portait mode.
I will be the first to admit that I have a wandering mind. My thoughts love to wander while I am trying to focus on something. And since I work from home more now than I did, my thoughts like to lead me astray in the unknown instead of focusing on my responsibilities.
Please, tell me I am not the only one!
My wanderings aren’t always bad. Sometimes they will be about everything I have left to do while I am trying to tackle one project. Other times it’ll be about something I forgot to do. But there are definitely times where they will lead me to past mistakes, habitual weaknesses or possible future scenarios that might go horribly wrong. And because I am so focused on those issues, I tend to lose sight of the one thing I should be focusing on at all times… Jesus.
In our fast-paced, attention-grabbing world, it is easy to get caught up in the daily grind, get distracted, and lose sight of our true purpose in life—the worship and love of God.
To FOCUS is to direct one’s attention or concentrate on something. If we are focused on Christ, then He has our attention; when we are concentrating on Him and His word, then He occupies the forefront of our minds.
Philippians 3:13-14 TPT says,
13 I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. 14 I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.
Paul is referring to athletes who run a race, emphasizing the importance of keeping one’s eyes looking forward, not turning to glance behind. Looking back would slow the runner, causing a loss of focus of the path ahead. However, when Paul fixes his gaze forward, he isn’t tripped up but pursues his goal, “the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.”
The image is even more powerful when we study the Greek meaning of the word “forgetting.” The word translated in its original form doesn’t mean simply a failure to remember — such as when you forget to thaw the chicken for dinner or when you forgot the one thing you needed at Target but decided to buy everything else in it… Sigh. It actually means calculated and purposeful neglect, a realization that you no longer care. This intentional abandonment encompasses forgetting things, events, times and places.
This deliberate ignoring of the past permits Paul to run unimpeded and with clear focus toward the goal. What is this goal he is racing toward? The word “goal” in the English language is never used anywhere else in the New Testament. It signifies an end-marker of a foot race. Paul is using it to mark the end of our race of faith in this earthly life.
As we grow in our relationship with God through faith in Jesus, we must run the race well and with a clear focus — eyes square ahead, not staring or even peeking at the past. Jesus was there when our race began, and He’ll be the one greeting us at the finish line.
So how can we go about putting Jesus in portrait mode? :
COMMIT TO READING THE BIBLE.
It is impossible for a believer to be consistently in the Word without having his attention drawn again and again to Christ.
John 5:39 NLT says,
39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!”
To focus on the Word of God is to have JESUS brought more into focus.
2. DEVELOP YOUR PRAYER LIFE.
If you want to know how to pray, read Jesus’ instructions to His disciples in Luke 11:1-13. As you speak to the Lord throughout your day, you will naturally be more focused on Him. Little things, big thing, things that you may think God doesn’t care about - we can come to the Lord with any and ALL of our cares.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT says,
17 “Never stop praying."
Pretty simple. We don’t always have to spend 3 hours in our prayer closet to get Jesus to hear us. Instead we must always be in an attitude and atmosphere of constant prayer.
3. TRUST THAT THE LORD IS YOUR ONLY PROTECTOR.
Psalms 25:15 TLB says,
15 My eyes are ever looking to the Lord for help, for he alone can rescue me.
Once we understand the spiritual dangers we face on a daily basis, we will focus more on Christ, our one and only Savior, who alone has the power of deliverance. Trust can be a hard thing to do especially if our minds want to focus on the times when we have been hurt by others, but I can guarantee you that He will never disappoint you. Our God is faithful and has been running beside you throughout your entire race thus far.
4. RECOGNIZE YOUR NEED FOR JESUS AND SEE HIM AS THE SOURCE OF ALL GOOD THINGS.
Psalms 123:1-3 MSG says,
I look to you, heaven-dwelling God,
look up to you for help.
Like servants, alert to their master’s commands,
like a maiden attending her lady,
We’re watching and waiting, holding our breath,
awaiting your word of mercy.
The world offers various different ways of obtaining love, joy, and peace, etc. But they are destined to disappoint. As Believers, we must understand that love, joy, and peace, (the rest of the fruit of the spirit and other eternal gifts) are the direct result of an intimate relationship with Christ. A relationship focused on Jesus!
And lastly,
5. SEE THE WORLD FOR WHAT IT IS.
The world is a sin-filled place full of desperate need. The darker the world is to us, the more clearly the light of Christ will stand out. It’s not hard to focus on a light in a darkened room.
Ephesians 5:8 TPT says,
8 Once your life was full of sin’s darkness, but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him. Your mission is to live as children flooded with his revelation-light!
Those who stay focused on Christ will find their perspective on worldly things changing. Paul commands us in Colossians 3:1-4 , 1 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Maybe that is something you are struggling with today? Maybe you are like me and allow your mind to wander to the things of the past… the Shoulda, Woulda, Couldas? Maybe you have allowed life to be so hectic that you simply can’t gain back control.
Let’s go back to what Paul said in Philippians 3:13, “however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.”
Let’s choose to forget the past and focus on Jesus! Let’s fix our eyes on the Author and Creator of our lives. He is our Savior and the Founder and Perfecter of our faith!
Corrie Gerbatz says, “Jesus doesn’t demand perfection in our pursuit of God; He encourages our persistence in the pursuit.”
God isn’t looking for us to be perfect, but He is asking for our attention to be fixed on Him. Let’s realign our hearts. Let’s bring Jesus back into portrait mode. Let’s focus on Him as we run this wild, crazy race. After all, He is our biggest cheerleader!