Dangers of Focus

 You know how negative I am about motivational teachings.

It is therefore no surprise that some of my posts counter most of their stuff.

But let me explain why motivation is many times contrary to faith.

Motivation is focused on self; self gratification, self fulfillment, self this, self that.

The Gospel however is Christ focused as He is the author and finisher of our faith.

The Gospel is not comfortable as it does not pamper us like motivation does.

But motivation is so attractive, many times making us extremely pumped up before reality dawns.

But let me get to my topic, focus and determination.

Have you ever wondered what kept pharaoh so determined that he eventually led his choice army drowning into the sea?

Why could he not give up even after the trumping he got from the ten plagues?

He was determined to prove a point, that he was his own man and does not take anybody’s orders. And he had enough allies who believed in him as such. They therefore helped keep his focus on that fact.

Pharaoh said, "Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don't know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go." (Exodus 5:2)

Imagine that a cloud has separated his army from Israel the whole night. Then the sea has dried to allow Israel to pass through.

How come he was unable to see that something beyond the ordinary was happening? Why couldn’t he connect these miracles to the ones that forced him to release Israel? Why couldn’t he remember his people earlier pleading with him to concede since Egypt was destroyed?

His focus was implacable. Nothing could change that focus for anything.

You see, what in the pursuit of a good thing is positive can be extremely destructive in the pursuit of the wrong thing. Incidentally it is the same even if purpose is the name we give it.

Let me give an analogy. A telescope is a very useful tool for the astronomer. But it would be extremely dangerous if you sought to use it to walk the streets. And that is the danger of focus when not directed by and to God and His revelation. We can very clearly see things that are unrelated to the present and eternity. Sadly, we might completely lose any relationship we had with reality.

And pharaoh is not the only one we see in the scriptures.

Judas walked and ministered with Christ but was focused on money. That is why he went out when Jesus commended a woman who wasted a fortune on dusty feet. He couldn’t take such waste.

Saul focused on being king that he was unable to see the One who gave him the commission. The one who spared fatlings to sacrifice had no qualms slaughtering a city of priests. Knowing David was the anointed king was not enough to stop him from seeking to kill him though he knew that he couldn’t  kill him since he couldn’t change God’s declaration.

Even Saul of Tarsus had no problem forcing people to blaspheme so that he could then arrest them for the blasphemy because he was focused on maintaining the purity of his faith.

Cain loved approval to the extent that he killed his brother to eliminate competition for the same.

Sadly, telescopic vision (focus), when it loses the view of spiritual reality, opens us to the evil one.

That is the reason we see pastors visiting witches to grow their ministry and not see anything wrong with it. That is the actual basis of corruption; a brutal focus on self.

A focus in the wrong context is dangerous. In fact, a focus for its own sake is evil.

Zealots are people so committed to what they believe that they will trash any contrary belief or practice. In our days we call them extremists. They will kill, maim, rape and raze everything in their way to purify their religion. And this is why I say that they give the devil a field day. Sometimes I suspect the devil is shocked that they have become more evil than he is. Yet they believe that is a pursuit of the God of justice.

I am sure you are wondering what the right context of focus is.

For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1Corinthians 2:2)

Or like Paul said in Philippians, let this mind be in you that was in Christ.

Christ came with an assignment that defined His focus. Focusing on Him will therefore purify our focus.

Even focusing only on His promises and what He has done for us is not right as it breeds entitlement since I am the focus.

For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things are held together. He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him; (Colossians 1: 16 – 19)

Incidentally, the part that suffers most is ministry when it gets focused elsewhere as it will then depend on the ingenuity or creativity of the minister. No wonder many have forgotten about sin, righteousness and judgment, some of the main things the Holy Spirit empowers us for.

When you hear people describing what they call worship you get to discover where their focus is.

Imagine boring worship! Who is the object there? And of course there are many other descriptions.

We are either focused on God and His revelation (the Bible) or our focus is destructive. And that is so even when we are doing spiritual things.

What is your focus? Where is your focus?