Pastor Scott Mulvey: Drowning!

Drowning is what life can feel like when distractions keep piling up and there is no room left to think, pray, or just sit quietly before God. This generation has more noise, more screens, more alerts, and more things fighting for attention than ever before. That constant pull does more than waste time. It causes something inside a person to get lost.

Jesus says in John 14 that anyone who loves Him will keep His word, and the Father and Son will come and make their abode with that person. Love becomes the reason for obedience, not fear, pressure, or the need for a pat on the back. Christ does not promise a quick visit. Christ promises to move right into the neighborhood.

God remains true to that promise even when His presence does not feel close. God does not leave, forsake, or break His word. The devil cannot rob a believer of God’s presence, because he does not have that kind of power or authority. The devil can distract a believer until that presence is no longer acknowledged.

Genesis shows that the fall came through a distraction. The serpent did not begin with force. The serpent began with a question, “Did God say?” Eve saw that the fruit looked good, wondered what knowledge it could provide, and the whole human story was sold out through one simple distraction. The devil is still the master of distractions.

Electronics become one major tool because they keep demanding another glance, another click, another little fix. A phone can sit silently on the table and still break concentration. A life that begins with the screen instead of “Good morning, Lord” should not be surprised when it feels an empty void. Relationship with God comes when distractions get put in their place.

The opposite sex can also become a distraction when desire starts driving the life. Samson, David, and Joseph show that temptation can ruin a person or reveal whether that person will run from it. A person chasing every attractive face may miss the godly person God has placed right in front of them.

A crammed schedule can bury a person in busyness until the first thing to go is relationship with the Lord. Jesus had crowds pressing on Him day and night, yet Jesus got away to pray. Jesus shows that whatever is truly important will receive time. Not every opportunity comes from God, and sometimes the most spiritual thing a person can say is no.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Distraction cannot remove God’s presence [38:43] God remains present whether a believer feels Him or not. The enemy cannot take away what Christ promised to give, but he can turn attention toward a thousand lesser things. The real battle is often not for God’s presence, but for the awareness of it. [38:43]
• 2. Love makes obedience more than duty [35:49] Jesus ties keeping His word to love, not to fear of punishment. Love does what makes heaven happy because it knows the heart of the One being loved. A life driven by love does not need to be constantly threatened into faithfulness. [35:49]
• 3. The devil still says, “Did God say?” [47:24] The serpent’s first move was not force but distraction and doubt. Temptation often begins by making disobedience look reasonable, attractive, and full of promise. Discernment requires recognizing that not every appealing thought deserves attention. [47:24]
• 4. Quiet time exposes what controls life [52:31] A person who cannot put down the phone may be dealing with more than a habit. Silence reveals cravings that noise keeps hidden. God deserves more than fragments grabbed while life is running full speed. [52:31]
• 5. Not every opportunity is from God [01:09:51] Satan offered Jesus an opportunity that looked powerful but required worship in the wrong direction. Some open doors are distractions dressed up as advancement. A believer must protect the number one priority so everything else can stay in order.
  
  ## [69:51]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [29:46] - When Life Feels Like Drowning
• [30:33] - A World Full of Distractions
• [33:00] - Fragments of Attention in Prayer
• [34:17] - God Makes His Abode With Us
• [38:43] - The Enemy Cannot Steal God’s Presence
• [40:11] - The First Distraction in Eden
• [42:30] - Eve as Helper and Protector
• [49:14] - Electronics and the Addiction of Attention
• [58:04] - Relationships as a Distraction
• [63:28] - The Danger of a Crammed Schedule
• [65:47] - Jesus Made Time to Pray
• [69:14] - Opportunities That Pull Life Off Course
• [71:07] - Putting Distractions in Their Place

Bible Reading

John 14:23
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” [34:17]

Genesis 3:1-6
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. [47:24]

Matthew 4:8-10
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” [01:09:48]

Observation questions

1. In John 14:23, what does Jesus connect with loving Him, and what does He promise to do with the Father? [35:05]
2. What steps can be seen in Genesis 3 between the serpent’s first question and Eve’s decision to eat the fruit? [48:01]
3. What made the forbidden fruit appealing to Eve according to Genesis 3:6, even though God had already spoken clearly?
4. In Matthew 4:8-10, what was Satan offering Jesus, what was Satan requiring from Him, and how did Jesus answer? [01:10:04]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus promises to make His home with the one who loves and keeps His word. How does this promise speak to a believer who feels that God is far away in the middle of a difficult or busy day? [38:43]
2. The serpent began temptation with, “Did God actually say?” Why is questioning or twisting God’s word such an effective way to distract a person from obedience? [48:52]
3. Satan’s offer to Jesus looked like a powerful opportunity, but it required worship in the wrong direction. What kinds of opportunities today may look good at first but slowly pull a believer away from God’s priorities? [01:10:15]
4. Jesus made time to pray while crowds and needs pressed in around Him. What does His example show about the difference between real responsibility and busyness that has taken control? [01:07:22]

Application questions

1. When life feels like drowning, what distractions are usually piling up around you—screens, work, relationships, worries, or something else? Which one most often keeps you from being still before God? [30:33]
2. What is usually the first thing you give your attention to in the morning? What might change if you began the day with a simple, unhurried “Good morning, Lord” before checking your phone? [52:52]
3. Is there a place or time when your phone regularly interrupts prayer, Bible reading, meals, conversations, or sleep? What practical boundary could help put that device in its proper place this week? [01:11:39]
4. God’s presence is not removed when it is not felt; distraction can keep a believer from recognizing the One who is already present. When have you mistaken distraction, stress, or hurry for God being absent? [39:14]
5. Are there relationships, desires, online conversations, or habits of looking that are pulling your heart away from faithfulness and purity? What would it look like to respond wisely and quickly rather than feeding that distraction? [59:47]
6. Look at the commitments on your schedule this week. What is one good thing you may need to say no to, delay, or handle differently so that time with God is not continually pushed aside? [01:04:23]
7. Is there an “open door” or opportunity in front of you that needs more discernment? What questions could help you tell whether it will strengthen your walk with God or become a distraction dressed up as advancement? [01:09:34]