Disciples are focused on Jesus
The vision of His Place is A Jesus Church
is not to be a Baptist, Methodist, Church of God, Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Catholic, Pentecostal, Charismatic or any other denomination; His Place Church is a body, walking under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and living by faith in Christ Jesus. Our vision is to focus on Jesus, not on other things.
Focus on Jesus, not on other things
There are difficulties in life; however, no matter how life throws at us, when we focus our lives on Christ Jesus, we can handle whatever it brings our way. In Philippians 4:12-13 Paul wrote, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to be abound. Everywhere in all things I have learned to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need, I can do all things through Christ strengthens me.”
We are not to be focused on our feelings; our feelings are ups and downs according to circumstances.
We are not to focus on our problems; problems come and problems go throughout life in this world.
We are not to focus on disease; disease and illnesses hit us unaware in this worldly realm. We are not to focus of our finances; finances can bring us riches one day and poverty the next day.
We are not to focus on our job or vocation; we can be on top of the world vocationally one day, and suddenly our job is lost in a heartbeat the next.
We are not to focus on the devil. Most people focus on how bad the devil is beating them up. This is true only if we are not in Christ. The devil has no power over us in Christ Jesus unless we give in to him in our fleshly and earthly minds..
Colossians 2:15 says “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He (Jesus) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” That means that Jesus stripped Satan of his demons of all authority.” 1 John 4:4 tells us “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He is greater than he who is in the world.”
When we focus on these things, we live an up and down life like a roller coaster. When we focus on Jesus, we rise above our feelings, our problems, our diseases, our finances, about our jobs and the devil.
As we focus on Jesus, the devil is completely and utterly defeated from the children of God in Christ. In Christ, we don’t struggle with the devil; we simply tread on serpents and scorpions and all his power (Luke 10:19). We don’t wrestle with demons; we cast them out (Mark 16:17). We don’t fight against the devil; we just celebrate his eternal defeat. In Christ, the devil is hardly more than an after-thought. Smith Wigglesworth was awakened in the night and saw the image of the devil standing at the foot of his bed. Wigglesworth simply pulled up his covers while exclaiming: “Oh, that’s just you” and rolled over and returned to sleep. To the devil, Wigglesworth was simply an after-thought, a defeated foe of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is true for us, as well.
We believe we do have to pull down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). In other words, the warfare is not in our physical or mental realm; the warfare we fight comes primarily in our way of thinking. Wigglesworth had settled his destiny in Christ and he had no fear of the devil at all. Wigglesworth simply focused his mind and spirit on Jesus.
However, we should not be blinded to the strongholds in life; not to ignore them, and not to deny them. There are real strongholds in our lives. We are not to be foolish saying that there are no problems in life that are to be dealt with. A person who has been told he or she has cancer or diabetes and simply ignores it is foolish. These things are to be dealt with. If you have no money to pay your bills with, don’t ignore this; don’t wish they will go away.
We do fight battles in our daily lives. We do have to pull down, what Paul calls “strongholds”, but they are primarily battles in our minds. Strongholds are corrupt ways of thinking that pulls you down emotionally, spiritually, and physically where you don’t want to go – and where God doesn’t want you to go. We fight the battle of those strongholds by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) and by focusing on Jesus; fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).
Dear friend, as we claim victories over strongholds in our renewed minds (fixing our eyes on Jesus), we start to lose our focus on low living; we lose our focus on worthless things. As we focus on Jesus, our life moves into the high life God has for us. Paul tells us in Timothy that “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). That sound, renewed mind focused on Jesus is a powerhouse within us.
I would love to have your comments and or prayer via email [email protected] Thanks.
hisplaceajesuschurch.com
