Rules of Engagement: The Consequence of Losing Focus

Is God your focal point? A focal point is the center of attention it also is the heart of a matter. In light its where all light rays converge. (That's a whole other message)  In faith, God should always be our focal point, center of attention, and at the core of our heart. A story within the book of Matthew reminds us of the consequences of taking our focus off of God. Sometimes we become distracted by our current set of circumstances or discouraged by False Evidence Appearing Real and lose sight of God. As a result we sink in our situation.

Within the book of Matthew 14:22 the author tells a story about Jesus walking on water. During this story you may recall Peter asking Jesus to call him out of the boat. As Peter stepped out of the boat he began to walk on water as Jesus did, but the text tells us that the moment Peter became distracted by the storm, he became fearful and he began to sink. Jesus reached out to Peter and rescued him saying, “You of so little faith.  The key word in this story is distracted which is another word for unfocused. In life we are sometimes just like Peter and pay dearly for taking our focus off of God. Every time we allow something to occupy of focus that is not God we become susceptible to failure.

For a split second the storm became Peter's focus and not Jesus. Within a split second the false reality of the situation took root and toppled Peter's faith. In life that's all it really takes. I am positive that the disciples knew what Jesus was capable of, but in the face of a storm their focus became lost at sea. I'm sure that a series of thoughts ran through Peter's mind the moment He stepped out of that boat. First, it was unconditional faith totally centered on Christ. Then, it became conditional faith in Christ and concern with the severity of the storm. Lastly, the false realization that no man can walk on water let alone during a storm. This thought process is completely void of God being completely in control.

Is that not us at times? We want to be filled, but unwilling to be focused. We want God to reign in our lives, but refuse to have the mind of Christ as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 2:16. We must elevate our capacity to fulfill our God given potential. This is only accomplished through the abandonment of the worlds thoughts and the adoption of Gods thoughts.

God as the Equation

Let's categorize God as an equation. An equation shows something of equal value. Lets ponder what is equal to God? For many people God plays a very big part of the equation, but what they are missing is that God is the equation. Observe:

GOD + (Anything) = Nothing

GOD = GOD (that’s  Everything)

Lets go deeper. The book of John starts of with, "in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God". Anything that can be with something and something at the same time shows how it needs not to be coupled with anything else.

God Stands Alone

God stands alone and when we seek His Kingdom and all His righteousness all these things will be added to us Matthew 6:33. So seek him alone and know that He is the only thing you need. God is the big picture, the only picture. The moment we lose sight of this truth, our lives take a turn for the worse. Looking at the story within the book of Matthew we learn that it only takes a second to lose focus. When we lose focus we lose faith and we then lose control. This can serve as an example for anything in life, marriage or ministry.

In the book of Joshua 1:8 the word instructs us to meditate on His word day and night. The passage promised that we will be prosperous and successful as a result. The book of Joshua later tells us the price the army paid when some of them took their focus off of God. The text is telling us that we must be all in and completely focused on God in order to be successful in our situation. 

In closing, Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we can do all things in Christ that strengthens us. Therefore the only way to do all things is with God at our focal point. Let us keep Him guarded in our hearts and never loose sight of Him. God is the never part of the equation, but the entire equation. 

Be encouraged and be blessed,

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: DECLASSIFIED

Be Humble…Be Prayerful…Be Vigilant…Be Consistent

Dear Friends,

I pray that you have many blessing and that God moves in your life in a very big way. I am somewhat new to providing an opinion on spiritual matters, but this journey is less about our comfort and more about His perfect will for our lives and those He has called us to minister to. It is my prayer that this series will provide insight and encouragement as we advance in our faith and respective callings. I recall my brother in the faith preaching about fear when the concept of God having a quick reference on what to do in face of fear fell on my spirit.  This quick reference became known as the Rules of Engagement.

Fear much like a battle scenario is an undesired set of circumstances that we sometimes find ourselves in. It is important to know that we are in a battle for our lives and our relationship with our heavenly father is the only way we will remain victorious in this battle. The stronger the relationship with God the greater the victories over life’s many hurdles. In the face of our circumstances will we maintain our relationship with God?

A statesman of ancient Rome once stated “in times of war the laws go silent.” The more I thought about that phrase the more it proved itself true. During war we witness chaos on a grand scale and there is no order. People begin to steal, kill and act out of fear during war. Some if not most people argue that that is our survival instinct at play. To most during war time lawlessness is expected and somewhat permissible. That may be true when it comes to worldly things, but in the Kingdom of God laws becomes even more vital in times of war.

When we reach that rough patch in our lives the first thing to go is our focus on God followed by our acknowledgement of His Word. In putting the rough patch in the right perspective I will use the battle situation to illustrate. During any battle situation members of the armed forces are deployed with a basic set of rules that serve as a quick guide of do’s and don’ts to govern their conduct; most commonly known as rules of engagement.  

The word of God tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that our battle is not against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against the mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. In knowing this we must keep a basic set of rules in the forefront of our minds in the mist of our hardships and day to day interactions. The word tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that the plans that God has for us are not plans to harm us, but give us hope in our final outcome.  If this is true we must consistently seek Him prayerfully without pride taking note of His directives. 

Be Humble:

The book of proverbs tells us that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. With this in mind we must remain meek at all times. In the book of Matthew 5: 5 Jesus says blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Proverbs 16:18 tells us that pride comes before the fall. Handling our affairs without pride will allow us to function more freely. 

Be Prayerful

1 Thessalonians 5:17 reminds us to pray without ceasing. Communication with God is priority No. 1. It takes a humble spirit to admit that our entire situation is in His hands and we must radio in to the Creator for the next move. The promise of prayer is to great to ignore.

Be Vigilant 

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our heart with all diligence, for out of it comes the issues of life. To be vigilant is to be on guard against danger. It becomes extremely important to be alert in your situation. Be ready for God's response to the enemy's attack.

Be Consistent 

Consistency equates to success when it comes to the things of God. If you remain humble, prayerful and vigilant you can't go wrong. Your ability to hold your position sends a clear message to the enemy that you are in it to win it. Water has the ability to damage a rock with consistent drops over a period of time. That's the power of consistency. No matter the situation consistency is the game changer.  

It is my prayer that this has provided you much encouragement. 

In His Service,

Lorenzo B. Webber

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