Where is Your Focus?

Sunday, November 16th, 2025

8:31 am

Good morning! This morning, I am still in the same sections I talked about yesterday, I will probably be here for a couple of days. My Bible is a study Bible, so there are a lot of notes in these sections that may take me a couple of days to get through. What I have had to learn over the last several of years is that our journeys do not look the same. Sometimes we may read through the Bible straight through, and it might not take us long to go through. We may do one of those plans that is reading the Bible in a year. But sometimes we may actually need to spend longer in the Word than that. Whatever the Lord leads you to do, it is okay, it does not matter what anyone else is doing, because each one of our journeys with God looks completely different. For me the last several of years has really showed me to slow down, and take time in God's Word, allowing Him to lead me day by day through the Bible, and He meets me every step of the way, just like He will for you if you take the time to spend time with Him. That leads me to what God got my attention on this morning.

In these verses, that I listed yesterday, Matthew and Mark really talked about how John set himself apart from the other religious leaders in that time, by how he lived in the wilderness and how he dressed. He set himself apart. That time he spent in the wilderness away from everyone allowed Him to grow in the Word of God. Allowing God to guide him, not having to worry about what anyone thought of him. Many times we can get so wrapped up in what other people think of us or what other people are doing that we miss what God is doing in us and how He is wanting to use us. That is especially true when we are teenagers trying to figure out who we are. And unfortunately when we do that, we are focusing on the world and not on God, and the world pulls us away from God. All throughout His Word, God tells His people that they must be set apart, they must not be like the world around them, because doing that would get them into trouble, and pull them away from Him. That same message is for us today, just as John preached to repent of sins and turn back to God. God is asking us to do the same thing. Stop focusing on the world, instead focus on Him. Only then will we live a life of fullness. Because God is the one that provides all the things that we need. He is the one that created us. He knows exactly what we need, when we need it.

Are you focusing on God or the world? Have you allowed the world to distract you from God? One way to know if you are focusing on God or the world is by looking at your routines in your day. What do you spend most of your time doing and thinking about? That will show you if you are focusing on God or the world more. Don't worry, if you realize that you are focusing on the world more, that is a good starting point to make a change. If you notice that, God has revealed that to you and He is calling you back to Him. Ask Him for help in that area, and He will help you.