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Your focus determines your advancement!

Paul was a man of wisdom. His focus was on taking the gospel message and discipling everywhere he could, and discipling and to as many as he could. He refused to get involved in petty disputes or issues. His mission was too important to waste any time in trivialities. And because of this, he was able to  reach many regions with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He once wrote to the Corinthian church about that. 1 Corinthians 2:2 (Amplified version) says: “for I made the decision to know nothing [that is, to forego philosophical or theological discussions regarding inconsequential things and opinions while] among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified [and the meaning of His redemptive, substitutionary death and His resurrection].” I find that most people are continuously involved in inconsequential discussions, arguments, disagreements and issues, and because of this much of their time is wasted. The end result is that nothing important ever gets done, important projects are never finished, and they never accomplish what God called them to do. Jesus was displeased with the fig tree that bore no fruit (Matthew 21:19). He seeks fruit from our lives. How about you? Are you bearing fruit, or are you too busy with inconsequential things that are always getting in the way? When Jesus looks at you, will he find a fruitful tree, or an unfruitful anemic tree? Paul realized that his time was precious, so he purposefully lived life in such a way that he consciously focused on God’s will for his life. Where is your focus today?

1 Corinthians 2:2 (Amplified version) “for I made the decision to know nothing [that is, to forego philosophical or theological discussions regarding inconsequential things and opinions while] among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified [and the meaning of His redemptive, substitutionary death and His resurrection].”

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Your focus is determining your future!

We all want to prosper and increase. We want to do better. We want promotions so that we can make more money to take care of our families. As humans, we appreciate being recognized for our actions and accomplishments. However, most people do not like the issues, problems, side effects and reactions that occur as we increase, get promoted, advance, gain greater influence, etc. Someone once told me “greater levels, greater devils.” He meant that when you grow in influence, the attacks and challenges will also increase. A good example is found in Acts 6:1: “But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food”. Notice how in the midst of a young, growing, Spirit-filled church, complaints arose, and there arose a discontent. This happens everywhere where growing numbers of people exist. This even happened in Moses’ day. There were rumblings of discontent and complaints. As long as you are working with people, get used to the idea that you will hear complaints and rumblings of discontent. The issue isn’t whether or not you’re going to get complaints, the issue is how you respond to the complaints. Moses allowed the people to get him angry, and in his anger he responded in a way that displeased the Lord. Because of that, he could not enter into the promised land. Conversely, when the Apostles heard about the complaints, they worked with the congregation to address the issues at hand, and they continued to focus on their ministry. Has your focus been distracted by the complaints and criticisms of those around you? Remember, what you focus on expands and grows in influence. Today, determine to focus on the right thing. It can be the difference between true success, or disappointment and failure.

Acts 6:1 “But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food”.