How to Stay Focused Through the Storm
A couple of weeks ago I penned an article that dealt with the necessity of staying focused through the storms of life. In that article, I spoke about the distractions that Peter faced as he walked on water and how similar our journey often is. Since then, several individuals have engaged me concerning that article and asked the follow-up question, “with the reality of the distractions and the need to stay focused on Christ, how do we maintain focus?” With this inquiry in the back of my mind, I would like to give three essential ways to remain focused on the Lord. Let’s look at the life and teaching of Jesus for this.
First, one must get alone consistently with the Lord. Throughout the life of Jesus, one reads how He strategically would get away from the crowds and get away with the Father (Luke 5:16). Engagement with the Lord provides a time of renewal, repentance, and revival. Prayer opens the lines of communication to speak to the Lord and to hear the leading of the Lord. With consistency, the believer sets a routine of being with the Lord. When the distractions come, getting away with the Lord allows the believer to have an escape valve to deal with the disturbances.
Second, one must be transparent and obedient to the Lord. Being strategic in getting alone with the Lord is critical, but the conversation must be open. When the believer practices transparency, he or she speaks what dominates the heart, mind, and soul. The Lord already knows the intentions, thoughts, and conditions of one’s life. Thus transparency opens oneself before the Lord completely. The Father longs for His children to speak openly concerning their situation. Jesus did this before the cross when he requested that the cross be removed from His earthly future (Luke 22:32).
It is critical to recognize that Jesus did not end with transparency, but also submitted to the Lord. After requesting the removal of the cross, He quickly surrenders to the will of the Father. When believers speak openly with the Lord, they must respond to the Lord in humility and obedience, even when the answer is not the desire of the fleshly heart. Thus, the focus during the distractions consists of getting alone with the Lord, speaking openly, and humbling oneself to the will of the Lord.
Third, one must be preemptive in dealing with the distractions. Jesus gave insight to dealing with the pressures of distractions when He taught the parable of wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7. The wise builder was preemptive by building a strong foundation so that when the storms came, the building would stand. Likewise, believers should be preemptive by constructing a life on the rock of Christ through the practice of activities like spiritual disciplines. Building one’s life on Christ allows the believer to stay focused on the Lord during the storm because Christ is the foundation that is holding all things together (Colossians 1:17).
Distractions in the Christian journey are guaranteed. The distractions may be from the past sin in one’s life or from the uncertainty of the future or somewhere in between. Either way, it is important that the believer journey well by communicating and maturing in one’s relationship with the Lord.
