If we are going to survive in a world that rejects or tries to ignore God, we must stay focused on God and our faith in Him.
I’m referring especially to what occupies
our mind, to our thoughts and how they
inform our faith. Even subconscious
thoughts are important – research has
shown how much they shape our conscious
thoughts and actions.
Practically, this means the messages we
take in every day are important. They are
the fuel that feeds our subconscious.
Of course God is also at work in us, and I
believe any good within us and evident in
our actions have got to be credited to God.
Here are five practices that have helped me
stay focused on God.
1 Psalm 46: 10 says “Be still and know that I am God.” Take the time to quiet
all of the hustle and bustle of your life
(and mind). High school students, college
students, professionals with careers and
everyone in between can benefit from
this quiet. When we give too much power
to all the tasks we may have in our lives,
or all the negative thoughts that we may
have about ourselves and our stress, we
diminish our focus on God. Taking five
minutes out of our day to acknowledge this
goes a very long way. It has helped me a lot.
I try to do all of my acknowledgements at
3:00 p.m. every day (the time Jesus Christ
died on the cross).
Isaiah 30: 15 says, “This is what the
Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel,
says: ‘In repentance and rest is your
salvation, in quietness and trust is your
strength, but you would have none of it.’ ”
There is a parallel message in these two
passages in the Old Testament. Be still,
quiet yourself and trust in God. This is
spiritual food for the hungry soul. Try
these steps and document or journal your
experience. Reflect and repeat.
2 Acknowledge our suffering and rejoice in it. My favourite way to understand
this in Scripture is the writings of Peter.
Take a moment and read through the
books of Peter while working through this
five-step workout for staying focused on
God.
Romans 5: 3-4 reminds us to “rejoice in our
sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces
character, and character produces hope.”
We are tested in the fire. The measuring
stick for our faith and spiritual strength is
adversity and suffering. I ask myself this
simple question: Is there any amount of
suffering that is greater than God? The
answer for me is no. I know that God has
conquered sin. Reflecting on the nature
of suffering may help you realize that
enduring all things will cause you to bear
fruit.
3 Follow your own advice: Just as I am writing this article right now, you may
also be giving advice to Christians and
others. I try to remind myself to follow
my own advice, especially when I need it
most. When we offer advice in love and
gentleness, the Spirit is moving us. You
don’t need to reinvent the wheel, or explain
things in various ways to get the same
result. Follow a piece of godly advice you
have given someone else.
4 Give all glory to God, in all things, for all things, and at all times. This is by
far the most important step. But for me –
and many others – it is the most difficult.
The complete story in the Bible is one of
salvation and the plan afterwards. All of
this is meant to glorify God. God seeks to
be worshipped, to be the only one true God
that you believe in and to be the one you
love before yourself or others.
5 Maximize your time with other Christians. Do not undervalue the
importance of being surrounded by people
walking in the light the same as you are.
It is the light of Christ that shines from
all of us that gives hope and peace to
the world. Reflect on Paul writing to the
churches. Think of how he rejoiced and was
strengthened by their faith. Iron sharpens
iron. We are all stronger for being with
each other. We all shine at various degrees
of brightness – so don’t feel bad for being
dim sometimes.
As I write this article I have prayed and
reflected. I feel that my light is shining
brightly. But come to me in a week, and you
might see me flipping through the pages
of Love Is Moving or Faith Today seeking
to have my spiritual self recharged. I look
toward my peers and my fellow Christians.
We shouldn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed
to seek help.
Feel free to modify this plan or completely
create your own. The most important thing
to know is that there are many ways to
stay focused on God. Remember that every
relationship with God is unique in its own
way.
Shawn LaVie
Louis Moncouyoux /
unsplash.com
Five Ways to Stay
Focused on God