Where is your focus?

Earlier this week I woke up feeling extremely tired. As I sat on the edge of my bed trying to wake myself up more, I said to the Lord God I am so tired. And He said that is because your are not focusing on me. You are trying so hard to figure so many things out and it is making you tired. On the same morning I woke up singing Dunsin Oyekan’s To Know You. Whatever we focus on will grow. So if we focus on the things that are happening they will increase and if we focus on God He will increase. Hence today’s snippet about focusing on God FIRST. Not just focus on Him but focus on Him first.

Sometimes things happen and we become so focused on what is the source of this thing that is happening. Who is the enemy? What is my enemy up to now? Why am I facing this situation? What should my reaction be? Should I be doing this thing or that thing? And it is not that we shouldn’t analyze what is happening to us and around us. It is not that we shouldn’t evaluate. However, when we overdo the evaluation and analysis, the enemy still wins in that we have become distracted. We are no longer focusing on God and we cannot hear Him in the situation.

As my husband would say, stop focusing on what your enemy is doing and who is the enemy behind the spiritual warfare. Ultimately we have one enemy and that is satan. He just uses people because he is not omnipresent, omniscient nor omnipotent. Even God uses people although He is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent. But it is really not the people who are our enemies, it is satan. Nevertheless, if he can get us to focus on the people, then we lose because, we miss the point of the warfare and the battle. As apostle Rudeco Roberts would say, he can tell you how long you will be in this warfare based on where your focus is. And so the “trick” is to not allow the enemy to get you to focus on the things that are happening. Rather, recognize the spirit that is in operation. And even though we look at the spirit that is in operation, if we focus on the one true Spirit, if we focus on God, everything else will fall in place. The Bible says seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. The Bible also says whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are just and of a good report et cetera, think on these things. If you are not sure where to start, start with the Scriptures. Think on the Scriptures! They point to Christ in Whom we have eternal life. In the scriptures we find out Who God is and that is where our focus has to be.

I think one of the greatest things that the enemy is doing in this season is getting us distracted. Even our prayer life has been invaded because what? Our prayer life is spent tearing down the strongholds. Our prayer life is spent sending fire, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We have to do that. The Bible says that the Kingdom suffereth violence and the violent takes it by force. Therefore, we cannot “play nice” with the kingdom of darkness because its members don’t play nice when they come up against God’s people. However, where is the praise element of our prayer? Where is the part of our prayer that focuses on God and sending up a sweet smelling savor unto Him? When was the last time our prayer time was just more quiet reflection on the goodness of God? Yes we have to fight! There is a time for war but there is also a time for peace. When was the last time that our prayer was Father, I am going to just sit here so I can hear You? So I can feel You? So that I can experience something new in You because yes I know You! But in this life, I can only see in part and know in part until the next life comes. In that life I can know as I am known and see as I am seen. But until then God, increase my capacity to know You. Increase my capacity to experience You. Increase my capacity to just sit before You quietly, drown out all the noise, forgetting about the chores, the groceries, the spouse duties, the parent duties, the work duties…increase my capacity to forget about everything on earth and for a moment experience Heaven! May we experience God more in this season by intentionally focusing on Him. Maybe even sometimes without the instrumental music but instead the background noise of nature, of Heaven, whatever the Lord decides to play in that moment. Dunsin says when I know You, I’ll find me. So focusing on God goes beyond just knowing Him. We will also find ourselves in that focus.

And so when I woke up Wednesday morning feeling so tired that song rung out in my spirit. As I said God thank You for another day but I feel soooo tired, God said focus on me, not on your to do list. Not on all that is happening and what the enemy is trying to do ( I had had a series of dreams the night before leading into the morning). I felt like God was saying none of what is happening is a surprise to me. I have charted your path and nothing can stop that!

What we don’t realize as children of God is that our default is success! And sometimes we are so worried that we are not doing this right, we are not living right, we are not pleasing God the way we ought to, we are not that…and oh Martha, we are so cumbered with many things. And God is saying be like Mary and come and sit at My feet. Be like Mary, forget about everything, drop everything, forget the bills that need to be paid and so on. Yes they will still be there when you are done but the difference is that you will be equipped having spent time with the Father. You will be equipped to face whatever comes. And so if the enemy comes in our dreams et cetera, because sometimes he can. And yes, sometimes the revelations in our dreams are from God…and again there is nothing wrong with that and getting that information in that way…even if the enemy comes there, we don’t have to worry or get all worked up about it. We have to do as Jesus did and wake up early, whatever your early is. Sometimes it has to be stopping in the middle of the day, and taking that middle of the day time. Sometimes it is staying up a bit later after everyone else has gone to bed. You take that time to just focus on God. And as you focus on God, He will reveal who your enemies are if He needs to and if it’s time for you to know. He will reveal what they do. He will reveal the next step to take. He will reveal if the delay is divine or demonic. All the questions that you have. All the things about which you are concerned, you will get the answers. Stop being so easily flustered, Balance it! We are not saying do nothing, faith without works is dead. But sometimes we are more focused on the works than on the faith…trying to make it happen…trying to bring it to pass…trying to understand it all…trying to just speak the right Scriptures to understand…Just sit sit sit…sit Martha sit down like Mary and be quiet before the Lord. Be quiet before the Lord.

Also when God gives you the revelation don’t be too quick to just jump up out of His presence. Sit a little while longer and see if He says anything else. See if you feel anything else. Turn back on the music. Tarry a little longer in the presence of the Lord.

So, what are you going to do to shift your focus back to God? Are you going to be more intentional about sitting quietly in His presence? Will you worry less about all the stuff that is going on and be more concerned about being present in His presence?

GML