A “heart weighed down” speaks of the paralyzing discouragement that comes from a life spent the way that the devil, the world, and my own sinful flesh would take me. The most common tools used by these three enemies of my soul are:

Dissipation: a life unfocused, ineffective and wasted, so far as God’s purposes are concerned.
Drunkenness: a life dominated by the haze of confusion induced by alcohol, drugs, and other sinful vices.
The cares of this life: a life controlled by all the bills to pay, comforts to be sought, career to build, and status to be maintained.

It’s so easy to find myself caught up in these things that I lose my focus on heaven. Weighed down by them, I forget to pray, to seek God’s purpose, and to pursue His ways. I let myself be sidetracked from the main purpose of life: knowing my Savior and making Him known.

“Watch yourself,” He says. “Stay awake… pray that you may have the strength to escape all these things…and to stand before Me.”

Oh, Lord Jesus, I find myself struggling to stay awake and focused. Help me. Give me strength to keep my one priority straight in all these distractions that surround me today. Lead me through them all with my eyes on the goal of standing before You. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles