Posts
Friday, January 29
What blurs our vision…
When the venom of hate is slung at us…
When a myriad of voices clamor for our attention…
When self is elevated above the concern for others…
When doubt and worry replace our trust in the Lord…
When heartaches pile up against the door of our hearts…
When daily circumstances whir around us and cause confusion…
When activities and chores on our schedules become overwhelming…
When the pain of gossip behind our backs comes from a so-called friend...
When greed for a bulging bank account pushes its way to be #1 on our list…
When our spouse breaks his/her commitment to a monogamous relationship…
When we pay more attention to how we feel rather than on the truths of God’s Word…
When accumulating possessions to keep up with everyone else becomes our main goal…
…what do we do? We usually go into a tailspin and lose our focus.
When God seems not to be in a hurry to remedy any of the above trials for which we have prayed until we are exhausted, instead of praying as our first priority that God will be glorified in it, we boo-hoo His tardiness for not taking us out of the problem, or we question His faithfulness. We lose our focus.
If we focus more on the stress and limitation of our situations rather than on the peace, power, and comfort of God to rectify them, we will certainly lose our focus and we will give up.
I have no magic bullet list of how to stay focused. All I can tell you is that, in my experience, it is in those times we tell the Lord we trust Him for the outcome and continue to thank Him in the meantime.
Isaiah gives us the solution, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!” (Is. 26:3 NLT)
It takes practice, practice, practice to keep our thoughts focused. In regard to those stray and harried thoughts, Paul tells us what to “refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5 Amp)
Solomon warns us in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” (Masoretic Text) Another version says, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” (NCV)
What siphons your focus away from the Lord?
May you recognize those things and practice, practice, practice to keep your focus on the Lord.
This is a gr8 one and I have a sneaking suspicion, after reading your description, I am not the only one it happens too every day. I look at it in a test of priorities. Starting with our loved ones. Their needs get fulfilled first; mine too; if I can't work on filling ours, who else can I help. And since I'm not God, my ego is intact enough to know that those in trouble, though can at times use my help, they have God as I do, and can pray just as we do. That can be helpful. Friends, support and assistance are comfort, but do not solve every problem or issue. God does. Thanks Lynn. x0 Love Rick and Lee
Lynn, you spoke to my heart this morning the words I needed to read. I knew the Lord brought you into my life. Even though I don't communicate frequently with you, it seems like just when I am in need of wisdom ...there you are. I do believe it is a God thing. But I thank you for always writing the truth.
I am so easily distracted. I pray and find I get so bombarded with thoughts that I keep a pad nearby to jot things down so I can get back to my focus on the Lord. I pray for help.
Lynn, I have learned so very much through this very challenging time in my life. I try to keep my eyes on Jesus and not be overwhelmed by the circumstances. We are moving in the next few weeks as the house sold and the buyers want our furniture. A Christian couple graciously provided us with a very small home so we would have a place to go. Praise God for them. I don't want to go into any more detail here but to say that my faith has grown so much through all of this. I continue to pray for my loved ones.
I will continue to trust Him in and through this storm. My theme for 2010 is trust and obey and my verses are Philippians 4:6-7. When I dwell on this, how can I worry and fret? Now if only my flesh would always obey. But I am a work in progress and I'm so thankful that He never lets me go.
Love you Lynn. And I pray that you will continue to write from your heart. I'm so thankful to know you.
Love,
Debbie
It's a constant vigilance to stay focused. I work hard at not turning my eyes away for any length of time. It's too dangerous to do so.
LOL! Oh, Ricky-boy! You are so right! It is difficult for us all! I totally agree! Blessings to you and sweet Lee!
Oh, dear Debbie! I am in tears. Bless your heart. I am so happy to hear that your house has sold...and someone has offered you a home! Isn't God awesome! He brought just the right person who even wanted your furniture. No wonder you had to wait so long! Blessings to you!
Oh, yes, Kimberly! It is terribly dangerous. And now that I know that, I am ever more diligent to practice focusing! Blessings to you!
Lynn
Thank you so much for the encouragement of this post. It couldn't come at a more needed time in my life.
It is a great inspiration and uplift to my heart. The Lord had truly blessed you with a talent the far exceeds most.
May God Bless you as you continue your work for Him.
Louis
Oh, Louis! You have so blessed my heart and just reaffirmed it. I needed to "hear" that! May the Lord bless you with whatever you need!
Lynn - so, so true everything that you said. It takes practice and a belief in the core of your being that you have to focus on what is truly important. It is a struggle, but the only way to find a true sense of peace.
Nicole, Thank you so much. I deeply appreciate your comment. I was just getting ready to email you and thank you for Tommie Lyn's book. I look forward to reading it. Haven't had a chance yet. Blessings to you!
Two of my favorite scriptures, because I need them so often. Thank you for a powerful post, Lynn. I've been struggling lately with my vision in ministry, and basically am refusing to move forward until God clarifies my next step. Your words reminded me to keep on focusing on the Lord, not my struggle.
Oh, thank you, Dawn. You have so encouraged my heart today! And may the Lord bring clarity for you. Bless you!
I think during times of great trials and tribulations if we don't "lay aside every encumbrance" and "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" we are really relying on our feelings.
Even if we don't "feel" Jesus there, that doesn't mean He isn't. He wants us to lay our head on His lap, to hold closely to Him, while the storm around us rages. Does the storm affect Jesus? No. God is completely trustworthy. Trust isn't difficult, it's laying aside everything (and that's sometimes control over the situation) and allowing Jesus to be in His proper place. He is a fact, not feeling.
Blessings to all!
Starla