How To Avoid Distractions In The Place of Prayer

Hello Readers & Followers,

I hope your week is going on well and I hope the weather is lovely where you are. It's raining here at the moment; I've had a hot drink to keep warm. As I was typing this article, my mobile phone was beeping and I was going to look at it. However, I ignored it as I know it was a distraction. Nevertheless, I think it would have been helpful if I had put it on silent mode. How do you avoid distractions when you are spending time with God? Why do we become distracted in the place of prayer? Whose fault is it? The state of our minds? The role of the devil? External factors such as; our friends and families or our business or workplace?

As Christians, Jesus expects us to pray. In fact, in the Book of Matthew 6:5-7, Jesus used the phrase "when you pray" rather than "if you pray." This means God is expecting us to communicate with him. Let me share the scripture in Matthew 6:5-7 for you to read:

"When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again."

Now that we have established that Jesus wants us to pray. Does Jesus expect us to pray for a few minutes, a few hours or can we decide on the duration that we pray for? 

Matthew 26:40 says "Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me for even one hour?"

Can you spend at least 1 hour with God in a day? How can you avoid distractions in the place of prayer?

How can we avoid distractions in the place of prayer?

Most of us would have experienced distractions in the place of prayer. However, we need to try our best to avoid distractions, especially if what is distracting us isn't an emergency. Let me share some of the things that we can consider to avoid distractions.

DISCONNECT FROM THE DISTRACTION - If it is your phone that is distracting you, put it on silent mode, turn the internet off, or put it on aeroplane mode (I believe phone calls won't come in). If you are distracted by social media platforms, please ensure that you stay away from social media platforms before you spend time with God to avoid your mind being clouded by the things that you may have read or seen. It's better for your mind to be clouded with godly content.

ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HELP YOU - The Holy Spirit is available to help you. John 14:26 says "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you."

REFOCUS YOURSELF - Whenever you feel distracted, immediately refocus yourself. If it is an individual that usually distracts you, politely let them know before you start praying that you are about to pray and you'd be available to interact with them once you have finished praying.

CONSIDER CHANGING YOUR PRAYER POSTURE - If your prayer posture is distracting you, consider changing your prayer posture. You can choose to kneel down, stand, walk, sit, or jump, or you can choose a different environment where you spend time alone with God.  

CHOOSE THE RIGHT TIME FOR YOU - Choose a time that you are likely to be less distracted. 

Are you ready to put everything else aside just to seek God?

Are there things that you always implement to prevent you from being distracted in the place of prayer? Feel free to share.

I love hearing from you in the comment section. Please take a minute to say ‘hello’ by leaving a comment. 

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Yours in Christ,

Mysses Lafunky

I have a free e-book for you. The book (15 Women of the Bible: How they lived a Purpose Driven Life). This e-book was written by my Bible Study Group. To download on Google Drive for free, click here.