FOCUS

As we progress through this Summer Season and prepare to wrap up this Season of Basilisk, it is imperative that we remain FOCUSED. Satan is roaming about, seeing whom he may devour (John 10). It is up to us to be watchful, be sober, be vigilant and to remain prayerful (1Peter 5). We must remain mindful of the fact that we have only 2 more months till the beginning of the New Year on the Hebrew Calendar. I can assure you, as we move into the Season of Fall, you're going to witness some radical changes in your own life, the life of this nation, and the life of the world. But when these events hit, individually and collectively, we won't have time to get prepared then, we must get prepared now. We must make sure that we are in FOCUS.

One of the areas Jesus said that we need to remain focused on is the Kingdom of God. Jesus says in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness". The top priority of all of our lives should be Seeking the Kingdom of God. And where did Jesus say the Kingdom of God is? In you (Luke 17). There is a war going on in each and every one of us. Who's going to rule over your heart and mind, GOD or the Devil? The catch is, you decide who wins the war. When you yield to the Holy Spirit, then God wins. When you yield to the flesh, then Satan wins (Galatians 5). This is a relentless war, but one for which God has given us the Victory in and through His Son Jesus the Christ (Romans 7). But in order to come out Victorious, in order that the Rule of God (His Kingdom) may prevail in you, you have to remain FOCUSED.

Another area for which we need to remain focused is our Affections. The scripture says that those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (Galatians 5). The Affections of the Flesh represent the energy and passion that an individual directs towards something or someone that reinforces their self-worth, significance and self-esteem. The dangerous thing about the affections of the flesh is that they're not always overtly sinful. There's nothing in the Bible that says, "thou shalt not date". There's nothing in the Word that says, "thou shalt not watch tv for hours". The scripture doesn't say, "thou shalt not eat that chocolate cake". You're not going to find any of these "prohibitions" in the Word. However, all of these things and more, can represent affections of the flesh. I've had plenty of "girlfriends" that, at the end of the day, were primarily objects of my affections. But I wasn't sinning, right? This is the area where Satan wants to trip us up and why we have to remain FOCUSED. When it comes to nurturing our relationship with God, it's not always about "avoiding sin". A lot of times it's about monitoring our affections. The three areas that I mentioned earlier, even though none of them are inherently sinful, can all represent areas of self-indulgence. And believe me, once the Devil draws you into self, disobedience to God is borderline inevitable. But we can avoid this if we stay FOCUSED.

The last thing, in order to maintain our focus, we have to stay focused on Jesus. Colossians chapter 3 says, "set your affections on things above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Everything in our lives, and I do mean "everything" in our lives, should revolve around Jesus. When you operate with this type of FOCUS on the Lord, then it's not about avoiding sin, it's about arranging environments and making decisions where sin is not an option. Why? Because you're FOCUSED. When your focus is off, even just a little bit, you can sway off of God's Divine Course and Path for your life. But when it's all about Jesus, and He is the Love of your Life, then the Spirit will equip you with what you need to stay FOCUSED on the Lord.