How do you keep your focus on God and not your problems?
We stop focusing on our problems and start focusing on God when accept the fact we have control over our lives and instead rest our minds and hearts in the full assurance that God is complete control. In other words, we must learn to trust God.
Our relationship with God is the most important relationship we will ever have in our lifetime. Family will pass away, friends will come and go, but God is with us every single day of our lives. God will never leave us or forsake us. When we walk in the truth of God everything else in our lives fall into place.
- God Is Bigger Than Your Problems
God has designed everything we see and don’t see in this world. He creates and sustains everything. Our problems are often inconveniences that are here one day and gone the next.
I like to think of my life as a jigsaw puzzle. I might be looking at one little piece that looks strange and confusing but God has the top of the box of my life, and to Him it makes perfect sense.
To help keep our problems in the right perspective we can look at a few Bible verses:
1. The pain is temporary and can bring us closer to God. Psalm 34:17 promises us that God is near the brokenhearted.
2. No matter the struggle we have in the world, we know Jesus has overcome the world. John 16;33 tells us that Jesus had done so.
3. God can and will use everything in our lives for good. Romans 8:28 promises that He will work all things together for good if we love Him and we are called according to His purposes.
4. Hardship is to be considered joy because it tests our faith. James 1:2-4 tells us this. So if it’s not joyful, we need to ask God for help in that area. “What are you trying to teach me through this? Joy must depend on the Lord who never changes and not the circumstances which are always changing. Nehemiah 8:10 can teach us about joy in the Lord.
We focus on God because He is the designer of our lives. He holds all the knowledge, wisdom, and insight not only into our most intimate details in life but also the world around us. God surpasses the size of our problems and we can get a clear understanding of that when we focus on Him.
I have found that when I keep my focus on God I am able go make better decisions for myself and my family along with those whom I come in contact with daily. By making the decision every day to put God above all else I renew my mind and it becomes easier to reject the evils of this world.
Romans 12:2 tells us,
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God,”
There a saying that goes, “Big problems, small God. Small God Big problems.” What’s important is the truth in the saying. The more we are focused on God, the bigger He is, and that’s why it’s so important to keep Him at the center of our thinking throughout every day. When we keep our focus on God, His control and goodness will be more evident on our lives.
- Lean On God, Not On Others
How do you lean on God? Go to God first with every concern you have in your life. Whether it’s a stubbed God or a huge decision to make, make God your go-to always. By doing this, you will not only be leaning on God but trusting Him with your life.
One of the hardest things I’ve learned in my walk with God has been the concept of going to Him before anyone else. It’s easy to pick my phone, send a text, or grab my husband about a problem I’m having.
It’s easy to just ask someone else about a problem you’re dealing with. So easy it becomes a temptation. But it’s harder to stop what your doing and seek a few minutes of peace in prayer.
If we truly want God’s help first, there a few things we should keep fresh in our minds in order to accomplish this type of reliance on Him.
You won’t go to God first if you aren’t already thinking of Him. This is one of the reasons why daily prayer and Bible study are so important. If He’s fresh in our minds, we are already thinking of Him. And we will naturally start talking to Him first.
About 6 months ago I had to get a different vehicle because my other one had some major problems. One November morning I was in a hurry to get to a meeting. I had started my car to let it warm up. When I got in to leave, it wouldn’t go into gear. Being an older car, I immediately panicked thinking it was the transmission. I grabbed my phone to call my husband at work. After waiting a few minutes for him to come to the office I started rattling off things I thought was wrong. He told me to shut off the car and he would look at it when he got home that night. I was embarrassed to call to cancel my meeting on such short notice. After I hung up, I thought “I should pray.” After praying I just sat there waiting, I immediately felt the urge to shut the car off, open the door and try again. When I did that I could put my car into gear and drive off.
We need go have a habit of praying and going to God first. We already have habits when we wake up, when we eat when we shower, we should have a habit set up when you pray. Make time with God a habit.
Don’t let failure stop you from trying again. Just because we mess up it doesn’t give us permission to give up.
Follow God Instead Of The World
How do you follow God instead of the world? By learning to love God with all your heart. This comes from dedicated times of study and prayer, learning more about God through His Word, and understanding who His is on deeper levels.
“Draw near to God and He will draw closer to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, you double-minded”- James 4:8
God desires our hearts. When we read the scriptures and learn more about God. We will see the truth shine through all of the Bible. From the Old Testament, and His desires of Isreal’s heart and into the New Testament with Jesus’s ministry we see that He wants a relationship with us -All of His creation.
Stay Focused On God In Relationships
How do we stay focused on God in every relationship we have? By keeping at the top of each relationship. He must be the One true love of your heart, let Him rest in His rightful position at the top. No relationship will be successful with God in it. We can become better-equipped spouses, parents, friends, and family members when we keep God first. Every long-term relationship depends on truth, love, respect, and communication.
We can do this by becoming so dependent on God that it’s like oxygen to us.
Stay Close To God At All Times
There’s an old story about a teacher who was asked by a student “How do I find success in life?
He told the student, “Meet me a 5 o’clicj tomorrow morning at the ocean.”
The student went home slept, and got up early to next his teacher.
He found him on the beach, in the water. He motioned the student to cone into the water.
As the student went into the water, the teacher went further into the water, still motioning the student to come closer.
Finally, the teacher stopped and the student came, the water about to his chin.
The teacher asked “ do you still want to know how to find success?“
The student nodded, trying to keep his head above the water.
The teacher said, “good.” Then he placed his hands on top of the student’s head and pushed him under. He held his head underwater.
After a few moments, the student needed air and so he fought to come up, but the teacher kept his head underwater.
Finally, just moments from blacking out, the student mustered enough strength to fight his way to the surface to breathe.
The teacher said, “you have to want success as bad as you want air.
The point of the story is, that if you stay close to God at all times, you have to be desperate for Him that way the student in the story. You will have to fight every day to stay close to God.
Proverbs 3 tells us the way to reach success:
“Trust in the Lord will all your heart, And lean not on your own under; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct your paths” -Proverbs 3:5-6
Let the Bible become more than just words on pages, and instead let them become part of who you are as a person.
- Focus On God First, Others Second
How do you focus on God first? By having everything in your life by an outpouring of your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It’s through a relationship with Jesus through faith, that will enable you to focus on God every single day.
This doesn’t mean people are not important, it just means that they come second to God. Jesus showed us this by example through His ministry. While He was here on earth, He went away to pray. He kept God first and foremost throughout His time here.
I used to think there was no way I was going to be able to do this. But with time people learned to respect my walk with God. They learned that God comes first before anyone else.
“And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray” – Mark 6:46
“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” -Luke 6:12
Above are a couple of examples of when Jesus went off to pray. Focusing on God first means communicating with Him. We can do this through prayer and Bible study. Through daily habits of connecting with God, we will be able to focus on God fully and to do His will in our lives.
Putting God first means having no one and nothing more important in our lives. This follows the Biblical command that is laid out in the Ten Commandments, “Have no other God’s before me.” (Exodus 20:3).
Today, we don’t have the traditional gods we see in ancient times of the Bible (no sun god, no fertility god, or storm gods, no god of Baal). Instead we have modern day-gods such as self, sports, celebrities, social media, or cell phones, materialism.
When we don’t put God first, we will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-9). It’s important to notice, you do not reap in the same season you sow. So, a person might not see an impact in their life as they go day by day, but throughout their life, they will see (or reap) the lasting consequences of their actions. This can come in the form of lasting hardships, unwise decision making or other unforeseen consequences. Ultimately, when a person decides not to put God first, there are lasting consequences in their life.
You might be sowing seeds right now you might not want to reap later in life. Galatians 6 tells us,
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall real if we do not like heart” – Galatians 6:7-9
“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will alsi reap bountifully” – 2 Corinthians 9:6
The Bible makes it clear that there are lasting consequences for a man or woman who decides not to put God first. This is true in relationships are well as life in general.
- Making God A Priority Every Day
We make God a priority by actively seeming Him through prayer and Bible reading, as well as seeking Him through our actions, thoughts, and speech.
We live busy lives and it’s easy to lose track of priorities. If you are a person who struggles to make God a priority you are not alone.
Many people love the idea of reading the Bible and praying more, but can’t seem to shake the struggle to actually accomplish it in their life.
Set aside time for reading the Bible every day even if it’s only 5 minutes to start.
Thank God in prayer when you first wake up, in the car, and when you lay down at night.
Say prayers with your family over meals.
Ask yourself often if what you’re about to do honors God. Do this often.
God’s priority is saving souls for His kingdom.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy” – Matthew 28:19
When we are focused on God we are not concerned about our problems, instead, we are focused on His top priority, which is making disciples for Him.
When we stop focusing on our problems and focus on God and His desires, our minds and hearts become aligned with His. We start thinking with God sized thinking.
What happens when we prioritize God?
When we prioritize God in our lives, something amazing happens. We begin to trust Him more which leads to less stress knowing we have a loving God who is taking care of us. We begin to love other people because of the surpassing love we have received from the Father God. Our lives are transformed and lived out in a way that brings Glory to God.
We must trust God is truly who He says He is, and walk by faith.
From Pity to Praise 