Distractions of any type may cause us to shift our attention from our Creator, as Jesus' disciples did on that stormy night in the Sea of Galilee.

We need to be less concerned about world events and more concerned about our relationship with God. The more serious conflict is the one within our heads.

Contempt manifests itself in bad feelings and wrong attitudes against the source of the problem and against God and the purposes He seeks to accomplish.

Though Christ has warned us to be aware of the times, we need to be more alert to how we are living. End-time events should lead us to repentance.

Satan seeks to distract God's people by enticing them to meddle in governmental matters, thereby endangering their relationship with God.

The Laodicean congregation had a penchant toward materialism, which sidetracked them from their primary goal of following Christ.

We tend to ignore the possibility of idolatry in our lives. But we need to do the hard thing and examine ourselves to identify any hidden idols.

Social media, text messages, e-mails, websites and blogs are competing for our time, eroding our attention spans and exhausting our ability to concentrate.

Alvin Toffler described a phenomenon known as Future Shock, a stressful malady caused by an inability to adjust to rapid change and over-stimulation.

Initially, the primary motivation for responding to God's call may be a panicky desire to save our skin, gloming onto a place of safety like Petra.

We cannot assume that we are going to be immune from tough times and persecution, but we need to ask God for the strength to endure what He gives us to endure.

Each one of God's elect will go through a continuous succession of metaphorical hurricanes that will scuttle us unless we keep our focus on Christ.

Winds of doctrine continue to blow through the church, including Sacred Names, new moons, and Christ's eternal pre-existence before His birth as a human.

The antidote to double-mindedness and distractions is single-minded focus on God's law through meditating God's word, thus guarding our hearts.

God's people (as ambassadors and pilgrims) must pledge their hearts, minds, and allegiance to the coming Kingdom of God, which will last forever.

The frightful conditions during the 1st century are typical of the times ahead. To weather these circumstances, we need the encouragement of Hebrews.

In a revealing passage (John 7:53-8:1), the apostle John contrasts Jesus Christ to the Jews. God wants His people to prioritize Him above themselves.

Paul was certainly aware of the obsessiveness of Olympic athletes but stressed that sacrificing for eternal, godly character was a far wiser investment.

God's sovereignty prevails amid human folly: He acts as He pleases, directs kings' hearts, shows mercy on His terms. Even poor choices can advance His plan.

If we take their focus off the genuine Light of the World (John 8:12), we run the risk of being blinded by the lusts of the world and the pulls of the flesh.