ADD, or Attention Deficit Disorder, refers to an individual who has trouble focusing. Symptoms include avoiding or withdrawing from tasks that require thinking or mental effort; being easily distracted; being forgetful; daydreaming; being disorganized; overlooking or missing essential details; and an unwillingness to listen.

One of my favorite animated characters is Dug, the "ADD dog," in the Pixar movie Up. I can identify with his inability to control his attention deficit. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the challenge of keeping my brain focused on a single set of tracks while developing an article. (as evidenced by this inserted thought)  Dug is a friendly, optimistic, and loyal Golden Retriever who gets easily distracted by squirrels and loves everyone he meets.  His most famous lines include "My name is Dug. I have just met you, and I love you," and "Squirrel!" Dug lives entirely in the present. His infamous "Squirrel" moments show that Dug’s distractions are real, but he quickly regains focus, responding to the immediate needs of those around him.

Spiritual Attention Distraction Disorder is similar to ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), except we all suffer from it and are vulnerable to its symptoms occurring or escalating at any time. There is no cure this side of Heaven, but there are treatments and preventative measures to keep this disorder from continual advancement in our lives.

Satan does not have to destroy you; all he needs to do is distract you.   This statement suggests that Satan's primary tactic is distraction because it is often easier to derail someone's focus than to destroy their faith outright. This involves using worldly things, worries, or even seemingly good activities to distract people from their spiritual priorities, such as prayer, Bible study, or worship. The goal is to shift a person's focus away from their intended purpose and connection with God.

In C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, the "senior demon" Screwtape reveals the devil's strategic plan to drive us away from God. Satan chooses to distract us with "Noise." He knows that if countless distractions overrun us, we will be unable to hear and give attention to the still small voice of God.

“Music and silence–how I detest them both…. [Hell] has been occupied by Noise–– Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile–– Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down …” (The Screwtape Letters, 119-120).

In Numbers 33:51-56, God gave the Israelites instructions for entering the land of Canaan. God was concerned about the possible distractions that would cause the Israelites to lose their focus on Him. Verse 55 indicates that if the children of Israel failed to remove the distractions from before them, they would become as “pricks (literally barbs) in their eyes, thorns in their sides, and would vex (trouble) them in the land.”

God instructed Moses to tell them precisely what to do:  drive out the inhabitants (to dispossess every person living in the land of Canaan), destroy all idols (demolish all the "high places" and things associated with pagan worship), and after cleansing the land, they were to settle and possess the territory God had promised them.

In verse 56, God told his people that if they did not obey him, the consequences He had intended for the pagan inhabitants would be levied on them. Nevertheless, the Israelites did not fully obey God's command to remove all "distractions." The books of Joshua and Judges confirm that the people failed to complete this task, resulting in severe consequences for Israel. For example, they were distracted by the impressive strength of the Canaanites’ iron chariots and rationalized the economic benefits of forced labor from conquered people. As a result of their disobedience, the Israelites suffered continual military conflicts, cycles of compromise, idolatry, and the adoption of immoral customs and practices.

Here, There, and Gone.

In Kevin DeYoung's book, Crazy Busy, he recounts a peculiar story from 1 Kings 20. It is the story of King Ahab getting rebuked by a servant disguised as a guard. To make the story more unusual, the servant requests to be beaten to convince the King that he was a war-wounded soldier. His fictitious story to the king was that he, the servant/guard, had been given the responsibility to guard a prisoner, but because he got distracted, the prisoner escaped. In 1 Kings 20:40, "And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone."  King Ahab demanded that the servant/guard pay for this lack of responsibility with his life.

At that point, the servant revealed himself and the ruse. He proceeded to explain to the King that God had delivered King Ben-hadad of Syria into his hands. However, because Ahab's eyes were focused on the benefits he could gain from some of Ben-hadad's businesses in Damascus, his bargaining ploy was to let Ben-hadad escape. God wanted the Syrian king dead, but Ahab let him go. His yielding to negligent distractions from God's will would cost Ahab his life as decreed.

DeYoung says that his purpose in recounting this bizarre story was that the line "here and there, and he was gone" is a perfect description of our age. "We are here, there, and everywhere. We are distracted. We are preoccupied. We can't focus on the task in front of us. We don't follow through. We don't keep our commitments. We are so busy (distracted-emphasis added by me) by our pursuits that we don't even notice the most important things are slipping away" (DeYoung, p. 20). 

Therefore, maintaining spiritual focus requires continuous effort to identify and eliminate distractions that threaten our wholehearted devotion to God. Staying vigilant is essential in upholding our main spiritual priorities. Most of the time, we don't realize what we have until it's gone. 

What are the things that distract us from staying focused?

• People can be a source of distraction. Evil people, busybodies, sinful individuals, and even well-meaning ones can get us off track. The Israelites continually battled against the influence of the pagan cultures surrounding them. We, too, can get distracted by focusing on those around us. We can become discontented by comparing what others have or can do to our resources or limitations. 2 Corinthians 10:12 "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." We constantly struggle to "keep up with the Joneses." "To keep up with the Joneses" refers to the practice of competing with friends or neighbors by attempting to match their lifestyle, possessions, and social status, often driven by a desire to appear equally important or successful. Satan can use dissatisfaction to accomplish his goal of discouraging us and making us ineffective witnesses.  Theodore Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy."
• Money, prestige, or possessions can be distracting. However, there is nothing intrinsically or immorally wrong with any of those things. Yet, we can become so enamored of acquiring things and impressing people that we lose focus. Similarly, we can even get so busy in the ministry for the Lord that we forget the Lord of the ministry. As someone once said, when we are diverted down the slippery slope of materialism, we tend to buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like. Ultimately, we may sacrifice our health for wealth, only to eventually spend our wealth on maintaining our health. 

Joshua chapter seven details the story of Achan, a man who was admonished by Joshua not to take any of the spoils of Jericho. However, in the heat of battle, he was distracted and rationalized his desire for things by secretly taking a Babylonian robe, 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold. Interestingly, the Bible refers to those items as the “accursed” thing. That phrase does not indicate the items were Satanic in nature; instead, the items were dedicated to destruction (anathema). Ultimately, this temptation during a moment of weakness brought shame to his family, required his life, the lives of his family, and many others. This was a high price to pay for being distracted enough to second-guess the Lord’s restrictions.

Avoiding being distracted requires consistent effort and constant vigilance. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was so weary of people not paying attention to him that at one White House Ball, he decided to greet his guests with this little phrase, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” Guest after guest came through the greeting line, smiled, and spoke to the President. No one really focused on what the President said; they were distracted by trying to impress the leader of the free world. Finally, an oriental ambassador and his wife greeted the President in the reception line. FDR quietly smiled, nodded, extended his right hand, and said the little phrase, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The foreign dignitary smiled back and whispered to the President, “Well, I’m sure she had it coming, Mr. President.”

• Sin is a primary source of distraction. If we allow temptation to take root in our hearts and dwell on the pleasures of it, we will eventually commit to it. Behind every sinful action is the process of evil thinking. Sinning is a choice, not a mistake. The Devil is the master deceiver, aiming to distract us from God through temptation. James 1:14-17 further explains that we are drawn away by our own desires, choose to sin, and will face severe consequences.

Final Thoughts:

This concept is rooted in the belief that spiritual warfare involves being aware of the enemy's "devices" or tactics, with distraction being a key one. Satan is cunning, using deceptive tactics and strategies to lead people astray and undermine faith. The Bible states that he is more subtle than any beast of the field (Genesis 3:1) and is metaphorically characterized as a roaring lion on the prowl to devour unsuspecting, naïve victims (1 Peter 5:8).

We are commanded to be vigilant, keeping careful watch and being attentive to possible danger. Distractions can be actual or perceived. Solomon showed his son the pernicious woman who could lure him into unfaithfulness (Proverbs 7). On the other hand, Jesus also perceived the thoughts of those who doubted, disagreed, or needed additional explanation (Matthew 9:4, Luke 5:22-25).

Not only does the Bible teach the avoidance of things and people that could easily distract us from God’s will (Titus 3:10; Romans 16:17; 2 John 1:8; John 2:15-17, 2 Timothy 3:5), but it also instructs believers to be aware of how negative and toxic thoughts can lead away from Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

To overcome Spiritual Attention Distraction Disorder (SADD), make conscious, consistent efforts to prioritize prayer, scripture, and spiritual attentiveness, especially during the busy seasons of life. The ongoing battle is to maintain focus on what matters most, as Colossians 3:2 puts it: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.” Stay focused: God always gives His best to those who leave the choice up to Him.