Focal Point

Focal Point
Focal Point is more than a blog. It's purpose is to help us stay focused on Christ through Gods Word as we navigate through life and today's culture.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Secret to Winning in Life

Often times when watching a sporting event between two teams emotion can play a huge roll at the beginning of a game. The underdog is playing at home, emotion and excitement is running high and the team not expected to win is in fact winning. But then it happens, the tide turns, the emotion plays out, and the more experienced team begins to take over and eventually wins the game. And the question becomes of the losing team, what could we have done to sustain our edge and win? What would have been the secret to winning?

I think the same could be said of us as Christians at times in our life. What can I do to sustain my heart for God? What is the secret to Christian living and victory? Well, perhaps there is no greater verse in the Bible that actually contains the secret to Christian living than Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved”

The Psalmist describes a practice and a result of that practice.. The practice is “setting the Lord always before me”… the result is…”I shall not be moved or shaken”. The whole point in this simple logic is we can not have this blessing of steadfastness and strength apart from the discipline of setting the Lord continually before us.

The message of this verse is that as we go down the road of life as a Christian we continually set the Lord before us in our daily walk. You see, the trends and circumstances of life constantly flow and change do they not? But the key of all spiritual life is to keep the Lord in His proper place. And something I must continually remember is that this is not something the Lord did, it is something the Psalmist did and I must do. I must constantly set the Lord before me in my heart and mind.

Now you might say, “well Steve, isn’t the Lord always around me? Isn’t He omnipresent?” Yes He is, there is no escaping God. But that is not what David is talking about in this verse. The idea is setting the Lord continually before me so that, it’s His will and His desires that are out front and not my own.

But I also see something else that is very important to daily Christian living. David said that he “always” set the Lord before him. That does not mean a one time event. It means continually – daily – repeatedly I set the Lord before me. David knew that his heart must never lead his thoughts, feet or hands in any other direction until God is established as the controlling reference point of his life – the Focal Point if you wll. And neither can I.

When out in the woods and not knowing which way to go, there is one thing I should not do: I shouldn’t go right or left until I know exactly what is north. When the compass is set to the north then I can make a proper decision. And, It’s only when the Lord is in His proper place in my life that I can then make the proper life decisions.

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