Every single day we go through the motions of life. We are so busy doing what we have to do, it becomes a series of monotonous tasks one after another. Because this is something that we all face, I know that it's easy to get into the day-to-day routines and lose focus.
I'm not talking about work focus, or home focus, or even family focus... I'm talking about the focus that each one of us should have on the top of our list every day - the focus on Jesus.
Jesus is the reason why we have the things we have, the talents we possess, and the family we share our home with. He is the reason we have breath in our lungs and a heart that beats in our chest.
So why is it so easy to turn our attention to everything else and lose our focus on Him?
If He is the reason we have life, how does He start to take a backseat to everything else in our lives?
The answer is simple... we don't give Jesus the priority in our lives that He deserves. Everything else takes precedence over Him. It's a sad reality, but true nonetheless.
This doesn't have to be the case in your life. Jesus can and will be your priority, all you have to do is make sure that you put your focus back on Him.
In Matthew chapter 14:22-33, we find a story known to many where Jesus walks on water. It is a beautiful story of faith:
22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33 Then, those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Overall, these verses of scripture point to the importance of having faith. But I want to point out verses 29 and 30 specifically as they relate to this post. When Peter was focused on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water to go to Jesus. How awesome it is that Peter trusted Jesus so much that he had the faith to step out of the boat and onto the water!
But look what happened when Peter focused on the wind instead of Jesus. Scripture tells us that when Peter "saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid.... and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, Lord, save me!"
The same thing happens to us. When we take our focus off Jesus, we too, begin to sink. This is why we have to keep our eyes on Jesus in every step of our lives. There are easy ways to keep your focus on Jesus.
Seven Ways to Keep Your Focus on Jesus
Over the last several years I have grown closer and closer to my Lord and Savior. Jesus has become my priority and my life has never been more peaceful. I am no one special, just a child of God who decided that I had to make Jesus the focus of my life every single day.
The things that I have done to build my relationship with Him are simple little things that you can implement in your life in a matter of minutes.
1. Set aside alone time with Him each day.
Every morning when I wake up, while I am still in bed, I thank the Lord for giving me another day. My first thought is on Him, not what I have to do that day. Once I am up and moving, I make a cup of tea and then head to my home office, close the door, and pray. This is my time alone with Jesus and it is special.
I do keep a prayer journal and write down all of my prayers. This way I don't forget to include someone or a specific situation that needs prayer and it's where I keep track of answered prayers as well. I recommend keeping a prayer journal. It is awesome to go back and see how the Lord answers prayer.
Once I finish my prayer time, I spend at least 30 minutes in God's Word reading and studying. If you don't have the time to do this, there are several books that have 5-minute devotionals that include scriptures for your day.
I am blessed to be able to work from home, so I have this time to devote to Jesus. When I worked outside of my home, I always set my alarm 45 minutes early so that I had plenty of time to pray and study God's Word. I suggest that you do the same if you have time constraints.
On a side note, I have noticed over the years that devoting this time every morning to focus on Jesus and on prayer makes my days infinitely better.
2. Worship Music
Turn off the secular music and turn on the worship music. Worship music draws me closer to Jesus. My focus turns to Jesus when I sing along with the words of the music and the songs of praise.
In the morning, my husband puts worship music on through our family room television (he works from home as well) and it plays throughout the house. It is so much better than the tv itself and it puts the praise and worship of Jesus in our hearts as we start our day.
3. Post It Notes
This sounds basic, but I have post-its in places where I spend a lot of my time and they are there to bring my focus back to Jesus. Put them in your office, your car, on your refrigerator... anywhere.
For example, as I sit at my computer and type, I can see the following scriptures:
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” - Numbers 6:24-26
"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith." - 1 John 5:4 ("Overcome" is my word of the year for 2021)
"The Word of the Lord will last forever" - 1 Peter 1:25
"Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established." - Proverbs 16:3
I also have quotes and snippets posted that I like to see when I am working. A few of them are:
"The awareness of God in all things will change the way you look at life"
"Do not put off until later what GOD has called you to do today"
"What COULD my life be if I obey GOD and listen to HIM?"
4. Add Scriptures to Your Phone
There are several bible apps that will send you daily scriptures. These apps allow you to set the notification time for "verses of the day." I recommend that you download at least one of the apps and add them to your home screen.
I use several different Bible apps and am not partial to any one in particular, but some that I use are: You Version, Abide, Bible Verses, If, and there is also a Bible Widget app. All of them have different scriptures each day and they pop up as notifications. It is nice to have various scriptures pop up on your phone to bring your focus back to Jesus.
5. Talk to Jesus
When you find yourself wanting or needing someone to talk with, rather than picking up your phone to make a call, talk to Jesus. He is always there and will always listen and He will never send you to voicemail. Jesus is never too busy to listen or to guide you throughout your day.
I talk to Jesus all throughout the day. Even if it's just to say thank you or to give Him praise for something.
6. Add Scripture Signs or a Chalkboard to Your Home
I have scripture signs all over my home. You can find them in my office, kitchen, hallway, family room, bedroom, dining room and bathroom. So no matter where I walk in my home I am reminded of God's Word and it gives me the opportunity to focus my attention on Him.
I also have a chalkboard hanging on my kitchen wall where I write a new scripture or quote each week. Right now it says: "There is power in the Name of Jesus." Each week I change the saying - sometimes for myself based on what I am feeling or sometimes for my husband or boys to encourage them.
7. Look Around You
No matter where you are, look around you. You can focus on Jesus everywhere. For me right now I see Jesus in the beautiful spring flowers that are blooming. Maybe its a beautiful blue sky, a crisp afternoon, or a star-filled night sky.
Look around, Jesus is everywhere.
In the middle of your hectic day, don't forget the story of Peter walking on water. Remember when he stopped focusing on Jesus, Peter began to sink. When you feel overwhelmed, as if you too are sinking, ask yourself where your focus has been.
Has your focus been on your everyday life or other things going on around you? In those times and when you feel overwhelmed, turn your focus back to Jesus, cry out to Him as Peter did, and He will come to your rescue.
Make it a point each day to focus on Jesus... make Him your priority each morning. Stop in the midst of your busy day and just talk to Him. Make a conscious effort to surround yourself with things that will bring your focus back to Him when it goes off course. Jesus is always there to pull you out of the water.
Blessings,
Amy