Don't lose your focus!

    As we enter a brand new year, there is the usual talk of new beginnings and fresh hope. New year’s resolutions will be made with some excitement and sadly abandoned within a short time.
    I am choosing however, to simply be thankful. It isn’t a question of ignoring the negative things that have happened but choosing to focus on the reality that God has brought me through as well as to focus on the good things He has brought out of it all. The fact is that God uses both the good and the bad things to help shape your present and your future. God’s purpose and plan for your life have not changed, they remain the same no matter what has happened. At the end of the day, no matter what, God is still good. He isn’t only good when things are good, He is just good … period!!!
    I recall the testimony of a young African boy, Tani, a champion chess player in the United States. He was only eight years old when he won the 2019 New York state championship. He and his family had endured a terrible life in Nigeria where they faced persecution and the threat of death. They finally managed to escape to America where they started a new life. It was there that his chess skills were developed. He worked hard and his mother prayed with him explaining to him that with patience and prayer he would see success. It was a long and difficult road but Tani followed her advice and kept his focus and trusted God to help him be successful in the various tournaments he entered. In time, Tani’s success brought attention to his family’s plight and his family received material blessings beyond measure! Imagine, their challenging life in Nigeria helped pave the way for the success that was a part of their future!
    Your journey may have been a long and difficult one. You have received promise after promise; your hope and faith may have been severely tested. At the end of the day, it is important to trust God and leave the results up to Him. God is going to be God and He is going to still be good no matter how things turn out. Our focus needs to remain riveted on God who can do all things. As soon as our focus shifts to the negative - which can be so easy to do - our hope becomes shattered. I encourage you to keep your eyes on God. Isn’t that what Jesus was trying to teach us when He walked on stormy waters? The miracle wasn’t so much that He was walking on water as the fact that He was walking on extremely rough, unstable waters. HE was in control. He did not need the problem to fix itself so that He could walk safely on it. He was able to walk on it in spite of how rough it was. HE wasn’t being tossed about like the boat, neither was Peter, once he kept his eyes on Jesus (Matthew 14:22-32).
    Once we keep our focus on God and on His Word, we can survive and thrive in any situation. It really is about focus. When you focus on the problem - the wind and the waves - you will feel discouraged and hopeless. But, when you focus on God, hope and faith will remain alive because you acknowledge that He is the One to do it … not you! He is in control … NOT the situation! It’s about focus!!!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I invite you to do so now. Last year has been what it has been, but in this new year, you can choose where to fix your focus - on God or on your situation. The one thing that can change is your situation, the one thing that cannot change is God. He is unchangeable and has proven Himself incapable of failing. He is still the God who is able to make the impossible … possible!!!

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