With the start of a new year, this is a good opportunity to reflect on your walk with God. There are many times that we make New Year’s resolutions to get closer to God and read our Bibles every day, but how many of those goals dissipate by early February? 

It’s common to be completely fired up for the Lord in January but then to fall out of it by February or March. Many people will tell you they planned to read their whole Bible in a year, but never finished it. The reason most of these goals never get completed has to do with the attention of your heart.

What has your attention? The average attention span of a person today is about eight seconds.^{(See disclaimer 1)} So, in an age where there are countless distractions to pull us from what we are doing every eight seconds, how do we make sure that our attention stays on what really matters?

Whether you want to admit it or not, the things you give your attention to determine the focus of your heart. Those attentions will determine the direction your life takes and the person you will become.

Evaluate how you spend most of your free time during the day. After school or work, do you immediately turn on the TV or scroll on your phone? How often does it cross your mind to open your Bible and spend some time with your Heavenly Father? Most of us don’t automatically want to spend time in prayer and reading our Bibles after a long day. But that should make us want to even more! God calls us to lean on Him when we need strength, and He will give us comfort.

Have there ever been days when you wondered where the time went? Have you ever regretted how you spent that day? It is common to lose track of time when on your phone or watching TV.

That may be enjoyable in the moment, but it’s not going to fulfill you long-term. Instead of deciding to do everything because it sounds fun, plan out your day to intentionally spend time with God and do what is productive and beneficial to your goals. Writing down my plan for the day, either right when I get up or the night before, is something that helps me not stay on my phone the majority of the day. You could even plan a specific amount of time to be lazy or just watch TV or be on your phone, and that’s fine, but having a specific plan allows you to get what you need and want to get done without falling into the habit of endless entertainment.

The more attention you put on the things of this world, the more likely you are to fall into sin and want those things. The stuff we are listening to and watching influences us. They make us want and desire specific things, even subconsciously. Eventually, we find ourselves drifting from what God has in store for us and doing what we want instead. 

Let’s take a look at what held the attention of David. His life was far from easy, but the reason he was able to withstand it all had nothing to do with him and everything to do with his heart for God.

Psalm 27:4 is a powerful verse that reminds us to ask the Lord to help keep our attention on Him. David wrote this Psalm while he had recently been anointed to be the next king, but his circumstances looked bleak rather than bright. Though the news of his defeat of the nation’s enemy was still being talked about, David was on the run from a jealous king who would do anything to keep himself on the throne. That is only a small portion of the background to this Psalm. Even though his life seemed to be falling apart, David didn’t ask for a miracle rescue or comfort. His heart’s desire was for one thing: to remain focused on the Lord through all the trials he would endure.

So, like David, how can we refocus our attentions and ask God to help them stay on Him?

Meditate on this throughout your day and ask yourself if how you’re spending your time would be pleasing to God. If it’s not, think of one small change you can make to slowly start getting back to the life God wants you to live. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but your mindset can. Stay mindful of where your attention is directed this year. 

Remember, God will give you guidance if you ask Him to.