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Feb 05, 2026 06:00am

B.A.D. (Biblical Attention Deficit)

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Since we are so prone to label everything lately, here is a new malady that is as old as time. Biblical Attention Deficit (B.A.D.) started in the Garden and is more common than any syndrome and twice as deadly.

We don’t listen to God.

Despite manifold warnings about this from the One who made us, we have the constant problem of ignoring Him. And we turn a deaf ear to incredible promises such as this:

He who gives attention to the word will find good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. (Proverbs 16:20)

THE PURPOSE

The intent of God in giving us His written Scriptures, preserved perfectly by the Holy Spirit and activated to our minds and hearts (if we cooperate) by the Holy Spirit, is so that we might trust God. Faith is the endgame of everything. We have wandered from our Father, and He has gone to extraordinary lengths to bring us back. We will never find our way home if we don’t pay attention to His word.

The Scripture is roughly 1,000 pages, written directly by God, to call us to Himself. To show us His nature and character. To instruct us with teaching and thrill us with testimonies and stories. It is God-breathed and inspired. It is different than any book for it is “alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.” It can lead a foolish man to impeccable wisdom, and the weak to incredible spiritual, mental, and spiritual strength. If you will “give attention” to the word, you will find immeasurable “good.”

So how can we “give attention to the word?”

PREPARE FOR IT.

One of the most effective Christian businessmen in American history went to bed at 10 pm every night, even if he had guests. He would tell them his most important appointment of the day was early the next morning and would head to bed. His appointment was with the Lord in prayer and the Word. Over his lifetime, he personally led over 40,000 people to Christ and his testimony was that, by God’s grace, he never missed a day meeting with the Lord. He treated God’s voice as a priority and gave it prepared attention.

APPROACH IT PRAYERFULLY.

Reading the Bible is not like any book. It is God’s tool to commune with Him. It is sitting down to have a two-way conversation with the One-Who-Made-You. It is amazing, but if we have come into a relationship with Christ, we now have peace before God and we stand in grace (Romans 5:1-2). We can come boldly before the throne to receive mercy and grace and understanding (Hebrews 4:16). Take time, before you open the pages to commune with Him, to pray and become consciously aware of His presence. Honor Him with your attention and ask Him to open your eyes and show you wonderful things from His Word.

READ IT.

There is no substitute for the daily, faithful, prayerful reading of God’s Word. This is available to almost every man and woman on earth. Most of us have multiple versions of the Bible sitting on our shelves. The simple gesture of taking the time to listen to God indicates to Him that we want to hear from Him. It is the height of foolishness to say we don’t have time. Seriously? We have time for what we value. We can easily spend hours before a television or video game or conversation with another.

MEDITATE ON IT.

Memorize, write verses on cards that you know you need, and think deeply about what God is saying to you through each verse. Like a cow chewing her cud, chew on God’s Word to gain more and more nutrients and ever-increasing value.

STUDY IT.

Take a passage and tear it apart. Read it over and over again, study the main words and phrases, use the multiple tools that are available, talk to others, discuss it. Like a fine diamond, turn the truth in the sunlight of God’s presence until you see every facet.

PRAY IT.

The Bible is meant to be prayed. God wants you to talk to Him about what you’re hearing and seeing in Scripture. If you see something you desire in your life or the life of someone you know, pause and ask God to help you see it brought from the page into your daily life. Use the very words of the Scripture to voice your prayer. You’re never on more solid praying grounds than when you are praying the Scripture.

LIVE IT.

Scripture that is read but not applied just makes a person more liable for what he’s been given. God doesn’t give us the Bible merely to grow our minds but to change our lives.

SHARE IT.

Things become clear when you write them down and when you speak them to others. There is a whole set of mental activities that go into effect when we take a truth and verbalize it to another. God speaks to you so that He can change your life and then use you to speak to others so they can be transformed also. He wants His blessings multiplied. This is the unselfish step of our study … the part that benefits our family, friends, and even strangers that God brings across our paths.

Twelve months from now, you will either be right where you are now spiritually, or you may have regressed. Or you could be deeply transformed by the daily renewing of your mind as you pay attention to God. You can hear from God this year! He has made Himself accessible and there are treasures awaiting that are found nowhere else. And the greatest treasure … is Him!