Spiritual warriors require outstanding focus. The enemy wants nothing more than to break our concentration on the things of God. He knows that basking in the light of God’s nature grows us stronger every day, and the enemy wants to put a stop to it.
We must focus on our God-given assignment, pouring our time, energy, finances, and attention into that goal. If the enemy can blur our focus, we become distracted, lose our vision, and are ultimately rendered insignificant.
Focus is vital to spiritual warfare and must be protected at all costs. It was so important in ancient Israel that God would not tolerate any distraction.
Deuteronomy 13; 6 if your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
This is an image of violent concentration. The penalty for allowing ourselves to be separated from God has always been death in every form. Sin separates. Idolatry puts people outside of a benevolent covenant. That was Israel’s consistent testimony. They walked with God in righteousness, and he blessed them.
They were seduced into sin and idol worship and went into bondage. They lost families, cities, regions, wars, and nations to sin and its consequences. They would cry out to God, repent and be restored, only for the cycle to begin again at a later date.
We are called to ignore things that would distract us from our God-given mandate, to put to death every distraction and to maintain focus as a way of life.
Romans 8: 5 – for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.
Distraction kills passion. We are focused or unfocused. Focus occurs when our mind is set, centered, fixed on a certain goal. It’s hard to love someone without being consistent. It is impossible to please someone when our relationship is unclear and indistinct. We actually set up a scenario where hostility develops rather than passion. Relationships become incompatible when love has lost its focus.
Jesus, in Matthew 5: 29 – 30, gives us an updated version of this Deuteronomy 13 principal.
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, and for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Lack of focus is a major handicap, like losing an eye or a hand. It makes life much more difficult. We can have a life without focus, but it will be one of stunning mediocrity. Ask yourself; what have I really achieved in the last one – three years? Write a list of your accomplishments.
Now ask yourself; with all the time I had at my disposal, what could I have achieved with more focus? The difference between the two- details your current disposition.
We need to get rid of the things that distract us. Jesus continually encouraged his disciples to focus on the kingdom of God. Everything he taught them was to focus them on the kingdom. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you, Jesus said in Matthew 6: 33. If we try anything without possessing this focus, we will be unsuccessful and ultimately frustrated.
Failure occurs because of weak and inaccurate focus. Sometimes we do too much, and it decreases our focus. Jesus himself went away to pray to maintain his own focus; he had to get past people and issues and find a quiet place with God. Often the enemy will use overload and overwork to fracture our focus. We can quickly end up being more engaged in ministry than in fellowship with God. If our ministry is outweighing our time with the Lord, we are in serious trouble. This is one of the hurdles that Martha could not overcome.
Luke 10; 38 – now it happened as they went that he entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also said it Jesus feet and hurt his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.
Under normal circumstances, Martha was right; Mary should have been helping her. But this was not a normal houseguest. Martha sat many times at Jesus’ feet, but Mary was a new disciple. This was Jesus, which meant Martha was wrong in this incident. Jesus used the opportunity to teach Martha about focus and how it makes us truly spiritual. He wants all of us, not a part of us.
Similarly, a job or career that makes us too tired to live, is killing us, and quite possibly, the relationships around us. Within the framework of loving, caring relationships we must have passionate focus. Otherwise, we abandon people by default. Sometimes passion is about extremes of how we love and bless people. It requires the constant flow of being faithful in small ways, plus the occasions where we push the boat out into the deep and go for the maximum.
Too many small things only, makes love ordinary. Only doing the big, grand gesture makes love unpredictable and inconsistent. Both together keep it special.
When we say yes to Jesus we must say no elsewhere or our focus becomes blurred. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. If our yes to one thing is not followed by a no elsewhere, we will lose focus at some point. Focus provides engagement. When a woman says yes to a man’s proposal of marriage, all other men cease to exist on a romantic level. Her heart is fixed. If she is still looking around, then either the guy is not the right one or she needs some life counseling!
If an athlete wants to compete in the Olympics, there needs to be a no to any activity that works against his fitness and preparation.
I believe in strategic life exchange and love to spend time with the people I love, thinking about who they are becoming and contemplating their next step of faith. I love to invest time, energy, love, and money in the relationships around me.
Believing the best about someone is fabulous. Helping them to become bigger in God and better at their identity is a joyful part of my life with them.
We have a destiny together, and I am jealous for them to do well and have a great life.
I am fully engaged in a life I love, and I know how to be at rest, relax, and live in a celebratory fashion. Time, not money, is the currency of my life; I work with God to redeem time.
Ephesians 5; 15 – see that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Making the most of the time available is critical if we are to become renowned in the kingdom. Great people make time; good people find time; mediocre people waste time. Some people’s use of time borders on the criminal. It is a resource more important than money. Saying no so that our yes becomes more significant, is vital to our lifestyle.
Focus determines our level of power and influence. Whatever has the capacity to keep our attention has influence over us. Focus directs our energy. When our heart is focused on God, we develop stamina as we are occupied with him.
There is one cast-iron certainty about people that will always be true. Given the choice, they will always do exactly what they want to do. Whenever people complain that they have no time for something, it is usually that they have no passion for it, or they need to say no elsewhere.
Every day is a blessing from God. Our focus determines our energy level for that day. Imagine you are at home on your couch, feeling sleepy, and watching TV. Suddenly the telephone rings, and you are told that a family member has been rushed to the hospital. Do You go back to the couch and your state of malaise? Of course not! You have been instantly focused on what is important – the health of your loved one. You grab your coat, jump in your car, and speed off to the hospital. Your focus has given you energy.
Our focus gives us the power to pursue something long term. It helps us plan and strategize. I love being led by the Holy Spirit, but I do have a plan, and goals in my life. I have a compass that points me in the direction I need to travel. Not everything is set in stone, but I know the direction I’m headed. I have focus.
A vision without a plan is just wishful thinking. In Philippians 3; 14 – 15, Paul clearly states that he has a focus for his life.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
What was that prize? A glorified body capable of living in heaven and the earth.
Paul is not a prisoner of his past; he had made it a point to be free of everything that might jeopardize his focus.
A broken focus will destroy our dreams. Stay aligned with what God is doing, we have to sometimes make tough choices. James knew how important focus was – but let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind, then he wrote in
James 1; 6-8. For let not that man supposed that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways. Double mindedness cannot be an option – we need a singular focus; otherwise, we will waver at a critical moment.
Spiritual warriors cannot receive anything from God if they are unfocused. By aligning ourselves with God, we developed the ability to receive from him. Remember his charge to Joshua in Joshua 1; 7 – 8.
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right-hander the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This book at a law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, and she may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Success will only come when a spiritual warrior is focused. Faith requires focus. Without faith it is impossible to please God. A vision gives us focus. A blurred vision handicaps us in life. A blurred focus handicaps our spirituality and makes us less effective in the kingdom.
Assignment – what are the areas where you lack focus or have become stalled in your life? What must you do to get your relationship with God back on track at a higher level? Describe your passions and what they mean to you. Are there any specific areas where you are double minded or not fully engage? Write a concise vision statement for each broken focus.
Commission – what is your focus in the relationships that God has put around you? What do you get to be for those people consistently? How can you help them receive an upgrade and be successful in the present?