Food 4 Thought: Focus
August: Focus | July: Strength | June: Health | May: Spiritual Gifts | April: Sacrifice | March: Leadership
Each month the Men's Department of Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ has been given a theme to meditate on and the Food 4 Thought section will focus on each monthly theme. We believe that our responsibility is to Provide, Protect, Prevent and Procreate and the Food 4 Thought section will consist of articles that will encourage you to think, encourage you to grow, encourage you to act and encourage each man to be productive members of the Church and society.
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Focus on God First
Through experimentation, science has shown that men’s brains are hardwired to tackle one complex task at a time if he is to do it exceptionally well. We are able to focus on one task until it is completed. While this is a great trait that men have, not often inherited by women, sometimes that focus can be on the wrong things. To illustrate this point, let’s look at the life of Gideon, a judge of the children of Israel. His story can be found in Judges 6-8.
The Lord sent an angel to Gideon, calling him a mighty man of valor, and let Gideon know that by His hand, God would let him defeat the Midianites. Unfortunately, Gideon focused on the current state that the children of Israel were in – still in bondage, hiding food from the Midianites so that they could survive. Gideon should have focused on the words that the angel brought with him from God, “I am with you.” Prior to the angel’s arrival, the prophet of the Lord reminded Gideon of all the awesome things God had done for his ancestors and encouraged him to remind the people that the Lord was with them. Gideon, however, could only focus on the fact that they were weak and poor.
After offering a sacrifice to the Lord, Gideon began to believe God’s Word for a time – that is, until the Lord instructed him to defeat the Midianites. Gideon’s focus relapsed; he could only see what he could do with his hand. He did not know Isaiah 55:8 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” Gideon asked the Lord to prove himself yet again with a wet fleece-dry ground demonstration found in Judges 6:37. The Lord honored his request so that Gideon would take his focus off the challenge ahead of him, and instead, put it on Him wholeheartedly.
We as men of God have many things in our lives vying for our attention on a daily basis, whether it be our families, friends, jobs, churches or anything else that can take our minds and focus away from God. Do not misunderstand me, these things are not bad things, but we must make sure that our priorities are in the correct order. We must be careful about what we focus the most on. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” We must chase after God whole heartedly and He will add things we need. The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves and if we believe Him, He will not lead us astray. Here are some ways to help you stay focused on God:
- Spend time communicating with the Lord through Prayer – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- Set aside time to read your Bible – 2 Timothy 2:15
- Think on godly things, things that would be pleasing to God – Colossians 3:2
- Protect your temple, watch what you put into your body – Romans 12:1-2
- Love God, Love yourself, And Love Everyone – 1 Corinthians 13
- Seek the Lord with all that you have – Isaiah 55:6
Let us focus on the Lord together and He will continue to make us great men after his own heart. Our most important relationship is with Him. As we grow in the Lord everything in our lives will grow as well. Where is your focus?