F.O.C.U.S. (C)

Forget your past (Romans 8:1)

Operate in the Spirit (Romans 8:2,5)

Concentrate on the things of God (Colossians 1-3)

Understand the Sovereignty of God (Romans 9:18)

Stand in position (Romans 8:17)

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

Concentrate. The third letter of the F.O.C.U.S. acronym is "C" which represents the word "Concentrate". In this Christian walk, we need to learn how to put the blinders on to everything that is contrary to the vision that God has given us for our lives. It is the enemy's job to throw distractions and road blocks up along the way. He wants us to loose sight of the things that matter the most and be concerned with the cares of this world. If we leave it up to him, he would have us to believe that we are "missing out" on life and enjoyment by living holy before God but the devil is a liar and the truth is not in him.

Every since the beginning of time, he has tried to cause the people of God to believe that God's way is not the best way. He hasn't gotten any new tricks. He's still doing using the same old tricks he used back in the Garden of Eden. He deceived Eve into believing that she was missing something by not eating the forbidden fruit. God had supplied more than she or Adam could ever eat. She didn't need to eat the forbidden fruit. Had Eve thought to concentrate on what God had told her and blocked everything else out, she wouldn't have been susceptible to falling into the snares the enemy had planned for her.

Unfortunately, we still fall for the same tricks today if we aren't careful. The enemy knows that we won't fall for the "big" deceptions so he throws "lesser evils" our way. He tries to have us tell little white lies when we know that God told us not to bear false witness or he makes it seem as if it's okay to do something as simple as leaving work a little early if no one sees us even though God said "Thou shalt not steal". If we truly meditate on the law of the Lord day and night, we would be more conscious of our actions and less apt to fall for these deceptions.We have to learn to concentrate on the things of God.

This world, heaven and earth are going to pass away. We cannot build our treasures on this earth where thieves can steal our goods and moths can corrupt them. We have to keep in mind that we are to live this life so that we can live again. I'm not saying that we have to be eating, sleeping, breathing and thinking scripture to the point where we move from the spiritual realm to the religious realm. God forbid! What I am saying is that we must recognize that the enemy desires to sift us as wheat. He desires to have our thoughts preoccupied with everything but what God said. He wants to destroy our marriages, kill our dreams, attack our bodies and trouble our finances all so that we can focus on the problems and not the Ultimate Problem Solver.

My prayer for you today is that you walk worthy in the vocation to which you have been called. I pray that you will set your affections on eternal heavenly things and not be moved by the cares of this world. I pray that you will be like a tree planted of the rivers of water that you shall not be moved. That you shall serve and trust the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul in Jesus' name.

Now as you leave this blog, I pray that you will honestly examine yourself in the presence of the Lord. What are you concentrating on today? Remember, this battle is not yours. It belongs to the Lord. Jesus said to cast your cares on Him for He cares for you. There is nothing too hard for Him. There is no pain that He cannot feel. Won't you trust Him today with every area of your life? He already knows all about it. He's just waiting for you to invite Him in. Concentrate on Him.