Who’s winning the war for your attention?

The Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her.” — Luke 10:41-42

Sheer busyness has proven to be one of the enemy’s most effective tactics in spiritual warfare.

Put in the simplest of terms, busyness leads to barrenness—because it keeps us from taking time to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest God’s Word.

Being nourished by God’s Word is like a conversation between two friends who listen and respond to each other and are encouraged by the encounter. Spiritual nourishment flows to the life of the person who regularly takes time to listen to the Lord in His Word, responding in prayer to what the Lord has said.

The story of Mary and Martha illustrates this beautifully. Martha is the patron saint of all those who are so busy they don’t have time to care for the nourishment of their own souls. What they do is important—but how they go about it is ultimately destructive! They expend physical and emotional energy at the expense of a vital infusion of spiritual power.

Mary knew better than to let this happen with her. When she spent time with Jesus, she wasn’t blinded by busyness—she was being nourished! She took an opportunity that was all too scarce for women in those days. Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught” (Luke 10:39), and it strengthened her for difficult days ahead.

Perhaps you understand Martha more than you wish you did. Between the pressures of paying bills, raising a family, and keeping up with a chaotic calendar, it’s easy to feel outnumbered, overmatched, and spiritually barren.

Don’t forget that unseen enemies—forces of evil that threaten your spiritual, emotional, and relational well-being—actively seek to distract and defeat you. But you have access to the power that you need to win.

Like Mary, simply sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to Him. When He’s the one who’s holding your attention, you’ll see your busyness dissolve into blessedness.