A Christian should have their focus on God and not the world. But how can we focus on God when there are so many distractions throughout the day? Learn how to focus on God (and not the world) with these 5 helpful tips.
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Related Post: How to Focus on God's Word
Take my typical, daily routine for example:
When I wake up in the morning, there's usually only one thing on my mind: coffee. I shuffle my way to my kettle to turn it on; while I wait for the water to boil, I get my pour-over set up. I make a very important decision here -- which mug do I want today? I grab the mug that my brother gave me with the poop emoji on it because I am feeling a little silly today. 😂 I pour my coffee, add in my fru-fru creamer, and then head to the living room to turn on my laptop and get ready for my work day. I get on social media, sip my coffee, and sometimes turn on the TV for background noise. That is my typical morning routine.
I really enjoy my morning routine. If I'm honest, there's something really nice about mindless activities that require little of me in the morning. But peculiar treasures, my morning activities are often devoid of focus on God. I jump right in to a me-focused morning that lacks focus and direction more often than I care to admit. Sadly, that can often end up setting the tone for the rest of the day.
My life as a believer should be focused on the Lord. This focus should start in the morning and go all day. And while I don't necessarily think there is a certain time of day that every believer should do their Bible study and pray, it is still important for us to set our minds on the things above at the start of the day and continue on that trend for the entirety of it.
There is nothing wrong with making my coffee when I wake up. There's not really anything wrong with booting up my laptop or turning on the TV. But if my morning, afternoon, and evening are not focused on God, then something has gone very wrong. Everything I do should be done for the Lord, which means I need to be consistently and constantly focused on God and not on the world.
But how can we do that? How can we focus on God when there is so much to do in a day? Keep reading to find out my 5 tips for focusing on the Lord instead of the world.
How to Focus on God (and Not the World)
Bible study
Studying the Bible to stay focused on God may seem like a no-brainer, but how often do we have trouble focusing on God without ever actually picking up our Bibles and reading it. I know I am guilty, and my guess is that many other people are guilty of this too.If we want to keep our mind off of the things of the world and focus our hearts and minds on the Lord instead, then we absolutely must seek God in His word. This can sometimes be a challenge if we are prone to laziness, or if we don't always understand how to read the Bible and comprehend its meaning.
Regardless of the worries that we may bring to our Bible reading though, we all need to be consistently studying God's word. How else will we know the truths of God, the components of His character, and the direction He gives for our lives if we don't pick up the Bible and read it?
God's word is our guide, and we must know it well if we are to follow God closely and focus on Him. After-all, how can we focus on someone we don't really know that well?
If you struggle to understand God's word and that has been keeping you from Bible study, please don't let that stand in your way any longer. I have a post with 5 Tools to Help You Understand the Bible that I think may aid you in this area! I also have a post to guide you through the questions you should ask yourself when reading the Bible.
Prayer
Prayer is an important part of focusing on God because it pulls us into a conversation with God. Whether we are praying to thank God, ask forgiveness for a particular sin, worship God for who He is, or bring our requests to Him, we are focusing on God when we pray. We come to Him because we know that He is in control and we acknowledge that He is the Lord of all. We submit our requests because we know that God is powerful. We repent because we know God holds forgiveness and gives freely of it when we confess our sins (1 John 1:9). We thank God for His forgiveness because we trust Him. And we praise Him because we know He is worthy.Prayer is focusing on those truths and believing them. Prayer is remembering who God is and focusing on Him by trusting His ability and goodness.
Not sure where to start in your prayer life? I believe the Lord's Prayer is a great place to start.
Books
While books should never replace the Bible, reading solid Christian books can be a great way to focus on God throughout the day. This is because we are choosing to fill our hearts and minds with things that are intended to help us grow in God instead of focusing on more frivolous things, like an extra episode of NCIS or Psych. Because as enjoyable as binge-watching our favorite shows can be, they are not helping us grow in our faith.Again, this doesn't mean we can't ever watch TV, but what it does mean is that we should prioritize and make time for the things that will help us grow in Christ and focus on God.
Look for solid Christian devotionals, biographies, and Christ-centered development books to help you deepen your walk with the Lord and put your focus on Him. When searching for books that will help you focus on God, look for books with substance, not fluff, and look for authors who seek to bring you closer to God -- not just make you a more moral person. And look for solid theology.
Related Post: The Best Christian Books for Women
And if you are looking for a great daily devotional to start your day with, I published a short, 31-day devotional all about walking in the wisdom of the Lord. Refined by Wisdom will help you put your focus on God and help you learn to walk in His wisdom in your day-to-day life.
Preach to Yourself
Preaching to ourselves is so important for us as followers of Jesus. When we preach to ourselves, we are reminding our hearts and minds of the truth found in God's word. We remind ourselves of the gospel, of who we are in Christ, and of all the precepts and instructions that God has spoken to us. Preaching to ourselves means rejecting lies and clinging to what God says instead. This means that we need to actually know what God's word says so that we can accurately preach truth to our hearts!Preaching to ourselves isn't always easy, but it is critical to the Christian walk. To learn more about how to preach to yourself, you can read my post 3 Reasons We Should Preach the Gospel to Ourselves.
Recount Your Blessings
Gratitude journals have become very popular for Christians and non-Christians alike. It seems that many people from varying belief systems now recognize the good that comes from giving thanks. But as believers, we actually know the Creator and have a living and active God to give thanks to. We know that He has blessed us with salvation and all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3), and we often see many other blessings that He has lavished upon us as well.When we take the time to recount our blessings -- that is, to remember all that God has done for us -- we are choosing to focus on God instead of our problems, our worries, or ourselves. When we recount our blessings and praise God for them, it makes it harder to focus on the world or live for ourselves.
5 Ways to Focus on God (and Not the World)
- Consistent Bible Study
- Constant Prayer
- Read Books that Grow Your Faith
- Preach the Truth to Yourself
- Recount Your Blessings
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