#running marathon

If you or I are going to stay focused on GOD, we have got to include the things of GOD in our daily lives!

You’ve probably heard that when something is repeated in the BIBLE it’s something to pay attention to, right?

How about something that’s repeated 10x in one teaching?

That’s how many times JESUS used the word “abide” or “remain” in John 15:1-11!

JESUS said in John 15:4, “Abide in ME.” HE repeated that in 2 other ways in John 15:5-7 while also providing a stark warning & a vast promise:

“Whoever abides in ME & I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in ME s/he is thrown away like a branch & withers; & the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, & burned. If you abide in ME, & MY WORDS abide in you, ask whatever you wish, & it will be done for you.”

Staying focused on God requires abiding in Him.

I know your mornings are rushed, but if you create the discipline to spend the first minutes of your day 

     reading the WORD of GOD &      talking to HIM about the day ahead,

you will have a greater focus on HIM throughout the day.

If you don’t know where to start, try reading John 15:1-11 each morning for a week.

It won’t take long & the passage is crazy profound.

2. Remain in prayer

Do you want to create & develop the habit of a prayerful life?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 makes one simple yet bold command: “pray without ceasing.”

This is a habit worth developing & isn’t as difficult as you might think. Plus,

     prayer has a way of changing lives.

     [genewhitehead.com/this-prayer-will-change-your-life]

When you see or hear a news report that bothers you, pray for the people & the situation. When you come across someone that annoys you or tries your patience, silently pray for them.

     When you hear of someone facing some problem,      large or small…pray for them.

We had a friend that taught her children about staying focused on GOD by offering up a quick prayer every time they heard the sirens of a police car, ambulance or fire truck.

GOD doesn’t need your eloquent, long-winded pious sounding discourses, laced with “thees, thous” & “almighties.” HE wants your heart, & often in prayer that sounds as simple as “GOD, help!“

3. Limit the distractions

In the post 3 Ways to Having More Faith, I wrote that we have to keep a clear space between us and GOD.

You can’t keep your eyes on what you can’t see, physically or spiritually.

In Joshua 3:4, the people of Israel are commanded to keep a distance of 2,000 cubits between them & the ark of the covenant.

     That’s about a half of a mile & the      purpose was so the people of Israel      would always be able to see the ark      in all types of terrain that they      were traveling through.

In our spiritual lives, when we fill the spaces with all kinds of conveniences & distractions, it becomes very difficult & even impossible sometimes to see where the LORD is leading us.

We can overcome this by limiting the distractions, the busyness & our own lack of discipline by making a conscious effort to keep our LORD in the #1 spot.

4. Serve GOD

In Matthew 6:24, JESUS teaches,

     “No one can serve two masters,       for either s/he will hate the one & love the other,       or s/he will be devoted to the one & despise the other.

      You cannot serve GOD and money.”

You’ve heard that verse. You’ve probably also heard the term mammon in place of money at the end of it.

Though “mammon” was a word that primarily represented money & possessions, it was also used to refer to lusts of all types.

     [genewhitehead.com/7-sins-lust/]

If you’re serving GOD with your resources of time, energy, talents, & with your money, then staying focused on GOD will naturally follow.

5. Remove sin from your life

This could have been the first point in the list.

What I mean by this is to remove the habitual, continuous sinful habits & patterns from your life.

     Hebrews 12:1 says, “Since we are surrounded by      so many examples of faith, we must get rid of      everything that slows us down, especially      sin that distracts us.”

If there is something, someone, some place or anything in your life that leads you away from GOD in any way, or that keeps you out of prayer, away from fellowship with other believers or distracts you from reading your BIBLE, you have one option:

remove that thing from your life Staying focused on GOD or growing in your spiritual, prayer, or Christian life in any way with any habitual sin in your life is next to impossible.

     Kill the sin or it will kill you      spiritually, physically, or both.

Running the Marathon

It’s been said countless times that life is a marathon, not a sprint. When staying focused on GOD, this becomes especially evident.

     Hebrews 12:1 tells us that “We must run the race      that lies ahead of us and never give up,”

     & the next verse tells us how to do that:

     “We must focus on JESUS, the source & goal of       our faith.” [Hebrews 12:2].