Y’all- I am going to be straight up with you right now, life is tough.
I know what it’s like, feeling like you can never win. Constantly battling with the same feelings of emotion, regret, frustration, hurt, and anger. I know what it’s like refusing to face reality, struggling to see a way around all that is in front of you, there is just no way out! I know what it’s like to play the comparison game, sitting around in anxious thoughts, and even be taken over by jealousy. Heartbreak? I’ve been there a time or two before, too. I struggle with finding peace, consistency, concentration. HELLO, can you say OVERWHELMED? Guys, I struggle with sin, regrets, mistakes, self-hatred, pride, selfishness, which leads to nothing but guilt. I am an imperfect person, chasing after a perfect God that sometimes seems impossible to even keep up with.
Life life is full of battles and inconsistencies; some we won’t always win or figure out. We fight until death, but even then we just can’t seem to find the victory. Let me ask you something though, who exactly are you fighting?
Are you fighting your friend? Your coworker?
Are you fighting the reflection you see in the mirror?
Maybe, you are fighting your spouse? Your mind? Your heart?
Are you fighting pride? Fighting anger? Jealousy?
Listen up- these things we FIGHT are not against us.
I know, CRAZY, but give me a minute. Believe it or not, the friend you are not seeing eye-to-eye with is NOT against you. Your spouse, though he or she may be digging at an opened wound, is not against you. The person you see in the mirror is not fighting you either. You, my friend, are fighting with the enemy. The enemy wants to destroy the life that is around you. The enemy wants to cause a divide and cause tension in every area of your life. He wants you to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and preoccupied with all things hurt. And, we only make it worse by concentrating on it. Yes- we feed the flame that is the enemy.
Our feelings are hurt over a situation happening at work, the enemy feeds the hurt, and you give in even more, seeing that entire situation as AGAINST YOU. The enemy tells you to be angry and bitter, so you do. We concentrate all of who we are on all of the hurt and wrong going on around and within us. But, I am going to say this again- we are not fighting our enemies, but only THE enemy who is SEEKING to kill and destroy our hope. And when we concentrate on the problem, we begin to see things exactly how the devil wants us to- as EVERYTHING being against us.
Doesn’t the Bible tell us to love our enemies? If so, then why is it next to impossible to do so when all they are causing in your life is hurt? This is because you are ALLOWING to see the hurt.
So, what are you concentrating on today? The bitterness you have towards someone? The hurt caused by your spouse? Maybe jealousy or pain? Stress, worry, regret?
Whatever it is that takes up your mind, let’s turn our eyes away and fix our gaze else where. Proverbs 2:1-11 says:
“My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.”
When reading this passage this morning, the word “concentrate” stuck in my mind.
I asked, myself, what am I really concentrating on and that was when I realized that I was concentrating on the toughness of this world and what I am faced with, instead of on concentrating on God.
I was so concentrated on what season of life I am stuck in, instead of concentrating on why God might have me here. I was so concentrated on the hurt, confusion, and loss between a relationship, that I wasn’t concentrating on my relationship with Christ. I was so concentrated on the battles between myself and others, that I forgot to concentrate on God fighting those battles with me. I was so concentrated on my enemies, that I forgot the real enemy up against me.
It is all about concentration, how we concentrate dictates our perspective and outlook on what’s around us.
God’s WISDOM guides our concentration. HE is the ONLY pure source of wisdom. And, His wisdom is the only way to a victory in your battles.
I want you to spend time in prayer today- asking God to CONCENTRATE your heart on him. Pray for ears tuned to His wisdom instead of the hurtful words you heart. Pray for a heart that is open, instead of one that is closed off and bitter. Pray for the ability to TREASURE His word and wisdom rather than discarding it. Pray that your soul CRIES OUT for His insight and truth.
Pray that you be filled with wisdom so that you may GROW and UNDERSTAND what is right, just, and fair. Rid your mind of everything else it might be concentrating on, and concentrate fully on the one who UNDERSTANDS and longs for you to UNDERSTAND.
This day is not your enemy. Your rugged relationships are not your enemy. Your mistakes and misunderstandings are not your enemy. So, do not concentrate on them today. Concentrate FULLY on Jesus. Seek Him “like hidden treasures” (2:4). Though, it can be hard to find, persistently search for and concentrate on Him & Him alone. A heart fully concentrated on Jesus is a heart that is filled with peace. Let’s be filled with PEACE today.
Xoxo
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