Change Your Focus

“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…” Philippians 3:13

What are you focused on today? Your focus is a choice. You need to have the right focus to fulfill God’s plan for your life. In the story of Job, you see a man who has lost everything. His wife even told him just to give up, curse God, and die. But in Job 42:10, right in the middle of his trial, Job shifted his focus. It reads, “When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes.” Instead of focusing on his sorrows, needs, and future, Job focused on others, and the moment he decided to do that, God turned his situation around and blessed him. 

You can tell what you’re focusing on by what you are speaking. Proverbs 18:21 says that the tongue can bring death or life. You can tear your life to pieces by talking negatively and focusing on all the bad all the time. You create either an atmosphere that attracts God or one that repels God from your situation. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. 

Suppose you are obsessed with your own hurts, constantly wallowing in self-pity, and continually rehashing the details of all the hardships you are going through. In that case, you are focusing on yourself and ignoring the God who can change things. 

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was asked to give a speech at a graduation. Everyone was really looking forward to him speaking because he had the reputation of being a gifted orator, but when he got up, all he said was the word “others,” and then he turned around and left the stage.

You have the right focus when you think of others in the middle of your own hardships. Don’t wake up every day trying to get your needs met, but think of others and how you can help them. Proverbs 11:25 says, “Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Keep your words and focus off of yourself, and watch how God will turn your life around.

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