Re-align your Focus –in His Word 10/5/15

Re-align your Focus –in His Word 10/5/15

Focus on the moment or focus on what is to come?

How do we keep from being sucked in to the chasm of trouble facing us in the world today? How can we not stress out over daily battles?

 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

 Hebrews 12:2

We can take our time doing things and wallow in self pity because we have them to do or we can look ahead to see what there is to come.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3

We have the head knowledge; we know how to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We say: “I cry out and worship you Lord because I know that You will return to lead us all to a better life eternal. I cry out and worship you for what you have done and will do.”

 Still in times of turmoil or sorrow we can find it hard at times to remember that our God is indeed in control.

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.  He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Psalm 107:27-29

In daily prayer, and worship, in reading of the Word we can be confident in Him.

Now if we can do these in earnests then why not rejoice in each moment in which we live right now? I mean even the painful or sorrowful moments in life can have a purpose. No, we cannot always understand it but we can trust that God does know why and when things should happen and what will be the outcome. When we put our hands in the hands of Jesus we give Him the control of our lives. If then we have given Him control we no longer have a right to complain when the rains come and the floods rise for He is in control.

I am ashamed that I do complain at times, I cry out to him with complaint about my self, my fellow man, and the circumstances I ‘end up’ in from my own choices. Often when we make the choices in life we do not think to discuss it with our Father God and so we do not always make the right ones; when we make wrong choices we have circumstances, and when we make right choices we have different circumstances.

Whether it is in small ways such as not taking care of a plant in the garden that withers and dies, or if its something as great as choosing a vehicle to purchase based on the wrong reasons.  Either way; we should trust God to bring us through the pain, through the rough patch or whatever it is that has us uprooted and uneven in our walk; He will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him.   Isaiah 26:3

So we know if we keep our minds on Him then we will find that focus we are looking for. Then we will be able to stay steadily moving forward not tossed every which way from any strange person telling us that something should happen on a certain day, and not someone coming up to us and telling us how wrong we are in how we believe or live our life according to His Word. Nothing can separate us from the love of God and if we have His love then we know that He is for us; if He is for us then nothing can stand against us!

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What can we do to keep that focus clear?

Feed on the Word of God, not the cares of the world. Read your Bible as often as you can, really read it and ask God to open it to your understanding.

Study the Word of God; trust Him to direct your path as He would have you walk.

Trust Him to share via the Holy Spirit what things are good, and right for you to learn about today to be right in His sight, not mans, not your own but in God’s eyes.

Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. ¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ¹⁶ But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 2 Timothy 14-16

When we focus on what His Word tells us to do then we will know the truth, a that Truth that can set us free from worry and frustration.

Dear heavenly Father, we ask you to help us to lay aside the things that hinder us today and help us to focus on Your will in our lives, help us to listen to Your guidance and to ignore the enemy and his cronies as they try to distract us and cause us shame. In Jesus name, amen.