How can we be more Christ-focused? How can we get our eyes off of our distracting problems and circumstances?
If we look at them too much, we’re going to waver in the Lord. We have to press in to the victories. We can’t be blinded from seeing the victories that are ours and what is really happening to us. We must open up to truly understand, to worship and exalt the Lord.
When the devil wants to defeat someone, he tries to give him too many distracting things to do. This walk with God works when you love the Lord so much that you say as Paul said to the Philippians,
“This one thing I do (not these six or seven things, but this one thing I do), forgetting the things which are behind, and pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14).
Did you ever drive along the highway and see a quaint little road off to the side, and think, “Oh, how charming! I’d like to follow that road.” You’ll get nowhere if you do. It may be fun, but it’s just a distraction. I believe that is what happens too many of you. Too many interests pull you away from your goal.
Let us set ourselves to seek the face of the Lord without being distracted, and see what God can do for us. Don’t become overly concerned, thinking you have to pray and have the experience of talking in tongues or prophesying. Don’t get your eye too much on the experiences being an end in themselves. If you prophesy, fine. If you speak in tongues, fine. If God gives you a miracle, fine. Continue seeking the Lord and the will of God with all your heart.
God gave me a word that He is going to exalt His word to us and the signs will follow.
When we seek first His righteousness, and His kingdom, everything the gentiles seek will be added to you.
Don’t get your eyes off of the Lord; because it will slow down the acceleration of spiritual growth and new levels in the Lord, He wants to bring you into. And then everything else a human being could want is added to you. You have to lose your life (soul) in order to find it.
If you are a disciple and you start seeking the things the gentiles seek after, you are hanging on to your life and you will lose it. I know this by bitter experience.
When we start seeking first the Lord, walking with Him, speaking His word, and exalting His name, once in awhile we can look around and see the signs that shall follow them that believe.
the signs and wonders are right there behind us. But be sure you do not follow after signs, for that could lead you astray. Let the signs follow you. Look back every once and a while and make sure those miracles are still coming.
We are taught by little illustrations and parables. It’s the Lord’s way of teaching us and this keeps our eyes on Him. Do you remember how the disciples went everywhere preaching the word, and the Lord confirmed the word with signs following.
Lord, let more signs follow because we are going to follow after the word. As we follow after the Lord with all our hearts, the signs will be there.
Are you losing that first love, that first zeal? Are you backing off into a corner until the intensity of your love for the Lord is waning a little? Is your relationship to the Lord getting a little shabby? That’s not good.
Repent of anything in your heart like that, believing God will open the windows of heaven and pour out the blessing. Let the Spirit of God purge your heart of everything that is unclean and from every distraction, whether it comes through the lusts of the flesh, the pride of life, or the lust of the eyes.
What is it that chokes out the word? Sometimes it is the cares of this life. Sometimes it is the concern for riches. Many things can choke out the word. Do you think that it is possible to become so busy in church that you backslide? I have seen people who were all on fire for God, yet they became so busy doing the mechanics at some job in a church that their spirit grew cold.
There must be a rhythm in a walk with God. You have to breathe in from the Lord and give out. Adore Him, reach in and love Him, take in the blessing, and then give out. It’s a rhythm. You cannot give out three times and only breathe in once. You will hinder your own walk with God if you try to do it. Is that happening to you? Are you exhausting yourself without recuperating your strength in the life of the Lord? He’s your life. Live in Him.
We want to work for the Lord, but we don’t want it to be dead works. Hebrews speaks twice about repenting from dead works. We don’t want to be guilty of just going through motions. We want it to be living works that come forth because the life of Jesus is flowing through us.
Some of you need to shift your confidence to the Lord. You are building up a conditioning of failure in your thinking.
God may allow you to think of yourself as a failure because in you, in your flesh, dwelleth no good thing (Romans 7:18); but eventually this can nullify your faith toward God and condition you to accept a state of not being spiritual. When you live with that, you are not content, but in despair.
We can be more than a conqueror. We can be overcomers, and we can have our whole mind and spirit set on the victory of the Lord.
If there are certain things we know we can’t do, we know the Lord can do them and we can trust and believe the Lord. There has to be a release from this doubt.
Remember what Paul did when he was shipwrecked on the island of Melita? He was gathering wood for the fire and a viper fastened itself on his hand.… he shook off the creature into the fire, and took no harm. Acts 28:5.
Refuse the work of Satan. Refuse anything that comes against you and don’t worry. Paul didn’t worry. He just opened his heart and trusted God. Before he left, the sick were being healed from all over the island and great miracles were being performed. We must believe God for great things.