Friday, February 3, 2017

Daily Encouragement: Counselor’s Corner by Stephanie R. Reck, LMSW, LBT, BCCC :The Importance of Having Laser Focus in Your Relationship with Jesus



Where is your focus? Are you easily distracted?


A definition of laser focus is intensely paying attention to a single object, concept, person or activity to the exclusion of everything else.

A definition of the word focus is the center of interest or activity.

Synonyms for focus:
Center
Focal point
Center of attention
Heart
Cornerstone

If you don’t become intentionally focused on following Jesus, remaining obedient to His Word, and pursuing God’s destiny for your life-you will get distracted and pulled by the cares of this world. Are all distractions “bad” for us? No, but some things come into our lives that seem good, but if it pulls us away from putting God first in our lives, or our purpose-it’s a distraction!

Reflect and ponder: Would the words “laser focus” describe your relationship with Jesus? What cares of this world keep you from placing Jesus as your focus?

Counselor’s Corner:
Ways to become more laser focused in pursing Jesus and your purpose:

1.      Cut out the non-essentials in your life. Do you really have to check your Facebook, emails and whose texting you every hour? Technology along with social media can be one of our biggest distractors. Sidebar: I have a friend who recently discussed with me that her ex-mother-in-law called her 10 times in one evening and that she was very distracted by the non-stop calls as she was having her teenage daughter baptized that evening. My response to my friend: “Turn your phone off when you don’t want to be distracted!”

2.      Say, “No” to things that the Holy Spirit not led you to do. Stop “following the crowds” and instead be motivated by God not man.

3.      Get alone with the Father frequently! In our quiet place with God, He speaks! If you bring your phone, and other electronic devices in your time with the Father-you will get distracted! Just bring your Bible, pen, journal, and any worship music you like.
4.      Stop being so busy and always in a hurry. Slow down and work out a pace that makes room for Jesus-He is first!

5.      Write out your daily/weekly schedule, and stick to your schedule as much as possible. Place spending time with God first on your schedule. New research shows that making specific plans creates mental space, allowing us to avoid being distracted. Have you ever been around someone who lacks the ability to plan? What you get is confusion about what they want to do because they are easily distracted by having too much mental space. Yes, we are to “hold our plans loosely” as Scripture says, but there are benefits to making plans-it keeps us focused! Now, if Holy Spirit comes along and disrupts our plans, we should be obedient and follow Jesus.

Keeping focused on Christ means PURPOSEFULLY fading out EVERYTHING that pulls us away from concentrating on Him-this takes discipline!

Jesus should be our focus, not what we can do for Him; religious activities, or people.

MEDITATE ON THESE SCRIPTURES:

Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the end. Psalm 119:112

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12

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