Focus | Proverbs 4:20-27

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

Let's go to the Lord in prayer . Lord , we love you , we praise you , we thank you , we celebrate you . We give your name all the glory , honor and praise . Thank you , master , for this opportunity just to be here as sisters and brothers in your presence . God , forgive us of our sins , forgive us of our shortcomings , forgive us

Opening Prayer

Speaker 1 0:15

of any agenda that is not yours . Now , god , have your way in this space . Speak like only you can , transform like only you can , and when it's all said and done , o Lord , we'll be careful to give your name all the glory on and praise us in the powerful name of Jesus . We pray that the people of God say amen , amen , amen .

Speaker 1 0:35

Today , family , our scripture is found in Proverbs , the fourth chapter . I really , really encourage you to read the entire chapter , proverbs , the fourth chapter , today

Scripture Reading from Proverbs 4

Speaker 1 0:51

as part of your devotional time , but for the sake of time , I will deal with verse 20 through 27, . Proverbs , the fourth chapter , verse 20 through 27 . And the word of the

Importance of Focus in Life

Speaker 1 1:01

Lord reads as follows my child , pay attention to what I say , listen carefully to my words . Don't lose sight of them . Let them penetrate deep into your heart , for they bring life to those who find them and healing to their whole body . Guard your heart above all else , for it determines the course of your life . Avoid all perverse talk . Stay away from corrupt speech . Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you . Mark out a straight path for your feet . Stay on the safe path . Don't get sidetracked . Keep your feet from following evil .

Speaker 1 1:45

And for this morning's inspiration , I kind of want to continue to pick up on a theme that has been kind of prevalent as we continue to break barriers , and that theme has been focus . Everybody say focus , focus , focus , focus , focus , focus . So one of the things that we have to understand , my sisters and brothers , is that if we're going to continue to break barriers and be who God has called us to be , we cannot lose our focus . The book of Proverbs is considered to be a book of great wisdom , most of it believed to be written by one of the wisest men that ever existed . And in the wisdom , one of the things that he tells us is is that in the midst of everything

Wisdom and Discernment

Speaker 1 2:45

that's going on in this crazy world , in the midst of everything that's going on in this crazy life , the one thing that we cannot do is to lose our focus . O'clock service , and even at a one o'clock service , three different powerful sermons from three dynamic individuals . But one of the things that we were reminded of is that , at the end

Guarding Your Heart and Mind

Speaker 1 3:15

of the day , if we're going to do it , we cannot lose our focus . And the truth of the matter is , today is January the 29th and some people need to be refocused . It's January the 29th and some of us need to be refocused . We've already lost sight of the vision and we've already lost sight of the target . We've already lost sight of the objective because life has been coming and it has been coming fast , and we have to maintain our focus .

Speaker 1 3:49

Some of you lost your focus when the current administration started signing executive orders that had a direct impact either on you

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Speaker 1 4:00

or on the people that you love or impact on the community , or on the people that you love or impact on the community . And while it's certainly a time for concern and a time for action and a time for movement , it's certainly not a time to lose focus . Some of you lost focus when certain things or certain people I should say that you are connected to , you've seen a side of them that you hadn't quite seen before and it's been troubling to you , and now that has caused you to lose focus . Some of you lost focus because you spent more time listening to social media reports and news outlets than you have in your devotional time , meaning that if I were to take your cell phone and download the amount of minutes and hours that you spent scrolling in comparison to the amount of time that you spent reading the word of God , the raw and the real the data wouldn't lie . The data would show a person that has lost their focus . You spent more time looking at cats jump out of trees or listening to the drama and trauma and everybody's opinion about everything that's going on in the world , but God is saying that . Well , you can do that another time , but this year ain't the time to stay to lose your focus . Do that another time , but this year ain't the time to stay to lose your focus . And if we're actually going to break any barriers , we cannot lose our focus .

Speaker 1 5:33

So the writer tells us a few things in this amazing story , chapter of Proverbs that I just really want to highlight to help us today to get back on focus , to do what God has called us to do . These words in Proverbs , the fourth chapter , are words from a father to a child giving fatherly wisdom . And early on in Proverbs , the fourth chapter . On in Proverbs , the fourth chapter , the writer says take my words to heart , follow my commands and you will live . That's God talking to us . He says that if you take the words of the gospel , you take the words of those that God has placed in your life to be a blessing to you . If you take those words to heart , you will live . Somebody say I will live . Just type that in , I will live . That means that regardless of what happens around you , regardless of the decisions that are made , that you have no control over these words of wisdom said if you follow the commands of God , you will live . And then it says don't turn from those words and don't turn your back on wisdom .

Speaker 1 6:42

And many times in this season of our life , god is giving . He's giving instruction , he's giving wisdom , but perhaps sometimes you don't like the instructor or you don't like what's being said , so you turn your back on wisdom . And I'm here to remind you that if you turn your back on wisdom , that's the beginning of you losing your focus . There will be some things that are said in this season you don't like , you don't necessarily disagree with , but don't ever turn your back on wisdom . He goes on to say whatever else you do , you have to develop good judgment .

Speaker 1 7:12

In the New Testament that's what we refer to as discernment . It's my prayer that your discernment will be on another level in this season , so much so that you're able to discern even when you are starting to lose focus . It's always good to discern what's going on in somebody else's life and be able to discern what's going on in the White House , but how you can discern what's going on in everybody else's life but you can't even discern the fact that you've lost your own focus . Is this thing on Bike check ? Hello , let me shake it up a little bit . You have to have such a discerning spirit that you can recognize when you have gotten , when you have lost your focus . We're trying to go somewhere , we're trying to get somewhere , we're trying to do something . We got places to go , we got people to see , we got stuff to do . But we have to have a developed good judgment , a discerning spirit , to recognize when we're about to lose focus . He said if you prize wisdom , she will make you great . Embrace her and she will honor you . She will place a lovely wreath on your head , she will present you with a beautiful crown . My child , listen to me and do what I say , and you will have a long life .

Speaker 1 8:24

He spends a lot of time talking about wisdom and holding on to instruction , and if we're going to not lose focus , we have to embrace wisdom , we have to embrace instruction . And then he goes on to say don't do as the wicked do and follow the path of evildoers . What do evildoers do ? When they find themselves in despair , they lean to their own understanding . When they find themselves in a struggle , they fix it their own way . That's the way of the world . And the Lord is saying that you got to be smarter than that . You got to be wiser than that . You have to realize where your help comes from . You have to realize where your source is . In the midst of what you're going through , you have to be able to draw near to God and he will do what . Draw near to you . And he's commanding us to stay focused . He's amending us to stay away from wickedness .

Speaker 1 9:18

And it was later , in this same book , where he tells us to fret not thyself because of evildoers , neither be afraid of the workers of iniquity , meaning you ain't got to worry about how other folk came up . You ain't got to worry about how other folk make it . All your responsibility and mandate is is to be who God has called you to be and do what God has called you to do . Then he says round about verse 20 , pay attention to what I say . Listen carefully to my words . Don't lose sight of them . Can I ask a question ? Have you lost sight of what God has already declared about your life ? Have you already lost sight about what God has said he was going to do in your life ? You know God said it . You believe God said it . You remember what he said about the situation and circumstance .

Speaker 1 10:00

Have you lost sight of the words of wisdom that were spoken into your life ? He says let these words penetrate deep into your heart , for they bring life to those who find them and healing to their whole body . Ooh wee . Did you not realize that this text is reminding us that if we don't lose our focus , if we operate in wisdom , if we meditate on the word of God , there's a healing that's associated with this ? Did you hear what I said ? There is a healing for your mental . There is a healing for your body . There is a healing for your soul . There's a healing for whatever is aching in your life in the word of God . That's why the enemy wants you to be distracted . He wants you not to be focused because he doesn't ever want you to get to that place of healing and victory that the Lord has for you . But I want to remind you that some of you have been with y'all long enough and it is time for you to get everything that the good Lord has for you . It's time for you to no longer operate as a wounded warrior . It's time for you to no longer operate as a broken Betty . It's time for you to be what God has called you to be , and it has been declared . For those who listen carefully to these words , for those who don't lose sight of them and allow these words to penetrate deep into your heart , you will find life and you will find healing for your whole body . What a powerful thing that happens when I don't lose focus , and sometimes I hadn't been healed because I don't even know how to focus on my own healing . Sometimes I hadn't been delivered because I've lost the ability to even focus on my own deliverance .

Speaker 1 11:40

And he goes on to say this guard your heart above all else , for it determines the course of your life . That one , to me , reminds me of the power of our heart , the seed of our emotions . Jeremiah said this about our hearts that it is evil and it is wicked . And who could ever know it ? It's deceptive . The seed of our emotions can deceive us . Did you know that sometimes y'all , we have lost our focus because we've been guided by our emotions ? We've been guided by our feelings . We bounce from place to place and situation shift to situation shift because we're being guided by our emotions . And that's why he said guard your heart above all else , for it determines the course of your life . And I want to talk to some people and say stop making these emotional responses to everything , because when you make an emotional response , all that is is evidence that you've lost your focus right Before you make your next emotional response .

Speaker 1 12:42

The question should be what is God saying about this situation ? In a fight or flight situation , what is God saying ? Guard your heart above all else . How do we guard our heart ? Do I have any people that got some insight on that ? You could type it in . How would you tell your sister to guard your heart ? How would you tell your brother to guard their heart . What have you done in the course of your journey with the Lord ? You've been walking with the Lord long enough . Help Pastor Walt out this morning , help your sisters and brothers out . What have you done that has gave you the ability to guard your heart ? How in the world was Jesus able to guard his heart when he knew he had a Judas sitting at the table ? Ooh , that sounded so good to me .

Speaker 1 13:26

I got to ask it again , brother David Ellis . How in the world was Jesus able to guard his heart when he had a Judas sitting at the table right ? Because if he didn't guard his heart , then he could have said I quit because there's a Judas at the table right . Because if he didn't guard his heart , then he could have said I quit because there's a Judas at the table . Judas betrayed me , I ain't going to do this , no more . But his heart was guarded right . How is David in the Bible that he is able to guard his heart when some of the people that he led became some of the same people that tried to take his life ?

Speaker 1 14:00

How do you get to the point where you can guard your heart and keep on keeping on ? Have y'all figured out how to guard your heart . Yet Every last one of you most of you , I would say have been walking with Jesus more than two minutes and you've had some trials and you've had some tribulations . You've had some disappointments , you've had some setbacks . You've had some disappointments , even when you thought and wanted God to move in a different way . Somebody said we guard our heart through prayer . Somebody said we guard our heart through forgiveness and fasting and love .

Speaker 1 14:30

We have to guard our hearts in this season because it's so much that's coming at us that if our heart is not guarded and something happens to us and we get disappointed , then when we get disappointed , now I'm no longer focused on the task at hand and I just want to encourage somebody in this season of life . You got to be able to guard your heart , parents . You got to guard your heart because sometimes it'd be your own children , right ? You got to guard your heart and not lose focus . Parishioners . You got to guard your heart at church because everybody at church don't have the best intent for you , because sometimes people that come into church are wounded . Sometimes they come in and they have issues , sometimes they have spirits , sometimes they have stuff . So you have to guard your heart to make sure that you don't lose focus just because of something else that's going on in someone else's life .

Speaker 1 15:16

Any pastors out there , I want to encourage you . You can't pastor if you don't have a guarded heart , because at the end of the day , the same people that you love on will certainly be the same people that leave you , and you still have to be able to love on them and pray for them and still say that it is well . And I want to talk to somebody in the room and say that my prayer for you this morning is that you will learn to guard your heart so much that , even though it may pain you when somebody disappoints you , you can still look at them and say it is well . It is well because God got me . It is well because I will pray for you . It is well because what God only God will take , what the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good . We have to . Somebody said pray for compassion in the middle of our pain . And my heart is guarded . Regardless of what happened , I can say that it is well . It hurts , but my heart is guarded . So it is Well . I didn't want to lose that loved one , but it is well , because God has me in such a way that I know that I'm going to see the glory after this .

Speaker 1 16:38

Avoid all perverse talk and stay away from corrupt speech . One of the things that I've been reminding you all that I serve , as we talk about breaking barriers and hearing from the Lord , is that we must guard our ear gates at all times . We have to be mindful and careful of what we're hearing and listening to if we're going to keep our focus . Funny story funny to me this weekend . I knew I wasn't going into church seriously , but I sure just wanted to go to church . I was like I knew I didn't have to preach , didn't want to preach . Well , I wanted to but I couldn't . But sometimes you just want to be in the presence of the Lord . I'm like man , I'm not contagious anymore . I've been on my antibiotics , so I'm going to go to . I just want to go to church . Sit there . I knew I really wasn't going , but I said it out loud I want to go to church .

Speaker 1 17:24

Of course , um Tiff was like you ain't ready to go to church . And a boy and one of the boys like no , daddy , you can , why can't I go ? And he started talking . I said tell you what you do , little fella . I said you go and you pray and then you come back and you tell me what God said . You go , ask God , can I go to church and get out my room and don't come back till you got an answer and he said I can pray right now . I said yeah , you pray right now .

Speaker 1 17:50

You know what he did when he started to pray ? He took his fingers and put them in his ears and I said boy , what are you doing ? He said I'm trying to hear if God is telling you to go to church today or not . And I chuckled real good . And I said and that was Jacob , by the way , nicole and I said that's interesting that even as a child , he understands the concept that if I'm really going to hear , I got to block the noise that's coming from everywhere else . Right , if I'm going to hear , I got to plug these ears and I got to block it . You know , see , an 80-year-old that figured out some stuff that some 80-year-old saints haven't figured out yet and some of us we're not hearing because we still have too much other noise that's coming in . That's why he said in wisdom that not only must we avoid perverse talk . We got to avoid gossip . He said we got to stay away from corrupt speech . We got to stay away from corrupt speech . When I'm really trying to hear , I can't listen to this noise . I can't listen to this noise , right ? I'm just going to say how I feel it . We have to be politically aware , right ? So we can make the moves that we need to make .

Speaker 1 19:07

I don't believe in this nonsense of a church sitting by and doing nothing as people burn the world down but , at the same time , if you've heard more from Donald Trump's executive orders this last week , then you can recite every executive order this week , but you can't tell me nothing that God has said to you this week . You wrong , you wrong , bro , you wrong sis . You've lost your focus , right ? You lost your focus , and I'm just trying to tell you that if you're trying to hear from God , it's sometimes we got to put that other stuff down , not to ignore what's going around us . But all I'm trying to see is God , what's the move ? I see what the enemy is doing . I see all this stuff that's going on . I hear all that . I heard enough of that now . Now , god , what's the move ? How should the church operate ? How should the church move ? How should the church respond to everything that we're saying ? Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you . Mark out a straight path for your feet . Stay on the safe path .

Speaker 1 20:07

Verse 27 , don't get sidetracked . Keep your feet from following evil , and that's the only thing I want to tell you . Verse 27 , don't get sidetracked . Get back on the right track . That's a rhyme . Don't get sidetracked . Get back on the right track . Don't get sidetracked . Get back on the right one time . Don't get sidetracked . Okay , well , anyway , I grew up at a time they used to have jingles to make you remember stuff . So I'm trying to help somebody . Don't get sidetrack , okay , well , anyway , I grew up at a time that used to have jingles to make you remember stuff , so I'm trying to help somebody . Don't get sidetracked , get back on the right track . Keep your feet from following evil . Remember that evil and sin one A definition that is always powerful when it comes to defining sin is that sin is missing the mark , while evil and all those things are .

Speaker 1 21:02

Certainly you can go into a much deeper definition , but I enjoy this definition simply because it makes it not be about the proclivity . It makes it not be about just not doing certain things . It shifts everything . The fact of you , when you're not getting sidetracked , what you're saying is I'm no longer going to allow stuff to cause me to miss the mark . The verse 27, .

Speaker 1 21:29

He says stop getting sidetracked and keep your feet from going in the wrong direction . He don't get sidetracked , keep your feet going in the right direction . It's evil when you miss the mark , because now you find yourself going in a direction that's opposite of God's will for your life . You were so close and then you got sidetracked . But I'm here to declare to you today that it's not too late to get back on the right track . Don't get sidetracked , keep your feet on the right track . It's time to stay focused , and if you stay focused , you're going to break through . If you stay focused , there is about to be a breakout for you . If you stay focused , god will speak to you about what your responsibility is as it relates to everything that's going on in the earth . If you stay focused , god is about to do it for you . He's about to answer the prayer , he's about to make a way , but all you have to do is stay focused on the Lord . So it's prayer time .

Speaker 1 22:31

Family . I thank you all for being with us this morning . It's always good to be here Looking forward to a powerful Bible study tonight , looking forward to a dynamic word . This weekend . There is a word from the Lord , as always . We thank God for what he did last week and we look forward to what God is going to do this week .

Speaker 1 22:52

Let's go to the Lord in prayer . Lord , we love you , we praise you , we thank you , we celebrate you and God , we give your name to glory , honor and praise . Lord , today , our prayer is simple Help us to stay focused , help us to keep our mind on the main thing , which is you , not on politics , not on other things . It's not that we're ignoring those things , god . We got to be aware so we can do what you called us to do , but I hear you reminding us , god , that some of us have lost our focus . We got to keep on keeping on . You already told us that certain things are going to happen anyway , so we just got to make sure that we're doing what we are supposed to do , and if we do what we're supposed to do , we're going to excel . If we do what we're supposed to do , we're going to thrive If we do what we're supposed to do , we're going to win . If we do what we're supposed to do , we're going to overcome all kind of weapons and all type of evil that may form against us , but it won't prosper .

Speaker 1 23:39

Thank you , lord , for giving us a supernatural focus . Thank you , god , for giving us supernatural discernment . God , we give you name all of the glory , give you name all the honor . We give you name all the praise . I pray for healing across the land . In a time , god , where RSV and flu and other things are passing around , god , you are the healer . Protect the people , father God , as they go into public spaces , as they go to work , as they go to the gym , as they go to the mall , as they just go out to school . Children go to school . Protect us all , father God , in the name of Jesus . God , we love you , we praise you . Keep us focused . God , we love you so much today . God , we give you a name of glory , honor and praise . It's in the powerful name of Jesus we pray that the people of God say amen , amen , amen , listen , love your family , mean it . May God bless you , may God keep you , may heaven smile upon you , god bless and go in peace .