Ep. 291 - How to Live an Undistracted Life

09/24/24 • 46 min

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To avoid distractions and focus on living for the Lord, Christians should practice discipline by managing their time and immersing themselves with scripture and prayer. By doing so, believers can stay present with loved ones and prioritize sharing the gospel.

Distraction from focusing on the things of the Lord is a common issue. Christians aim for eternity, and to live with such focus, we must practice discipline and time management. Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar agree that society today was designed to distract us. While apps promise to save time, social media is designed to keep us engaged, often leading to wasted hours. Though taking breaks is fine and sometimes needed, being defined by activities like watching movies can be problematic. Your attention is valuable; what you focus on shapes you. Those who devote their attention to the Lord and live for Him benefit greatly.

Many things can distract us across different areas of life. The root of distraction is often problems with delayed gratification. Our brains seek dopamine hits, which we used to be commonly obtained through hard work. Nowadays, our phones provide a quicker source of this satisfaction and tend to seek it out more since it’s easier. To help combat this, we can give ourselves rewards after hard work to train our brains. We must be determined to deny immediate gratification for the greater good, much like following Jesus' example of determination toward the cross. We are called to present our bodies as living sacrifices and prioritize sharing the gospel.

In the light of eternity, a distraction-free life leads to no regrets. We must fully commit to living without distraction and be wholehearted in our efforts. This applies to evangelism and managing distractions. Being present is a gift from God, and distractions can rob us of this gift. They not only affect us but also those around us. On the other hand, being present with loved ones sends a powerful message to unbelievers and opens opportunities for sharing the gospel.

Practically, start by turning off most notifications. You should decide when to engage with your apps, not the other way around. You could designate a specific place in your home for phone use to minimize distractions and remind yourself of your purpose. Discipline yourself not to make your phone the first thing you check in the morning. Instead, begin your day with scripture and prayer, immersing yourself in God’s word. This practice sets a positive example for your children and reinforces the importance of living in the moment. Discipline involves avoiding distractions from tasks you are not called to do, helping you stay focused on your God-given purpos

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Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.
Ray Comfort
Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne
Mark Spence
Oscar Navarro

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Previous Episode

Ep. 290 - How to Conquer Your Feelings

It's crucial to discern emotions through the foundation of God's word rather than letting feelings dictate actions. The guys encourage Christians to renew their minds with God's truth, letting the reality of eternity motivate their actions.

As a new believer, introspection becomes an essential action. Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar talk about the difference between unbelievers, who ride their feelings like a wave, and believers, who have a foundation with which to discern their emotions. Emotions and feelings are self-centered and unreliable. This is why Christians have to be careful not to approach the word of God without letting feelings dictate actions. A solid foundation in God’s word prevents being led astray. Understanding your emotions in their proper context is crucial.

Today’s culture emphasizes feelings. This has led to a false belief among believers that if you can’t feel God, He isn’t there. The cultural narrative that feelings should be validated, and that others must conform to them, is flawed. The guys contend that emotions are God-given gauges of our heart’s condition and should inform, not control, us. Christians might have irrational fears that don't align with truth. Being governed by feelings leads to self-prioritization, but as Christians, we are guided by God’s law.

Society dictates which feelings are valid, leading to destruction. Only God knows our true selves. The world celebrates all feelings, making heroes out of those who feel they are different from their biological sex, leading to serious consequences. Many young people tragically turn to homosexuality because they’re told to celebrate all feelings. Without God as our truth, we live by lies. Renewing our minds and discerning what is good and perfect is essential. Meditate on God’s word to resist temptation. The guys recognize that men and women are both emotional beings, but they express emotions in different ways. Women are perceived to be more emotional, but we see in Psalms and other places in the Old Testament that men are also expressive of their emotions.

For believers struggling with feelings, self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Christians possess this quality and should examine themselves to grow in sanctification. Don’t feed wrong thoughts and feelings; ignore them. What if you don’t feel like sharing the gospel? The reality of hell should motivate you, and you’ll rejoice in sharing the gospel. Often, we don’t feel like doing profitable things, but the fruit of our labor is worth it. Don’t let feelings dictate actions; use them to identify areas needing submission to the Lord. The guys share stories of pushing past their feelings of hesitation to

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Next Episode

Ep. 292 - How God Was Blasphemed at the Paris Olympics

While the world was captivated by the Olympics, the Living Waters team saw an opportunity to share the gospel. Despite the controversy surrounding the event, particularly the mocking portrayal of The Last Supper in the opening ceremony amongst other things, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar focused on evangelism. Thousands joined in handing out tracts, seizing the moment when the world gathered in one place.

The French Olympic organizers claimed to celebrate unity, diversity, and neutrality, yet their actions, like banning the hijab, mocking Christianity, and injecting the LGBT agenda, contradicted this message. This reflects a broader issue: mankind's attempts to create a utopia on earth always fail when God is excluded. True unity and a world without discrimination cannot exist without God at the center.

Ray observed the blasphemy in Paris from the United States, noting the hypocrisy in how neutrality was claimed while promoting specific agendas, such as homosexuality, without anyone speaking out. This fear of standing against popular opinions highlights an important value that is hard to put into practice. When we fear God, we don’t need to fear man. The double standard is clear—if a church mocked the LGBT community, it would be labeled hatred. This raises questions about the true meaning of tolerance. Genuine tolerance, as a gift from God, allows for disagreement while respecting the image of God in every person. However, in today’s world, tolerance is often confused with acceptance and celebration, where disagreement is not allowed.

A video produced by Mark’s sons in Paris garnered millions of views, showing the incredible reach of the gospel message. The team's like-mindedness and spontaneity in sharing the gospel demonstrated their unity, a gift from God. Despite the overwhelming support for the controversial Last Supper performance, some people were open to discussing the hypocrisy it represented, showing that even in a world desensitized to numbers, individual hearts can still be reached. The guys share some of their personal experiences with the outreach.

As Christians, we must capitalize on current events to share the gospel, responding not with outrage but with truth and love. The world expects Christians to be offended and outraged, but our response should be marked by righteous indignation, which stems from love for the lost, not hate. We must be humble, advocating for beauty and goodness because we serve the God of truth. Even when evil seems to prevail, we trust that God has a plan, and the gospel will not return void.

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The Living Waters Podcast - Ep. 291 - How to Live an Undistracted Life

Transcript

Emeal Zwayne00:00:00.100

We use a line oftentimes you definitely won't regret that , you definitely wouldn't regret it . If you do this , I assure you you're not gonna regret it , right ? But I put that

Emeal Zwayne00:00:10.787

against the backdrop of eternity .

Emeal Zwayne00:00:14.162

You think of all the things that we will likely regret having done in