Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

2 John 7-10

A couple of years ago I worked as a customer service representative for an on-line retailer. This business sold goods via an internet website. My job was to take orders and answer customer questions about product information, shipping issues, and so on. One of my primary tasks every day was to sort through and reply to all of the “HELP” e-mails. This was an important duty on my checklist of things to do every day. I would start on it first thing in the morning and continue to work on it throughout the day.

Unfortunately, as it is with any e-mail inbox, we received more than our fair share of spam. Some of it was easy to spot: Canadian pharmaceuticals, home mortgage offers, get your degree on line, and some… um… not-so-G-rated material. However, a huge percentage of it was not at all obvious - many were cleverly disguised. Many of the aforementioned types of e-mails arrived under what appeared to be “normal” people’s names: Mary Jones. Patrick Johnson. Mark Putnam - and on and on and on and on… “real” sounding names! And the subject line would often read “product question,” “customer service,” “shipping inquiry,” or something along those lines — all falsely leading me to believe that these were legitimate customer concerns.

Overall, I’d estimate that 1 out of every 10 e-mails I received were from real people with real questions. Yet I had to open and read each and every one of them, so that I would not inadvertently neglect a customer or potential future customer. Often, with each name I clicked, I’d begin to have serious doubts as to what I’d encounter! But once I had weeded out what was bogus, I could begin to turn my focus to the business at hand. If I were to be doing my job fully and properly, I would need to give each customer - whether on the telephone or via e-mail - personal time and attention. I would need to base my responses on knowledge and careful research. It would not be right to just ignore the customers or to provide a flippant or half-hearted, incomplete response.

The point is this: Doubts flee when we focus on Christ. But when we become distracted and focus on other things, doubts will begin to grow. The Bible says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3, KJV)
Make sure you are committed to Jesus Christ and have given your life to Him. Then make it your goal to grow closer to Him by reading His Word — The Bible — and praying and having fellowship with other believers every day. When you do, your faith will grow and your doubts will flee.

Rev. Billy Graham

Application
How can we discern from all the bogus, questionable information that bombards us what is real, true and authentic? Read the Bible, daily, commit to memorize passages of scripture - in this way you will KNOW the truth and be able to tell the difference – even when some of the false teachings sound perfectly logical.

In your day-to-day dealings with other people, be it at work, school, church, social settings or with your own family, are you giving people your full attention? Remember The Purpose Driven Life: “It’s not about you.” Sometimes it takes work, but focus on the needs of others - don’t be inattentive, half-hearted, or flippant. Don’t inadvertently neglect someone!

When we are obedient in our focus - in doing all we can, and above and beyond, we can have confidence in knowing that we have a relationship with God.

Prayer
Lord, sometimes I just don’t want to do it. I want to do the barest of bare minimums - the least possible amount of effort I can get away with to just squeak by. It is not my human nature to want to concern myself with anything but me. I pray that my focus be shifted and sharpened. May I learn to run after Christ-likeness, and may I be filled with the desire to do so. In Jesus’ precious name.