LET’S KEEP FOCUSED…those of us who want everything God has for us” (Philippians 3:15 MSG) “Acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6).
You are too close to lose FOCUS! Know that you’ll always lose when you: Fight the wrong battle; Fight at the wrong time; Fight when you shouldn’t be involved; Fight because you need to win to feel good about yourself; Fight, though the battle has been lost, but your pride won’t let you swallow it! Bear this in mind, Focus does 3 things for you and when it comes to staying focused, keep in mind these 3 additional notes: There are five types of people you'll encounter:
It's human nature to get distracted! So many of us are like gyroscopes, spinning around at a frantic pace but not getting anywhere! Without a clear purpose, you keep changing directions, jobs, relationships, churches, etc., hoping each change will settle the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart. You think, "This time will be different," but it's not because it doesn't solve your real problem—LACK OF FOCUS!
Focus doesn't come easily or naturally; it's a discipline that must be practiced daily!
Paul told Timothy to Focus on his strengths: "That special gift…you were given…keep that dusted off and in use." (1 Timothy 4:14 MSG). Focused people don't hide their weaknesses or excuse them; instead, they focus on their strengths!
Bear this in mind; Focus does three things for you:
(1) IT KEEPS YOU ON TARGET: We find ourselves pulled in a dozen different directions, spending much of our time and energy on things we don't care about. Author Don Marquis put it this way: "Ours is a world where people don't know what they want and are willing to go through hell to get it." The Bible says: "Let your eyes look straight ahead…Do not swerve to the right or the left." (Proverbs 4:25-27 NIV) Focused People Develop a Discipline that helps them to Stay On Target Without Swerving to the Right or the Left! Distractions Invite Detours From Your God-Given Destination! So, Stay Focused!
(2) IT INCREASES YOUR ENERGY: Attempting everything, like attempting nothing, will suck life right out of you! Focus gives you energy. The mind doesn't reach achievement until it has clear objectives. Focused People have Learned to Focus All of Their Efforts Into One Thing or One Direction, which in Return Replenishes the Energy and Strength that was Zapped from Multiple Activities that didn't Produce an Ounce of Productivity! All you desire will COME TOGETHER once you stop letting everyone and everything PULL YOU APART!
(3) IT LIFTS YOU: By trusting God and aiming higher, you move to a higher level—Regardless. Staying Focused Isn't All About Elevating to Another Level, Another Position, Another Title. Staying Focused Gives You The Best and Highest Level of Elevation There Is…Which is Simply Becoming a Better You Today Than You Were Yesterday, and a Better You Tomorrow Than You Were Today! Now That's What You Call a Worthy Elevation!
"Acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:6).
When it comes to staying focused, keep in mind these three additional notes:
(1) FOCUSED PEOPLE ALWAYS LOOK FOR A BETTER WAY: Focused People Don't Get In a Rut, Nor Do They Get Stuck and Stagnant! They Continuously Reinvent Themselves and How They Do Things. They Grow and Change Constantly! They Don't Regress; they Progress! They're Forever Moving Forward, Looking to Do Better In 2025 Than They Did in 2024! If Everything You Do Is Still Done the Same Way and The People You Are Around Are Still the Same People, You, My Friend, Are In Serious Danger of Never Becoming Better!
(2) FOCUSED PEOPLE CONCENTRATE A LITTLE HARDER AND A LITTLE LONGER: Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aaron said, "What separates a superstar from the average ball player is that he concentrates just a little bit longer." Focused thinking can remove distractions and mental clutter to concentrate with clarity. Examine Your Thoughts, Examine Your Emotions, Examine Your Speech, Examine Your Attitude, Examine Your Heart, Examine Your Habits and Certainly Examine Your Associations and Immediately Remove Anything or Anyone That Clutters Your Clarity or Breaks Your Concentration! Keep In Mind: Folly and Focus Can't Dwell In the Same Place!
(3) FOCUSED PEOPLE MAKE COMMITMENTS, NOT EXCUSES: Therefore, you must never forget: "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (NIV). And when He does—STAY FOCUSED!
Vision Requires Focus. You become mediocre at everything and excellent at nothing when you're spread too thin! Failure always results from saying yes to too many things. Because something is good doesn't mean it's right for you. When your plate's full doing what God has given you to do, learn to say no to everything else! "No" doesn't mean never; it just means "not now." If you try to fight on every front, you'll wear yourself out and fail to win where it counts most.
Know that you'll permanently lose when you: Fight the wrong battle; Fight at the wrong time; Fight when you shouldn't be involved; Fight because you need to win to feel good about yourself; Fight, though the battle has been lost, your pride won't let you swallow it! Instead, learn to Stay Focused on your goals. Keep your eyes on the prize that God has set before you. And be warned: If the enemy can't defeat you, he'll distract you with side issues or disqualify you by getting you to make bad decisions. Either way, he wins, and you lose!
"No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I FOCUS on this ONE THING: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead." Notice 3 more things about Focused people:
(1) FOCUSED PEOPLE DON'T LIVE IN THE PAST: Too many of us yearn for the past and get stuck in it! Instead, we should learn from the past and let go of it.
(2) FOCUSED PEOPLE DON'T THINK ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES, BUT THE REWARDS: If you dwell on the difficulties too long, you'll start to develop self-pity instead of self-discipline. Make Christ your example. "He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross BECAUSE OF THE JOY HE KNEW WOULD BE HIS AFTERWARDS." (Hebrews 12:2 TLB).
(3) FOCUSED PEOPLE CHOOSE THEIR FRIENDS CAREFULLY: Here are five types of people you'll encounter: 1) REFRESHERS—who strengthen your faith and energize you; 2) REFINERS—who sharpen you and clarify your vision; 3) REFLECTORS—who mirror your energy, neither adding to nor subtracting from it; 4) REDUCERS—who try to diminish your goals and efforts to their comfort level; and 5) REJECTERS—who don't understand you or what God's called you to do. You will have to encounter all five of these people at some point in time! So, remain focused, and you'll stay grounded; the praise of others is less likely to go to your head, and the negative impact of your critics will be minimized!
"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." (Genesis 12:1 NLT)
I wonder why God would take people like Moses or Abraham away from their familiar environments after He called them—uprooting them from Family and friends to use them for more significant works. But the more I look at where I was, where I'm at, and where I'm going, the more I understand why God does such a thing as this. The harsh reality is there are many limits put on us By Our Very Own Loved Ones! Especially those that have watched us come up and fall many times before. Often, their perception of us distorts our vision and causes us to doubt ourselves, God, and even the planned purpose He has for us. But what we must remember is, whenever someone says you can't do it or be it, they are a liar! Because the Bible Clearly Declares, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." {Philippians 4:13} Understand that too often, people will speak into your life according to what THEY were able or NOT able to accomplish on their own. They will judge you based on what they could or, Moreso, what they couldn't do themselves. But Listen: A vision is only seen by the bearer of it, and because you were selected to bear it, it is, therefore, invisible to others. They only get to see the back of it after the glory of it has passed by (Exodus 33:12-21) That's why folks get mad with you because they want to see the personal face-to-face of your vision but must settle for the hind parts instead! So, prepare yourself because when God chooses you to carry out a dream, not everyone's going to understand what you're doing or why. So, they'll label you based on the outside because they don't have access inside! Don't let them shift your Focus because they can only see the container and not the contents!
"Isn't this the carpenter?" {Mark 6:3} Please be careful around those who love to say, "I knew you when…" to label or limit you. When David volunteered to fight Goliath, his faith was an embarrassment to his big brother Eliab, King Saul's army officer. Think of Eliab's position, "If my little brother wins, everybody will ask, 'How come you couldn't do it—big brother?'" Beware: your decision to step out and follow God will pressure others around you! And the first place you'll feel it will be amongst those closest to you, especially if your calling sets you apart and takes you higher than them! The Bible records that Eliab "burned with anger at [David] and asked, 'Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is" (1 Samuel 17:28). Take Note: Before David could overcome Goliath, he had to overcome the thoughts and opinions of those around him, especially his Family. And you will too! Look at the life of Jesus. When He went back to His hometown they said, "What's this wisdom…given him, he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son…they took offence at him. Jesus said to them, 'Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.' He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them…he was amazed at their lack of faith." (Mark 6:2-6)
Bottom line: Don't allow those "who knew you THEN", to hinder where you're going NOW! Neither friend, Family nor foe! STAY FOCUSED!
If you're needing to know God's direction right now, don't focus so much on figuring out The Plan. Focus on staying close to the man, to Jesus, whose plan it is. Living in God's Will isn't supposed to be this stressful spiritual mystery game. Relax and do the things that get you really close to the person Who is the Pilot of your earth-journey. Or in the words of the Bible, "Stay close to the King … wherever He goes! "Unfortunately, in this day and time of the church, too much attention is being Focused on Fleshly Leadership! But God's Word still declares: "You can't depend on anyone, not even a great leader. Once they die and are buried, that will be the end of all their plans. The LORD God of Jacob blesses everyone who trusts Him. God made heaven and earth; He created the sea and everything else. God always keeps His Word." {Psalm 146:3-6 CEV}. Stop focusing on the arm of flesh, for it will fail you every time. Instead, Stay Focused on Your Captain, Your Leader, Your King, Whose Word Never Fails! Knowing With Assurance that Once He Gives You Direction, You Are Guaranteed to Make it to Your Intended Destination!
It is indeed my prayer that you will now set your heart, mind, and spirit to the things of God and the Will of God for your life, and that you will allow nothing and no one to distract you or deter you from destiny, Not Even You! People of God, Stay Focused and Finish Strong! Because You're Too Close to Manifestation to Lose Sight of the Vision Now!
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