Halftime
“We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal.”
(2 Corinth 4:18)“The light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single [unclouded; having singularity of focus], thy whole body shall be full of light.”
(Matthew 6:22)“Keep your eyes focused on what is right, and look straight ahead to what is good.”
(Proverbs 4:25)“Teach us to number our days, so that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Help us to live wisely and well”
(Psalm 90:12)
Welcome to the month of June!
I believe that we are all walking sure and steadfast in our faith, rooted and established in Christ. It is my prayer that we remain unmovable and abounding in the faith, rooted in God’s love. May nothing separate us from God—whether it be the cares of this world, the love of money, trials, tribulations, or the lies and doctrines of the enemy. May our roots go deep in Christ, and may we rise to great heights in Jesus name.
What is the Spirit saying to myFather’s House this season? As we approach the half-year mark, the Lord is calling us to a place of walking in wisdom. Ecclesiastes 10:10 tells us that wisdom is profitable to direct. In chapter 9 verse 16, the Teacher says that wisdom is better than strength. The implication is that no matter how much strength one may possess, if wisdom does not guide how that strength is channeled, there would be nothing to show for the effort. Therefore, the prophetic focus for the month of June is HALFTIME: Refocus Your Life & Finish Strong.
To refocus means to either adjust your attention or energy in a different way, or redirect it toward a different goal or emphasis. So, an individual may either refocus their attention on the same object, or focus on something new or different. We know the story of Peter in Matthew 14:25-31—this is where he walked on water. Our emphasis is on verses 28-30: when Jesus called him from the boat, Peter began to walk on the sea toward Him. However, when he got distracted and shifted his focus from Jesus—when he noticed the boisterous and fierce storm, and took his eyes off Jesus—he began to sink. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to look steadfastly to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. The Holy Spirit is reminding us to not let the cares of this world cause us to lose focus. Refocus your gaze on Jesus and never look away.
Still considering the first definition, another way to think about refocusing—adjusting our attention in a different way—is illustrated in Ecclesiastes 10:10. The message contained in this verse, among other things, is that there is a better way of doing things. The goal was to cut down a tree, the weapon of choice was an axe. There was however a problem: the axe was blunt. The tree may eventually have been cut down, but the effort and time put in would have outweighed the results. So what does the Bible admonish? Sharpen the blade! The focus still remains to cut down the tree, but now, effort has been adjusted. God wants us to finish strong, and it would require walking in wisdom to achieve this. You will agree that the fellow who uses the blunt axe will definitely not be standing strong after cutting down the tree (Ecclesiastes 10:15a). It is the will of God that we enjoy the fruits of our labour—He wants us to be wise in our approach. So sharpen your axe!
The second meaning of refocus is redirecting attention to something new or different. For some of us, our problem is not distraction or poor strategy. No, we are trying to fit round pegs into square holes—we keep focusing on the wrong things. In this case, the solution is not adjusting our focus. Rather, it is shifting our focus completely. Sometimes, the answers we seek lie in places where we are not looking at. Until our attention shifts, we would keep looking for the living among the dead (Luke 24:5). So, the call to refocus our lives is a call to be open-minded—it is a call to see things from a different perspective. There are so many instances in the Bible where God had to refocus the attention of many individuals to areas they had never considered. God asked Moses what was in his hand, and with that same rod divided the Red sea (Exodus 4:2; 14:16); the widow’s attention was redirected to the jar of oil in her house (2 Kings 4:1-7). In both cases, the solution was right before them—their focus had to just shift. The stories in 2 Chronicles 25:5-10 and Acts 3:1-8 also depict instances where the faith and expectations of the individuals had to be refocused, redirected. Do not be so rigid and set in your ways that you think certain results can only happen in a particular way. God is not unidirectional; His wisdom is multifaceted (Ephesians 3:10).
Matthew 6:25-33 adds another layer to the second meaning—to refocus our lives is a call to make Jesus the focus of our existence. The cares of this world, the love of money, the pride of life, achievements, troubles, and all these things can easily become the focus of our lives if we are not careful. Building on our previous theme of being rooted in Christ, this call to refocus is a call to those whom Jesus is not at the center of their lives. Your focus has got to shift—from things and circumstances, to your Creator. Only then will you truly finish strong.
As we journey through this month, the Holy Spirit is inviting us to re-evaluate the object of our focus. As with the halftime in any sport, it is important to assess our performance in the first half in order to improve in the second. God is steering our attention in a new direction and urging us not to judge things from a human standpoint or rely solely on our limited wisdom. For some, the call to refocus is a call to break free from distraction; for others, it is to make Jesus the center of their lives. And yet for others, it is a call to re-strategize, to re-evaluate and rightly channel your energy and resources, concentrating our strength productively. Whatever this call means to you, answering it guarantees that you will finish strong. This is my prayer for every one of us.
Our monthly series includes: It’s halftime - Give Him Praise; God’s Timing & Your Blessings; Refocusing on Fatherhood; Halftime Pep Talks; Finishing Strong