KEEPING FOCUS

I'm reminded of a word that God gave me for someone else a few months back.  "The Lord does not want you to be distracted because there is a mandate on your life".  God reminded me of that word because there are a great many distractions that can sidetrack us from our real purpose.  There are things the enemy specifically designed, orchestrates, and manifest to be a hindrance to every thing the Lord has told us to do.

As women of God, we often get sidetracked sometimes by the things we do not have in our lives as well as the people we want in our lives.  I would like to remind you that the influence of the anointing that rest on your life is as valuable now as it will ever be.  The distractions are only designed so that the anointing on your life will not produce the same influence and affect the masses who God has called you to reach.  The distractions pull from who you are and draw you away from the places God is calling you into.

As a single woman, we get pulled on a lot, at church, at work, at home, etc.  The church needs us and expects that we will be there because we do not have a obligation to a spouse.  Work pulls on us for some of the same reasons.  Home pulls on us because our children want all of our time for them.  Then there are the other influences that pull on us trying to draw us away from our time with God.  We have things that pull on our spirit and things that pull on our flesh, all being distractions.  We have so many things that pull at the fragment of our lives and heart that it is sometimes perplexing.  It's no wonder that we often feel like we need someone in our lives to help us just to make it through.  A wise man of God once told me, we can be too busy.  We become so busy that we lose focus of our real purpose for being and our relationship with God suffers as a result.  Ministry is not relationship.  Did you hear that?

The enemy can even use hurt to distract us and get us off course.  I know some of you have been there.  Hurt can make us blame God for what we are going through so we feel we are entitled to feeling that way and withdraw from him.  It's really us thinking everything is about me, me, me and not understanding who we are.  Because if we understood who we are, we would know that there is a story behind the pain and somebody cannot hear it because we are stuck on ourselves.  Deliverance is in our mouths but we refuse to open it because we are still thinking its about us.  You have to be self-less and not selfish when you are a kingdom person.  I'm just saying.  I'm preaching to myself too.  I have been there and it is a difficult place to pull yourself out of.  It’s like you really want God but you don't understand why you are feeling so battered.  You are looking down at your heart on the ground because it’s been trampled wondering if you are ever going to come out of this.  If God can look past all of our faults and see our need, then why can't we look past all of our pain and see someone elses?

This feeling of hurt is multiplied to tenth degree for those of us who have been hurt by "church folk".  I say church folk very loosely as to make distinction between those who are bought with a price by the blood of lamb and those who are still on the counter not willing to be purchased.  Like the M&M's on the commercial who know that they are food but don't want to be eaten.  That's the same principle.  A christian who knows what they're supposed to be, but refuses to submit.  "Don't want to be bought", it's easier being a free-agent.  I have been severely hurt by church folk and it made me lose focus for a time.  This is especially true when leaders hurt you.  Shame on any leader who is so offended, that he neglects his kingdom responsibility as a gift to the body of Christ; just because he doesn't want to deal with you.  It's funny how when you end a relationship with someone, suddenly you are not the woman of God they came to know and love, but suddenly you are the enemy.  That kind of thing will leave you disillusioned and confused.  It will leave you saying, “I thought he was a man of God”.  This is what you will put your focus on instead of getting past dealing with getting over it.  Now back to being focused.

Unfortunately, I cannot tell you why some people behave the way that they do, but I can say this that there is accountability to God for the damage one does to those that belong to him.  So, if you have been battered and injured by someone in the body, know that God will deal with them over the pain they have caused you.  We’ve got to learn in today’s world that there an abrasive and harsh spirit that targets our vulnerabilities and weaknesses.  These outside influences tend to pull at us for one purpose and that is to stop the movement of God’s will in our lives.  That’s all and nothing more.  It’s not personal really.  You are nothing special to the enemy, he’s just trying to stop the move of God and if you are part of the movement, then you are part of the problem and you are a target. 

That’s why it’s so important to remain focused even during turbulent times.  Do not allow outside influences whatever they might be whether home, work, kids, relationships, or even yourself get you side tracked.  Keeping focus during critical times will keep your feet straight and going into the direction you are ordained to go.  As I think about Jonah and how God had called him to go into Nineveh this was his real purpose.  His sidetrack was the spirit of rebellion, because he did not want to release the word God had given to him to give to the people.  Rebellion got him somewhere that he didn't want to be.  Samson got sidetracked with the spirit of lust for a woman and lost his focus on what God told him.  Being sidetracked can get us off course and cause our intended journey to be more tedious than necessary and prolong the expected end.

When we stay focused even in transition, we can expect that our season of being in the wilderness will not be prolonged.  Our obedience will bring our transition from the wilderness to the blessing to a swifter end.  Align your heart up with what God has said to you and keep focus.  This next trial will try to shift you, but consider your purpose, your vision, and everything the Lord has directed you to do.  The race is not given to the swift nor to the strong but to the one that endures till the end.