How to look past spiritual
distractions
Hebrews 12:2
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer
and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
It was the final hole of the 1961
Masters Golf Tournament. Arnold Palmer had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a
very satisfying tee shot. He looked to be in good shape. As he approached his
ball for the second shot, a friend stuck out his hand and said, “Congratulations!”
Palmer says, “As soon as I (shook his
hand), I knew I had lost my focus.” Over the next two shots, he hit one in the
sand trap, then again over the edge of the green. Finally, he missed a putt and
lost the Masters.
Arnold Palmer learned a very hard
lesson that day: Never take your eye off the goal. This is as true in golf as
it is in the spiritual life. Satan will try to pat you on the back and tell you
you’re good enough without Jesus or you’ve done enough to earn salvation. But
it’s then we must keep our eyes on the prize and not allow ourselves to be
distracted from following Jesus!
Don’t believe the lie that you can
live the spiritual life on your own. You need Jesus. He is the prize. Keep your
eyes on Him and don’t let anyone or anything distract you from the Pioneer and
Perfecter of our faith!
Prayer Challenge
Ask God to help you maintain your
focus on Jesus when Satan tempts you to think you can do it all by yourself!
Questions for Thought
Why do you think it can be tempting
to believe we can attain salvation without Jesus?
How can keeping Jesus the focus of
your faith help you when Satan tries to tempt you?