FAITH CAPSULE: Maintaining focus is crucial to making advance to live life for the glory of God.

Genesis 19:12-26, Daniel 1

Having a clean heart and a steadfast spirit is certain to remain walking in the Lord. Clean heart and steadfast spirit is the evidence of maintaining focus on the things of God. Maintaining focus is crucial to making advance and answering God’s calling in center of divine assignment of God. Focus will keep man from distraction. A failure to maintain focus will pass man to distraction. Distraction can be an avenue to untimely destruction. Are you focusing not to be distracted in this wicked world?
Daniel, young in captivity was able to maintain focus when he purposed in his heart not to defile God. It happened that the king ordered a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for Daniel and his friends. It sounds good for a young captive to accept provision of the king. To Daniel, King’s provision was considered as anti-focus. Daniel refused anti-focus but made the choice to maintain focus. It is written, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8) Daniel remained focus to keep himself for God and he made advance everywhere he turned to. Daniel was focused to engage his journey in captivity with a purposeful heart. He allowed God to reign in his life when he refused to defile his body (the temple of God). Above all, Daniel was steadfast not to contradict his journey but advanced to the glory of God.
Lot’s wife focused on the past. Lot’s wife could not let the past be in the past she disregarded the command of God which stated, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17) Lot’s wife did the opposite when she looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis19:26) Whatever Lot’s wife was looking for in her past was a representative of anti-focus which caused her to become a pillar of salt and not escape as ordained for her by God. There is no one that will go forward in life by focusing on the past. This also testifies that man cannot set sight on the past and be able to see what is ahead. The case of Lot’s wife is that of a shifted focus. Lot maintained focus by looking forward to where the Lord was taking him and his family. Daniel could not allow any distraction because he maintained focus. With focus, advance in your calling for God to be glorified in your life.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God to gain and maintain focus.