Bible Verse of the Day

Focus Shift

Tuesday, January 19, 2010


No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.
Philippians 3:13 (NLT)

Do you find yourself easily distracted? Have you started facing some discouragement already in this New Year? May be the year doesn’t even feel NEW because of some of the experiences of last year like joblessness, emptiness, lack and struggles that you seem to still have. Yes, you laugh when your friends and family are there but when you are alone you know you’re on your own. You know these negative experiences should not continue if this year must bring the good that you are anticipating.


Like Paul, even with his privileged Roman citizenship, his training in the best schools of his day and all his achievements before He met the savior and after he said in the words above, ‘I have not achieved it (meaning he is not yet where he is going) but the only thing he does is to focus on one thing: TO FORGET THE PAST AND KEEP LOOKING FORWARD!


Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future- Oscar Wilde


I wish I could sound it clearer. This kind of attitude will help you to move on with your life in spite of whatever you face in 2010.
Yes, you were just fired and your take home didn’t take you home.
Yes, since you have been applying for jobs not even one have called you.
Yes, you have a job but you are merely surviving because the job takes all your time and you live from pay cheque to pay cheque.
Yes, most of the employers have called you for interviews but their promise of getting back to you has never materialized.
Yes, you look at some of your colleagues, old school mates and you try to avoid them because of your situation.
Yes, you don’t have any stable source of income and you wonder if this is how your life will continue.
I am sorry to tell you that all these may continue until you deliberately and consciously decide to CHANGE YOUR FOCUS!


"The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude”- Oprah Winfrey


I remember one of the most resounding instructions God gave me about this year is that I should be resilient, which is the ability to bounce back like an elastic rubber after being bent.
Three things to change your focus from this year;


From FEAR to FAITH
Fear incapacitates. Fear limits and sees impossibilities. But you can change your focus from fear to faith this year. Refuse to give up. Faith is seeing the things that are not yet as if we already have them. Don’t speak words of fear even if things around you are scary. Speak words of hope and faith about your future. Words of faith are power and they work. Don’t stand around fearful people because they will influence you. Just do all you can to move your focus from that of fear to faith. And faith comes by hearing what God says in his Word.


The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion”- Albert Einstein


From FAULTS to STRENGTH
We all make mistakes but the difference between people is that those who will succeed will not spend time morning their mistakes but just learn from it and move on with their lives. Who do blame for your present predicament? Some blame their parents for not sending them to school, others blame it on the government, economy or political party. Until you shift your focus from your faults and weaknesses and begin to focus on your areas of strength, then there is a problem. There is a something you can do better than others. As a matter of fact, everyone has an area of weakness and there is no situation that is peculiar to you. Dust yourself, look within and explore your untapped strengths. Stop playing the blame game.


There is only one real tragedy in a woman's life. The fact that her past is always her lover, and her future invariably her husband” – Oscar Wilde


From PAST to FUTURE
Why do you focus on the past when you know you can’t do anything about it? Imagine you being in a vehicle and your driver keeps focusing at the back instead of looking ahead at top speed. What do you do? You scream- Face your front!
Anyone who focuses on the past is heading for a crash. This year is still new with so much potentials loaded inside it. Why do you want to continue driving the wheel of your life by focus on the errors in your past relationships, career choice, wrong investment decisions and failures? Can you unscramble eggs? There is no point crying over spilled milk.
Focus on the dreams of a better future that you have always had and continue to work at it. Work at it with all the strength in you as you look ahead. Let me scream it once again at your face. FACE YOUR FRONT, LOOK AHEAD BECAUSE THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR YOU!


Shall we pray;
Lord, because you live we receive grace to face tomorrow. Amen

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