On a Right FOCUS
You Should Focus on and Pursue a Blessed Life
How should you pursue the blessings God has for you?
Now, before you accuse me of having gone over the dark side of the prosperity gospel, let me assure you… that’s not where any of this is going. Read on my friend!
As we strive to follow God faithfully, making every effort to live a transformed life, the Bible, here in Psalm 1 gives us some great help. Basically, it’s a warning, describing how people stray from the right path.*
(Let me just say here, on the front end: while this particular fast might not be for everyone, the more you don’t like it - the more you need it.)
Have you ever noticed that the entire book of Psalms opens with a description of the blessed, or transformed life? Here is how to have that life. .
Psalm 1:1 - The Pattern
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the way of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
It’s so interesting that it begins with a three layered warning, listing three things we should avoid. We’re warned about:
• The Counsel of the wicked, which is about who you listen to. The people, the voices you listen to shape the way you think. You’ve got to learn to quickly identify the negative voices and move on, leaving them behind.
• The Way of sinners points out that your wrong thinking will lead to wrong actions. Those voices, when you stop and focus on them, become the people you follow. Listening to wicked counsel leads to walking in evil paths.
• The Seat of Scoffers is joining with bad company. This path will, ultimately, lead to a wrong community. Those that you begin to walk with become those who you identify with and then who you are.
This isn’t just a warning, it’s also explaining the very real pattern that we all so easily fall in to. When we listen to others with any sort of regularity, they begin to shape our thinking. As you fall into the habit of walking, talking, and listening to them, they’ll gain greater influence in your life. Stopping and standing with them, allows their influence to increase exponentially in your life to begin growing as you give them far greater attention and allow them to greater influence in your life. Ultimately, when you sit down, you’re joining them. You’re one of them now. Once you’ve sat down, you’re probably not going to get up. The effort it takes to get up, while being surrounded by voices encouraging you to stay, means you’re now one of them and you’ve settled in for the long haul. It’s really hard to get up and start moving again.
While this pattern is presented in the negative, and it’s interesting that Psalms begins this way, it’s also the pattern that we all tend to follow. You follow it and I follow it. Of course, when we’re following the right people, the pattern is actually a good thing. But, we’re all sinners and trapped in these bodies of flesh that hunger for the wrong things. Between this and the fact that the best lie is mostly true, we’re reminded that it’s very easy to listen to the wrong voices rather than the best.
The real question is what does the Bible say the loudest voice needs to be? What should look those we listen to be encouraging us toward?
Psalm 1:2 - The Focus
But his delight is in the law of Yahweh,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
Where is your delight?
Where is your focus?
Where is your obsession?
Where do your thoughts dwell?
What are you striving to follow closely?
On what do your thoughts dwell?
What things come up in conversation?
What are you reading about?
What are you listening to?
What are you reading?
What would those you spend time with say is the thing closest to your heart?
If you were to summarize the dominant topics that echoed in your head over the past seven days, what would be on the list?
Of course, I’m not saying that the only thing you can ever read or think about has to include #chapter&verse, but your delight, the thing you meditate on, your primary focus, simply must be the Word of God.
Any voice that you allow into your life that does not lead you to greater delight, focus, and meditating on God’s Word is one that you should not listen to. Most of those voices will be obvious, but we can never forget that the enemy is very good at deceiving us and our flesh always desires the opposite of what God’s will for our lives will. And because the best lie is mostly true, the enemy can and often will put just enough truth into the mix to hide the path you’re moving toward.
The end result of ignoring the wrong voices and delighting in God’s Word is found in the next verse:
Psalm 1:3 - The Result
And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
So Let’s Try Something!
What would happen if we doubled down on our commitment to God’s Word and leaned hard into the voices God has placed around us? Those voices are Scripture and our Coram Deo family (or your own church family). What if, for a substantive period of time we were to “fast” from all the “other/outside voices that aren’t absolutely necessary?” How might the Lord work in your life through something like that?
Take some significant time and Focus your mind’s attention, and your heart’s affection on God’s Word and the Body God has placed you in. Disconnecting from the distractions could also lift a weight away that might open our souls for a wonderful period of rest, renewal and joy in community.
While we can certainly learn much from all those “voices” (sermons, books, blogs, etc.), it’s far too easy for them to take a place of priority in our lives that they’re not meant to have. (We all have a tendency to over-emphasize, and even idolize those we really connect with either intellectually or emotionally). Some preachers are just SO GOOD and move us on a deep level.
However, our “main thing,” as the Psalm says, must be delighting in and meditating on God’s Word. We can’t over emphasize the voices of men above God’s Word or allow the people God has put us in community with to not have a central place in our lives. The 47 One Anothers in the New Testament are intended to be done in your local church. God’s design is for us to know one another deeply and intimately and that takes time and effort. It also requires a good portion of our “Bandwidth” (go read that blog in light of this). We are exhorted to encourage one another toward love and good works. We can’t do that if we’re not involved in others’ lives beyond Sunday morning, Family Groups, and Discipleship.
Disconnect from any unnecessary external “spiritual” input. Whether blogs, podcasts, sermons, apps, email lists, books, etc. Unsubscribe, delete, and put away. Include social media where it’s not absolutely necessary. Even the “reformed memes for Christians in Jeans.” Just step away.
The goal and purpose of this fast idea is to renew and refocus our love for God, HIs Word, and brothers and sisters in our own church.
What might God do if we set aside “good things” for the BEST THINGS: His Word (no book is better) and His people? (Obviously, reading a book together as part of one of the ministries of your church would fall into the “engaging with His people” category).
How Long Should I Do this?
Well, long enough for the echoes to fade. Long enough to initiate a new rhythm in your heart and mind. Long enough to see God’s Word “take over” as the dominant voice in your head, direct your thoughts, inform your theology, and overwhelm your practices.
It seems to me that two months would be a bare minimum - a month for the echoes to fade, and a month for new voices to take priority. However, three to six months would allow that to settle in and really set itself as the rhythm.
Ultimately, how long it should be depends on how much power and prominence those voices have in your life. If you listen to multiple podcasts each week and read a lot of blogs and books, you might need longer for the echoes to fade. If you rarely read books, blogs, or listen to podcasts, it might not take long as you probably simply need to establish a better Scriptural foundation. Hint: the more you don’t like the idea of giving up your podcasts, books, etc, the more you need this and the longer it’ll probably take.
Why am I doing this again?
Ultimately, it’s so you can faithfully purse what Romans 12 calls “The Transformed Life” and allow God’s Word and His People, specifically the ones He has placed you into community with, to be what you’re saturated by and surrounded with. If you were to go back 100 or so years, the vast majority of your “spiritual input,” if not all of it, would already be in this category. Before podcasts, blogs, an abundance of readily available books, and livestreams, the only sermon you’d likely hear any given week would be at your own church. The conversations would be with others in your church. The shepherds the Lord placed over you to care for your soul would truly be the main purveyors of the Word in your heart and mind.
Set aside the trappings of “modern-day Christianity” and take a break. Gather in your home and in those of others in your church. Fully engage in all aspects of your own church. Focus your social life within the Body. Focus on the Discipline of the input of God’s Word, and lean into the care and companionship He designed for you in the Community of Faith He sovereignly placed you in. Ephesians 4:8-12 tells us that God gave churches the gifts of pastors to equip us for the work of service and to build us up. That’s where He intends for you to grow: your local church, in the midst of your brothers and sisters, under the watchful care of your shepherds. Rather than being tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine… let’s grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:15b-16)
This morning, after I woke up sick and unable to preach, Brent Loyd, one of our elders stepped in with only a couple of hours notice and preached a FIRE sermon from Romans 12:1-2, concluding with some questions about living the transformed life. They align perfectly with this whole fast idea, so I wanted to include them here for your consideration as the final words of this blog:
Is Your Life Being Conformed?
• Are your priorities shaped by the world, or the Word of God?
• Are you growing more comfortable with the sin in your life?
• Do you sacrifice your Christian principles for the sake of worldly success?
• Do the people/organizations you support promote, or oppose holiness?
• Is Human life sacred? Or just a choice?
• Are you investing in the temporal, or the eternal?
• Do you publicly identify as a follower of Jesus Christ?
Is Your Life Being Transformed?
• Are you growing in love for God and His Word?
• Are you pursuing obedience to God?
• Are you demonstrating love, patience, kindness, etc. in how you deal with others?
• Does your life and attitude foster peace and unity in the body of Christ?
• Do you love, honor, and respect your spouse more and more as time passes?
• Are you investing more in your spiritual growth, or your finances?
• Is the way you live your life obviously different?
Thanks Brent not only for filling in at the last minute, but also for faithfully preaching the Word and your message of encouragement, exhortation, and edification from God’s Word!
So what do you think? Is this something you can do? How long do you think would be best for you? Let me know what you think and I’ll pray for you daily throughout your fast.
Grace & Peace
Pastor Rob
* Thanks to Dr. Steven Jones and his “Psalms 2018” Curriculum for the explanation of the Blessed Life in Psalm 1.