I believe as long as we can focus on the Lord, whatever we’re going through, we’re going to be all right.
I was having my breakfast this morning and was remembering this blogger who has a YouTube show on nutrition. She did a video on what her morning routine was and how meditation was a part of it. She would sit in one place and focus on her breathing, then parts of her face, like her ears, her eyes, etc. So, I started trying to apply this as I was drinking my tea. I couldn’t remember exactly what to do, so I asked the Lord what I was supposed to do. I know He knows what I’ve done in this life from beginning to the end and I know He knows that I’ve seen this video. I know He knows exactly what I was talking about. So I asked Him, “What am I supposed to do Lord? Focus on my ear?” Then I sensed the Lord in my spirit across the table. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt Him this way and it felt wonderful. Then, I got in my spirit, “Just focus on Me.” I started laughing out loud. It’s as if the Lord was smiling at me reminding me the most important thing in this life – Him. It felt good to laugh out loud like that again with Him. Truly the joy of the Lord is our strength. That’s what I love about the Lord: the more I talk to Him the more He becomes so real. And He doesn’t condemn us at all. He loves us and understands us. He knows how to make us laugh when we need it.
Then this thought comes to my mind reminding me that I’m supposed to be unhappy about something (most likely Satan, since he hates to see any one of us happy). So then I started focusing on why I’m unhappy: My house being in disarray because the faucet in the kitchen is leaking and needs to be replaced. How I feel like I don’t even have time to do everything I need and want to do like my blog, my Bible, my song writing, my DIY projects, de-cluttering and cleaning the house, making breakfast, lunch, dinner, doing laundry, then my supplication, my communion with the Lord and my exercise. So I started whimpering and whining to the Lord about being unhappy and being dissatisfied with things. Right away I got a check in my spirit. I felt in my spirit that I should be thankful instead of complaining. That He is here to help me. So I stopped whimpering and instead said to the Lord, “Lord please give me a mindset that’s thankful. How do I do that?” He said to me, “Focus on Me.”
In that second I saw His face in my mind. I knew what to do then. I knew at that moment, as in many other times He has revealed this thought to me, that nothing else really is a big deal in this life when our eyes are focused on Him. Everything else fades away into such a small significance when my eyes are beholding Him and loving Him and being thankful for who He is. Thankful for His death at the cross, and how wonderful and kind and gracious He has been in my life. I knew too that all I have to do is tell Him my desire and what I need for Him to do for me. Don’t complain but tell Him what you desire, what you need, and then thank Him and love Him for everything.
For example, I can start telling Him, “Father, I thank You so much for Your grace upon my soul. I thank You for Your love for me, for Your death and sacrifice at the cross so that I can be set free from the bondage of sin and from the power of Satan and the principalities of this world…” On and on and about how wonderful He is and on what He has done for me.
I find that approaching Him this way clears out the oppressive air surrounding me. This magnifies Him and lifts Him up greater than my problems. He loves this. This is definitely better than us barraging Him right away with complaints and requests of what we want done. Not that lightning will come out of heaven if we don’t do this first, and especially if you’re under an emergency and need His help right away, by all means skip this intro and tell Him quickly what you need. But when we thank Him first, His Spirit will come and douse all the intensity of our problems away. If we first just focus on who He is and on His greatness, even before we start telling Him our problems, they won’t feel so insurmountable anymore. Anything is possible because He becomes greater than whatever we’re going through.
Then after that, we can start telling Him our desire. “Father, please, I need a faucet today. Please replace my faucet already because I’m sick of seeing my kitchen in such disarray with all the stuff that needs to go under the sink. And yeah, please help me to de-clutter too at the same time because I know there is stuff that don’t need to go back in there. I thank You, Father.”
I know I can be myself with the Lord. I don’t have to tippy-toe around Him about my desire and how I should tell it to Him. I tell Him exactly what I want. “I want it today, Lord, I don’t want to wait anymore. It’s driving me nuts! Please Lord, if it’s okay with You.”
Then, I can continue to talk to Him and just tell Him exactly what’s been bothering me, about my feeling overwhelmed with all the things I need to do everyday for Him and my house chores.
Telling Him what I need is praise to Him, it is worship. King David said it this way,
“I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” {Psalm 18:3}
Calling on the Lord when we’re in trouble or when we’re in need is not bothering Him at all, it is actually a form of praise. Remember my blog post last week on Bother Him? He loves it that we choose to call on Him when we need something instead of trying to fix our problems ourselves.
I don’t know how to emphasize this enough: God is crazy about us. He is in love and obsessed with us.
Can you ever imagine someone giving his life for you if he’s not obsessed with you? You’ve got to admit, the Lord dying at the cross borders on obsession. That is beyond, beyond.
If someone comes to me and tells me that someone has come and paid not only my debts to the thugs I’ve borrowed money from, but also got killed because of me, what is one to think? Then I find out even a more crazy thing, that he knew he was going to get killed but he wanted to do it anyway because simply he loved me.
Now, tell me, will you think this guy is crazy or maybe bordering on obsession over me? Golly-gee willikins! I would think so!
Well, the thugs are the devils and the one who paid my debts and gave His life for me is Jesus Christ. This is not just a nice story someone told me, but it’s true. It is written all over the scriptures by eyewitnesses who lived and walked with Him while He was on this earth. How He came and died for the sins of the whole world so that whosoever will believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Thank You, Jesus! This is not just a story and wishful thinking, but real and true and faithful.
God came and died for the remission of our sins so that we can be set free to live a victorious life for Him today. We don’t have to be under the spell and power of Satan anymore. We are set free to call on God and find His grace and mercy and salvation anytime. We can rise above the principalities of this world because not only did the Lord die for us, He also rose again the third day. Fortunately for us today, and unfortunately for the devil thugs of this world, Jesus Christ lives. He is alive, walking, talking, and blessing us today with His wonderful presence and His Holy Spirit. The only requirement now from us is to focus on Him. Coming to Him and talking to Him all the time so that He will come to us and be a part of us. Calling on Him is praise to Him. We are bringing glory to His name every time we do this, because we are letting Him know that we believe in Him and that He is able to do a great work in our lives. We are acknowledging His power and His ability to save us. This is what He said in His word,
“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” {Psalm 50:15}
“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” {Jeremiah 33:3}
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” {Isaiah 26:3}
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” {John 15:5}
Prayer
Lord, I thank You that You are ever so faithful and ever so true. You are alive and well, living and reigning over all things in this life and over all the principalities of this world. Thank You so much for giving Your life for me at the cross at Calvary so I can live today a victorious and a happy life for You. I thank You so much for You, Jesus. I love You with all of my heart.
Father, please help me and give me the mind to focus on You always. Help me to not just remember You when I’m unhappy or when things aren’t going the way I want them. But please help me to remember You every moment. Talking to You, committing every thing to You, thanking You, loving You, so that Your presence will always be with me and I can be happy all the time. As the Apostle mentioned in his writing, “Rejoice ever more! And I say, rejoice!” Father, I need to do that. Please help me to do that. Please help me to always keep my eyes and my focus on You because I know if I can do this all will be well. I pray all these things to You Father, in Your most wonderful and precious name, Jesus. I thank You so much for You, Lord. Thank You, Father. Amen.
Image by Shahariar Lenin from Pixabay
Rp8/2017
