But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. – James 1:22, King James Version (KJV)

A decision is worthless unless it is followed by consistent action. Just ask the millions of people around the world who sincerely committed to New Years resolutions earlier this year, only to fail miserably in making their resolutions a reality. Due to distractions of one form or another, they took their eyes off of their prizes, and now their prizes are left unclaimed.

Sadly, we often follow the same path of failure in our Christian lives. We make decisions to follow God’s prescribed ways of living, but then we get distracted, and we fail to make the lasting change we know we are supposed to make. Satan may convince us that we’ve done enough simply by making the decision to change, causing us to believe that thinking God’s way without acting God’s way is sufficient. Or, the Devil may succeed in causing us to procrastinate the change, arguing that the timing is not right now; later will work out better. Or, the Enemy may prompt us to argue with God that He has the wrong person for the job, that we aren’t qualified for the task, and that someone else would be much better suited for the task.

Of course, all such distractions are meant to throw us off track, and God has answers for them all. James 1:22-25 teaches us that we are to be doers of His will, not just hearers or thinkers of it. 2 Corinthians 6:2 tells us that today, not tomorrow is the day of action. Exodus 3-4 reminds us that God knows exactly what He is doing when He chooses us for His work, and not even Moses could convince Him otherwise.

Sure, we will stumble and fall as we travel God’s path. There will be times when the distractions get the better of us, and Satan will succeed in throwing us off of God’s path. But when those times come, just make sure the distractions don’t become a permanent way of life. Relegate them to the temporary status they deserve, and remember that God wants you to both discover and apply what you’ve learned for His sake and for His work here on Earth.