James 1:13 English Standard Version (ESV) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

What distracts us? Initially it is those things we have found to be pleasing in our past lives. Those things have implanted a memory of pleasures in our minds. Even if we discovered that those pleasures led us to a place of repentance, the memory of the pleasure remains.

Those are the easiest distractions to recognize and we can avoid being drawn into sin. Then there are other distractions that are not so obvious because they do not necessarily lead to outright sin.

Advertisers understand human nature and they want to draw our attention to their product, no matter what that item might be. There is a sale to be made even if it only costs a few cents a day. That is not where danger lurks. The danger for us lurks in the amount of time spent pondering meaningless decisions.

We have witnessed the corrosion of familial relationships because our time is divided between making a living and the responsibilities of parenting. Families fall apart because of the amount of time dedicated to that relationship. It is not the lack of money that causes these failures, it is the lack of attention.

In the 50’s television became the babysitter. We sat in front of that light shining into our world rather than parents shining the light within them on us. This led to the sixties, a war, and division of concerns because parenting had been replaced with the agendas where others peddled their wares.

Every distraction is an opportunity to waste time that interferes with our relationship with family and with our God. In these times of instant entertainment it is only getting worse.

Matthew 21:21 English Standard Version (ESV) And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

We can forget that true faith comes from God. Faith begins with hearing God, believing God and then doing what is asked of us. We cannot toss a mountain into the sea unless God makes it happen.

None of the things that God asks of us are that dramatic. If they were those that saw us perform such a miracle would look to us for miracles. There is no glory for God in elevating us above our station in life.

We can only witness what God has done for us in this life. We must be careful in how we express how God has used us to serve His will. When we lay hands on the sick and they are healed, praise God, we have done nothing but answer God’s call with obedience of faith. Faith is what led to those moments, not anything we produced by ourselves.

When we are asked to pray for a stranger, it is a personal moment between two humans where God is in control of the results. It should remain a private moment. Bragging accomplishes nothing to glorify God.

Our problem with doubt is expectation of results. The fig tree must wither at once or the mountain must be immediately thrown into the sea because if they do not doubt rises up in our minds. Doubt is a condition of the mind, not the heart.

We live in a time of instant gratification. Faith in God means we must accept that the results of our obedience of faith must not erode our trust in God. Do not let expectations erode our trust in God.

We might get it wrong but God does not. Focus on hearing rightly, that is the best we can do.