Our group exploring the Spiritual disciplines last night got into a discussion of willpower. Michael Hyatt, retired CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing and currently chairman, said in his blog, “Discipline is not really about will power so much as it is focusing on what you really want.”
When you approach prayer, study, service, worship, where is your attention? Are you like Martha–distracted by many things–or more like Mary whose attention is placed firmly on Jesus?
Maybe you have to step back and ask what is it you really want. Do you want an intimate relationship with Jesus? Or is church just something where you met some people and can go to listen to a good talk?
But if you want a relationship with God, where is your attention? When you fell in love with your spouse, where was your attention? Wasn’t it on that other person? Most of the time?
When you pray, is your attention on God, or is it on yourself, or on many things? A simple technique is to take a deep breath and focus on your breath. This is called centering. Slow down your body and your mind. Take slow deep breaths. Begin to focus your attention on God. Now you can begin to pray or meditate. And you’ll feel better, too.
Faith Venture 
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