Psalms 25:4 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour”.
The average attention span of humans is about 8 seconds (1 second less than goldfish!). Scientists and researchers have concluded that the average human attention span has shrunk from 12 seconds to 8 seconds in the past 15 years mainly due to technological advancement. The resources in our hands are the causes of our distractions. An office worker on an average checks emails about 30 times an hour. The average user picks up phones for more than 1,500 times a week! On an average web page users will read only 28% of the words during a visit as people are looking for quick, readymade and microwave answers.
On August 16, 2013, Google was not reachable for 5 minutes, in that time the global internet usage decreased by 40%. As much as Google has opened information and knowledge to the world, it has also reduced the attention span, curiosity and analytical skills of humans.
Understanding God’s ways, His will, direction, commandments and walking in His guidance requires calmness, stillness and quietness before the Lord. Spending time in tranquillity opens the depth and the truth that are hidden in the scriptures. We live in a microwave world but serve a Crockpot God.
Ways to increasing our attention span to hear the voice of God:
1. Direction: The reason we struggle to understand God’s direction is simply because we spend more time on social media, the internet and Google to direct us rather than spending time reading, meditating and understanding the commandments of God. Psalms 119:98 Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. Commands are directives from the Lord. Blessings follow the commandments. We must keep our eyes open to His commandments, directions and teachings when we read the Bible. Write them down, memorise and meditate on the commandments to become wiser than the naysayers, scorners and the opponents.
2. Instruction: God’s Word preserves our life from faults and failures. Psalms 119:93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. Indulging in erroneous sinful lifestyles causes slow, subtle spiritual death by quietening the voice of the Holy Spirit and increasing the volume of the distracting forces. Psalms 119:104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. When you are confused don’t run to the phone but rest and read the Word for instructions.
3. Guidance: If the Holy Spirit is our Guide and our journey will be a lot more easier, enjoyable and enriched when we step into the unknown, unseen and unprecedented. The Holy Spirit will guide us only if we are humble enough to surrender our ways, wants and wishes into His hands. Psalms 25:9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. Every day we walk through a trajectory that we have never walked before. When the Holy Spirit is our Guide our journey will be peaceful, pleasant and placid. He guides and leads the humble, surrendered and submitted heart .
The Bible is our road-map and the Holy Spirit is our Guide. Increase your attention span by increasing your quiet time with God. Learn, memorise and meditate on ‘The Word of God’ to understand the language of ‘The Guide’ (The Holy Spirit). Go to God before you go to Google for guidance.
Psalms 119:133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, hold my hand and help me to hear your voice and guide me and lead me in the path of righteousness. Amen
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