Regardless of how experienced, no teacher can teach a student who will not give their attention and concentrate on the subject.
We can compare our power of concentration to that of pearl divers and the time they can hold their breath underwater. How long they can hold their breath determines the number of pearls they gather.
The power of concentration is the God-given ability to focus on Christ, who has the power to mold us into His image. Concentration is vital to seeing Jesus as He truly is and then consecrating ourselves to becoming like Him. Concentrating is to meditate, which is part of the formula for spiritual success. Concentrating is to bring our thoughts into captivity to Christ.
To “gird up the loins of your mind” means getting rid of loose, frivolous, and wandering thoughts that distract us so we can concentrate on the Christian race. The time we spend meditating on Scripture by focusing our thoughts will determine whether we move beyond the milk of the Word to the meat of the Word and are enriched by its deeper meaning.
The Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher, but He cannot teach if we ignore Him. We cannot learn and grow spiritually until we concentrate.
Satan knows our dilemma, so if he can keep us from concentrating on Christ through worldly distractions, he can keep us from learning and growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ. If he can keep us with an attention deficit, we will remain weak and shallow spiritually.
Our power of concentration determines our power of consecration. Our dedication to Christ will only last as long as we concentrate on Him. Concentration is our responsibility.
Remove any distractions that keep you from gathering your thoughts and centering them on those things that will matter for all eternity.
James H. Cagle has been preaching and getting the Word out since 1982. He has pastored for twelve years. He now writes for twelve newspapers weekly. He has published three books and is working on several others. James spent four years in the Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1980 as a sergeant. He grew up in Bemiss, Georgia, and graduated from Lowndes High in 1975. He currently resides in Nashville, Georgia.