn dreams to reality. 

After admitting that this is a problem, I turned to God for help. As expected, God has all the answers to my problems. The first verse God points me to is Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed and progressively changed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. The Amplified version explains the “renewing of your mind” as “focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes”. This verse gave me hope to know that mind is not beyond my control. It also made me understand how crucial the state of my mind is to the quality of life that I live. What I focus on will determine my behaviour and will ultimately determine how my life plays out. 

Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as he thinks in his heart, so is he”. If my mind is unfocused and is a jumble of thoughts without direction, it will spill over to the rest of my life.  However, while it is one thing to know that one’s mind will determine the course of one’s life, it is an entirely different thing to bring one’s mind under the subjection of the Holy Spirit so that it can align to God’s purpose for one’s life. The amazing thing about God though is that He is dependable. He does not just point out a short-coming without providing a solution. 

Here are a few things that God has revealed to me in the process of learning how to discipline my mind:

1.       It is good to start off your day with prayer

Persistent prayer has a way of shifting my focus to the things I should focus on. It also reminds me that I have the Holy Spirit as my Helper. Knowing that I have a Helper that does not take any minute off gives me the confidence to ask Him to guard my mind and thoughts throughout the day.

In John 14, Jesus tells us, “I will not leave you as orphans (helpless)… But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things”. The presence of the Holy Spirit is a daily reminder that God is not unaware of my struggles and is invested in my well-being. He is my Strengthener and Helper so if what I need to live out God’s purpose for my life is to keep my mind focused

, He is here to see it come to pass.

Even after starting the day off with prayer, I can ask the Holy Spirit for help through the course of the day. Hallelujah!

2.       It is good to constantly read the Word of God

Have you read some of God’s job description? Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus, the Son, “upholds the universe by the Word of His Power”. Genesis 1 and 2 gives us an account of how God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it.  In Job 38, God gives us a tiny glimpse into the order of nature. In Jeremiah 29:11, God tell us that the “thoughts He thinks towards” us are “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give us an expected end”. All these accounts show me that God is focused, deliberate and intentional about the things that He does.  We are made in the image and likeness of God therefore we operate in the same way He does. We need to be deliberate with our focus. Double-mindedness will result in chaos.

The story of Noah is a great example of a man with laser focus. The God-focus. He built an ark to specification and he alongside his family survived because of his single mindedness. Peter sank when he shifted his focus from Jesus.

The Bible is filled with several accounts of people who achieved a lot because of the discipline of their minds.