Adjust Your Focus

When life gets blurry

Adjust your focus

Yes, something else I found on Pinterest.  I saw it and it just stuck out at me.  Maybe you can't see real far ahead.  You may not know what the outcome of something will be.  Perhaps you're afraid to take a leap of faith because you did once before, it turned out bad, and you don't want the same result to happen this time.

We seem to have this tendency to look way ahead into the future and try to predict how this little act, or deed, or whatever it is - how this thing will affect that other little thing that we'll come across years down the road.  Sometimes this is a good thing.  Sometimes not.

We don't always have to think real hard about something.  We don't always have to labor over every little thing.  If we do this all the time, we're going to stress out (and believe me, that's not fun).  You won't always know how something will turn out.  You won't always even have an idea of how something will turn out.  So when things turn that blurry, adjust your focus.  Concentrate on the here and now.  Leave the there and then to God.  He will take care of everything in the way that He chooses.  And ultimately, as God is sovereign, whatever we choose to do now will bring about what God wills in the future.

So if Christ is pointing you towards something right here and now, then take that leap of faith.  Don't be afraid, for it is God that goes with you.  Trust Him to take your hand and lead you down the road He has made for you.  Trust Him, even when you can't see past the curve in the road up ahead.  Adjust your focus: don't worry about where the road leads, but keep your eyes on Christ.  Look to Him for all your needs.  You can try to tackle those needs yourself, but you won't get very far.

Adjust your focus so that Christ is front and center, first and foremost.  Everything else will line up behind Him.

As a good friend of mine likes to say, "I'll blow that bridge when I come to it."  I pointed out to him once that he had better cross the bridge before he blows it.  Anyway, he's got a good point.  Most of the bridges we cross, or the little steps we take, we don't need to re-cross back to the other side again.  We've gained all that ground and we certainly don't want to lose it.  My point, I guess is what I've already said, but I liked this analogy.  Keep your focus on Christ.  Follow Him through and in everything.  And once He leads you across a bridge, don't go back to the other side.  Blow that bridge to be sure you won't.  But you definitely want to make sure you've crossed it first. ;)

Prayer

What is prayer?  Why do we hear that it's such a good thing to have?  When we tell a fellow brother or sister in Christ our troubles, why do they always tell us to pray about it?  What about prayer is so important?  And then, why is it that so often we don't feel the want or even the need to pray?

Let me answer these questions one at a time.  Prayer is a sword.  Prayer is a shield.  Prayer is a comfort.  Prayer is an escape.  Prayer is all these things.  But above all these, prayer is the entrance through which we find the throne of grace.

The more one prays in sincerity to the Father, the stronger that individual grows in their faith in the Lord Jesus.  The stronger in faith this person becomes, the more able he is to encourage his brother in Christ to keep running the race.  And the more this person lifts up his head to Christ, the more the Lord will bless him with a knowledge of Himself.

When trials come our way (as is sure to happen), and when you tell your best friend what you are going through, that friend would be remiss if they didn't tell you that the best place to take those troubles is to the Lord of grace.  (I'm not saying that you shouldn't tell your best friend when you're going through struggles.  Only simply saying that Christ should be approached with such trials, as well.)  In most cases, your friend will only be able to sympathize with you.  The Lord Jesus is the only one who can truly help you completely through the trials of life.

The importance of prayer is not to be taken lightly.  Prayer is your direct access to the Father of heaven.  Prayer can move the heart of God.  When you're stressed or overwhelmed, it is a comfort to be able to approach the Father about these things, knowing that He won't turn you away.  When the Christian forsakes prayer at any time, they can not be truly happy, for that communion with the Father is what makes them thrive.

All too often, we do leave off of praying.  We do this because we either don't want to or don't feel the need to.  If we don't want to, we've let something else catch hold of our attention, and shamefully, we put it before our God, thus making it an idol.  If we don't feel the need, it's because the devil has come in to the picture and has told us that we are happy where we are right now, so what possible need could there be for prayer?  Let me tell you something.  There is always need for prayer.  In dark days and in days filled with sunshine, there is no true happiness or joy if Christ the Lord is not a part of it.

Another reason we may not want to pray is because we have been praying. Earnestly praying.  And no matter how many times we seek the Father's face, we feel not the slightest bit of His presence.  We don't hear any answers.  And so we give up.  Please don't give up!  I can't stress this enough.  I've been in that situation and believe me when I say that it is much worse than crying out to God night after night with no answer.  Thy prayer will be answered; if not now, then later.  Be patient and wait, as difficult as that may be.  It's likely the Lord wants to teach you a specific lesson while you wait.  But be certain, He will answer thy pleas.  Psalm 102:17 says, "He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer."  So take comfort in this and wait patiently on the Lord.

The following is something else I found on Pinterest.  It actually gave me the idea for this post.  The Christian must pray.  It's not a rule, it's a desire, even if that desire wanes sometimes.  It is always rekindled by the need to be near Christ the Savior.

"I pray because I can't help myself.

I pray because I'm helpless.

I pray because the need flows out of me all the time -

waking and sleeping.

It does not change God -

it changes me."

~C. S. Lewis~

The blessing is there.  Christ offers it freely.  It's ours for the taking.  If we will but pray to our heavenly Father, we can claim it as our own.  And we will rest content, knowing that God is in control of any and every circumstance.  So, have faith.  Have faith to believe in Jesus Christ and don't leave off thy prayers.