Is God Your Focus?

Have you ever watched a horse race? There is nothing like watching these beautiful creatures race against each other, stride for stride down the racetrack; and when they are neck and neck heading into the last turn, the excitement is exhilarating. You are cheering and shouting until they come charging over the finish line. It is awesome to watch. But if you notice, each horse has what they call blinders on. They are pieces of equipment that are placed on the outside of each eye.

They do this for two reasons. First, it protects the eye from dirt and mud that get tossed up by the other horses running the race. Second, it also helps the horse to see just what is in front of him, helping him stay focused on moving forward and not to be distracted by other horses or jockeys.

I often thought maybe God should have put blinders on us so we would stay focused on Him and not everything else going on in the world. The apostle Paul knows we are in a race. In Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV), it says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

So often when we take our eyes off of Jesus, we lose focus and usually turn our focus to ourselves. When we are focused on ourselves, we have lost focus on God, causing everything to be blurry. Yes, there are times when we leave ourselves open and the enemy steps in. When we open the door to sin, it can steal our focus but we cannot blame the enemy for everything. Sometimes it is us that causes the blurred focus. It is our lack of discipline, our lack of faith, our lack of patience in God. It is difficult to stay focused on God in today’s world, as there are always so many distractions in our everyday lives. Health, wealth, jobs and relationships are just a few distractions that pull us in different directions and sometimes cause us to lose focus on our Father.

Psalm 91:14 (ISV) says, “Because he has focused his love on me, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he knows my name.” That’s a powerful statement.

We must also remember Matthew 6:33 (NIV) where it says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Focus on God first and all these things will be given to you! All things; not some things, but all things. That’s powerful as well!

When we put ourselves first and focus on ourselves, our vision becomes blurred. When we get out of focus, it is time to refocus on God. He is always there waiting for us to come to Him, and to let Him be a part of everything we do.

James 4:8 (NIV) says, “Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” When we keep God in focus, He is always near to us. Our walk with Christ is not a sprint; it is a marathon. In order to ensure we get the desired results, we need to stay focused on God and the finish line, where we will be with Christ for eternity.

So, I ask you, is God your focus?

Let’s continue to journey on this more together as you listen to our Fresh Fire podcast. {eoa}

Todd Smith is the founder and apostle of Fresh Fire Apostolic Ministries, along with his wife, Sandra Benaglia Smith. They live on the Great Lakes Region of Ontario, Canada in Simcoe (Norfolk County). Fresh Fire Apostolic Ministries is about bringing revival fire to local communities, regions and the nations. It is about ministering to others through the power of the anointed and infallible Word of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Todd is dedicated to helping equip the body of Christ to awaken the nations with an apostolic and prophetic call of a rising Ekklesia. Todd has devoted his life to the righteousness of Christ, with the demonstration of the Father’s heart in regions, individuals and the church across the world. Todd’s desire is to see every believer fulfill their God-given destiny and live life to the fullest in God.

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