Distractions From God: Redemption from Wandering Wonderings

Wandering to Wonder: How Can We Focus With All the Distractions From God?

Distractions from God can be overwhelming! The mind too busy or wandering (roaming) all over the place sets a person’s life on a wondering (feeling of doubt or puzzlement) path, which is abnormal for a Believer.

An inability to concentrate, much of the time indicates mental attacks from the devil. The Soul needs redemption from wandering wonderings.

God’s Word redeems us from such wandering wonderings by encouraging us from 1 Peter to prepare our minds for action and stay sober-minded.

Prep for Redemption: Prep For Distractions From God

“Preparing your minds for action (girding up the loins of your mind) and being sober-minded.” (1 Peter 1:13)

We are to prepare our minds for action and stay sober (clear)-minded. So, we may keep our minds on guard to stay alert for the action against us.

When extremely fatigued or excessively tired, the mind wanders. Little to no comprehension is a lack of concentration and a sign of a wandering mind. In other words, signs that the distractions from God may soon start.

The enemy makes his attack on a wandering mind during projects, conversations, meetings, gatherings, and confronting issues. So, listen repeatedly, if necessary. Keep your mind on what you are doing!

Wondering results in an indecisive and confused mind wander and preventing a person from hearing God. So, preparing the mind for spiritual action without hearing God is impossible. Believers are to believe – not wander to wonder to wander! [i]

Start for Redemption

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Psalm 107:1-3

Redemption for the soul seems to gather from all directions. Cycles of repetition seem to work in the following process to change (redeem) the soul:

• Distressed for the way we live.
• Crying out to God for help.
• Experience His deliverance to live in peace.

Have you been held captive by the wanderings of your thoughts or by invading darkness in your mind? Held captive by all the distractions from God?

Has sin weighed on you so heavily, you felt as though you carried the world’s burdens? Have life-storms risen so high in your life, you feel as though you are breathing a last breath and are at your wit’s end?

Your Redeemer has stepped in to deliver you with His steadfast love. Journey through Psalm 107 and find Israel’s Redemption Story. Experience Israel’s travels through the process of God imparting His life and love to them in the midst of distress. Decide to LIVE new today, not in the distant future. Make it a short journey to settle in and trust God to impart His life and love to you during life-troubles.

“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.” (Psalm 107:43)

Redemption is a Process- Learning to Handle the Distractions From God is a Process!

Redemption is a Process for the soul. (Psalm 107:1-3) Notice, the process and areas for Israel’s Redemption:

• From Wanderings (Roaming) – Psalm 107:4-7
• Out of Darkness – Psalm 107:8-14
• Of Sin – Psalm 107:15-20
• Through Storms – Psalm 107:21-30
• To Multiply – Psalm 107:31-42
• With Steadfast Love – Psalm 107:43

My Needed Soul Redemption

Darkness surrounded me as I received the diagnosis of depression from the doctor at age twenty-three. When I recognized the darkness and started reviewing the causes for my depression and despair, the darkness gradually lifted as light penetrated darkness. Throwing myself on Jesus’ grace, led me through five steps to dispel the darkness of wandering wonderings:

1. Recognizing and confessing aloud the darkness (wanderings) of hurt, anger, and self-pity in my thinking.
2. Started offering a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to Jesus for past events, ripped away another layer of wandering wonderings.
3. My next exposure to my wandering wondering mind came when I thanked the Lord for all that had happened to me. The painful events, along with some of my disappointing decisions, caused me to depend on Him and thank Him despite my hurts.
4. I realized I am a pleasure to God and others. I saw I was/am created to worship Him.
5. God has a plan for my life.

I am redeemed to live a new life with new ways of thinking. My thinking wasn’t always this way. Even as a believer, I lived defeated, depressed, and in despair in my thought processes. My old ways still gripped my wondering thoughts to wander all over the place.

Living in Soul Redemption

“He who began a good work in me will bring it to completion.”

Such thoughts help me rest to know He started His work in me and will complete His work in me. I make choices. Yet, I am learning to wait on God and watch Him work. Jesus is working His redemption process in my soul in these additional ways:

• Laughing at my mistakes rather than beating myself helps dispel darkness and fear.
• Interaction with others helps me love and receive love.
• Discerning how my emotions tint my feelings. We are born with an expression of feeling in our nature (born with). As we grow and develop as children, we learn how to express our thoughts, feelings, and emotions through our nurturers (learned). We learn fear-based wondering thoughts to wander into what-ifs, whys, and coulda-shoulda-wouldas.
• Recognizing triggers for my anxiety, distress, and despair.
• Taking responsibility for my words, actions, habits, and personal goals.

My Soul Redemption Continues

Redemption doesn’t mean I will live without faults, shortcomings, or sin. I am human.

Redemption comes from my Heavenly Father, who sees me in His Son and His Son in me. I will live forever with God. However, as long as I am human, I accept my humanity.

Yet, I don’t have to remain silent about how I now live redeemed. I may live as myself and live joyfully in my redemption. Thought renewal remains a process, along with words I speak, habits I form, and goals I attain. And, all these processes fill my soul to LIVE new as I depend on Christ in greater ways.

Your Start for Soul Redemption= Your Start to Tackle Distractions From God

For now, what areas in your mind seem to wander (roam) on wondering paths?

Remind yourself: God’s Words says I can prepare and keep my mind sober.

I will consider (ponder and receive) the steadfast love of God.

He loves you and wants redemption for your soul (mind, will, and emotions).

You may review the five steps I took when God started the process of My Redemption from Wandering Wonderings. Please answer the following question in the comment section below to let me know about your your journey of Redemption from Wandering Wonderings.

Where in the redemption process are you in Wandering Wonderings? Please answer with a sentence describing where you are and how you plan to move to the next step in the process.

[i]Adapted fromBattlefield of the Mindby Joyce Meyer; Time Warner Book Group; ISBN: 0-446-69109-7; pp87-91