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BIBLE STUDY: WHAT IS YOUR FOCUS? In life there are times and seasons and stages that we go through. Our early childhood years are very formative based upon our surroundings, our family and home environment, as well as the standards and morals that are modeled before us. Our childhood and teens years are very exploratory as we struggle to find the balance in our own independence, increasing peer relationships, and yet resting in the security and comfort of what we know. But then we come to the young adult years which are the baby steps of independence and unfortunately, it is also a time in which too many young people stumble and fall in their faith. It’s a time where too many allow their Focus to shift from the Lord to other things and without the anchor of their families’ presence, or the stability of the church and Christian friends they’ve often had, it’s easy to lose sight of the most valuable things in life. Maybe some of you are at this very point in your own life and are wrestling to keep your focus on Christ. Or possibly, you’ve never really owned your walk with the Lord and you’ve rode on the coat-tails of a Christian family. Further yet, maybe you weren’t even raised in a Christian environment and have never heard, understood, or accepted the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Whatever the case may be, I want you to know that God does have a plan for your future and he is focused on your fulifillment of that plan. The question is; ”Are you ready to Focus on Him?” |
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Heb 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. That verse gives us a clear challenge to “Fix” or focus our thoughts on Jesus and there are a few things that every Christian must make a part of their daily life if we want to focus and fulfill God’s plan and purpose for our life. 1 - WE MUST LEARN TO PRAY. It sounds so old cliche’ doesn’t it? And yet it is truly foundational and fundamental to the Christian walk. Jesus was a man of prayer and he was the son of God, so why would we think we could live for God successfully and not have our own personal prayer life? When we pray, we not only tell him our needs but we begin by expressing our thanksgiving to him for who he is. Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. A simple prayer can be remembered by the word ACT: A = Adoration...Even as in the Lord’s prayer it begins “Our father which are in heaven, hallowed by thy name.” It is an act of adoration and recognition of who God is. He is the creator of the universe and savior of our souls. He alone is able to meet every need in our lives according to his glorious riches and He is worthy of adoration and praise. C = Confess...We then need to take a time of personal soul searching. Honestly search your heart and life for sin. Then allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the things that may not be as clear, so you can confess them in repentance before the Lord. That way you can continue to approach his throne in extended prayer with a clean conscience. And again we see that modeled in the Lord’s prayer as he said “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” T = Tell...Then begin to tell Him your needs. God is omnicient and he already knows everything about your life so nothing will surprise Him. However, it’s an act of your faith to tell Him your needs and trust Him for the answers. We must learn to be people of prayer because it’s our communication link to Heaven and God’s wants to have a relationship with us. Prayer is our way of talking to God and hearing his response. 2 - WE MUST LEARN TO PURSUE. In order to pursue something you must be willing to aggressively go after it and I believe the Lord’s desire is to see people who are willing to aggressively run after Him. Too many young adults have fallen in the faith because they haven’t ran after God and stood their ground in Him. As we noted, it begins with prayer, for even the very act of asking forgiveness and receiving salvation begins with a prayer of repentance for sin, and confession of our belief in Christ as our only means of salvation. However, beyond that we must:
Pursue Positive Peer Relationships = You are at a place in life when you are developing many new relationships, but you must remember that even at your age the principal is still true, “You become what you surround yourself with.” It doesn’t mean hanging out at McDonalds makes you a Big Mac, but in the same respect you can’t consistently surround yourself with ungodly peers and expect it not to have a negative effect on your life. After a while their standards, convictions, and morals will begin to rub off and shape who you are becoming. It’s important we have non-believing friends in order to reach them for the Lord, but your close relationships and those you entrust your life with need to be God fearing Christians because “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Pr 27:17 Pursue Godly Truth = Satan is all about deception and he will candy coat things and package them so beautifully to entice you. But you must Pursue Godly Truth in order to stand strong. Godly Truth will enable you to discern right from wrong and it will guide you down the narrow path God has prepared for you. Remember that the easy way is usually the broad way but the Bible says it will lead to destruction in the end. Our key verse in Hebrews 3:1 said to “fix your thoughts on Jesus” and this is vital because in Jn 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Are you going to fall prey to the lies of the enemy or are you going to pursue the truth of Jesus and let it be your guiding light in life? At this time in your life it’s easy to get focused on pursuing a boyfriend or girlfriend. It’s easy to get focused on your education, college and future career. And while there is nothing wrong with seeking a spouse, bettering your education or preparing for a career, be sure that none of these things consume your heart and mind because an idol is anything that we value more than God and He must remain our main point of pursuit at all times. 1Ti 6:11-12 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. What is the Focus of your life right now? You may feel like things are going great and you have everything under control, but if you aren’t focused on Christ then the truth is you are out of focus. The Bible says in Pr 12:15 The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. Please listen to Godly advice today and Focus your life on Jesus. You will never regret it! Sincerely, Pastor Dan Lund |
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