“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 KJV
News Flash! To do what God has called you to do, to put on and display godly character at all times and to walk in the fulfilment of God’s plans, you will have to go against popular opinion. Not just that, you will need to learn to drown out the noise and fix your eyes on God’s instruction and counsel.
As believers, we are called to do good works, but we can become distracted by many things when we should keep our focus on God. Sometimes we can be distracted by the opinions of people or even by our past achievements. Our anchor verse encourages us to lay everything aside and aim for progress in our faith while keeping our focus on God and His will.
Think of Noah in Genesis 6, running with the instruction to build an ark when it was not even raining. He was mocked but he faithfully followed God’s instruction and that brought about the preservation of mankind and animals. This can be you.
To maintain focus, look to the Word of God and yield to the influence of the Spirit of God in you. Study and meditate on God’s word. The need to keep God’s teachings and laws in our hearts and in front of our eyes is echoed in several verses of Scripture. Joshua 1:8 (NLT) says,
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
You should also surround yourself with friends who believe in the Gospel and live for God and people who are consistently seeking to obey God. With this kind of association, you will be consistently spurred to follow through with what God will have you do and you will receive correction when you seem to lose sight of it. We see an example in Daniel and the three Hebrew men, as they helped and encouraged each other to stand for God even when it meant they would be put to death (Daniel 1:8-21).
To cultivate a lifestyle of faithfulness to God’s instructions, God must be a priority to you, let it be your heart’s posture to please God rather than please man. That way, when you receive an instruction that goes against what is ‘popular,’ you will not back down. That an idea is popular does not always mean that it is true or right.
Dearly beloved, today is a good day to start this journey. Prioritize God above all else and surround yourself with believers who will spur you on to follow God’s counsel. You will begin to see how easy it is to focus on doing God’s will.
Hallelujah!
Bible Reading Plan: 2 Chronicles 6-7; Psalm 136