Category: Focus

Focus

3 Ways to Enhance Your Focus

Posted on by Evangeline

Have you heard the  saying, “What you focus on grows”?

Focus is defined in the Webster’s dictionary as a central point of concentration. What you focus on–what you concentrate on and put your attention to–grows in its importance and impact in your life.

Scripture encourages us to focus on Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 AMP instructs us on this:

“Looking away from all that will distract us and focusing our eyes on Jesus.“

We focus by looking away from the things that distract us in the natural realm and then fixing our gaze on Jesus, keeping our eyes on His love for us. He gave us a great example of how to focus during the closing days of His life here on earth. As our Savior, he paid no attention to the shame of the cross– He looked away from it. He fixed His gaze on the joy he was destined to experience. The joy grew as He remained focused on it!

An important thing to remember: DISTRACTIONS are the enemy of focus.

Consider your focus as if it was a camera lens that zooms in on one particular item.  You get to see that item very clearly. But, if you spread your camera’s “attention” over multiple items (distractions), you don’t get to see that one thing clearly.

3 Ways to Enhance Your Focus

  1. EXPECT HEALING – Instead of focusing on the symptoms, put your attention on God’s healing Word. Find Scriptures that are specifically related to healing and begin consistently speak them over your life. This will help you to expect healing.
  2. DEAL WITH FEAR – Make a decision to not be distracted by and dominated by fear. Recognize that fear activates the devil’s power. Know who you are in Christ and put on His armor. Be courageous and speak the Word to the “mountain” (Mark 11:23).
  3. EXERCISE YOUR FAITH – Be truth-minded, focused on what God has said about your situation. Take actions that align with the specific scriptures that apply to the circumstances that need to change. Have an active faith!

When we get our heart in line with the Word and put our attention on the Word’s power, we are able to more fully concentrate on the positive instead of the negative.

And as we focus on the positive, life gets better! 🙂

Make a decision to not be distracted by and dominated by fear. Click To Tweet

 

 

Why You Need to Have a HOPE-FILLED Focus During Infertility

Posted on by Evangeline

Hope Filled FocusGod said He wants men and women to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). His desire is for humanity to produce godly, prosperous families. He loves us all so much and He wants to bless us abundantly. One of His many blessings includes having children.

Many times, when infertility (“barrenness” as it is called in the Bible) strikes a husband and wife, the couple’s focus tends to only be on their inability to reproduce. Proverbs 23:7 declares that what a person continually thinks about is what he/she becomes. This means what we put our attention to, or what we focus on the most will expand in our lives. What you think about, over and over and over again is what will manifest in your life. This suggests that focusing on your present inability to conceive will not change it.

That’s why it’s imperative that you focus on God and not on the problem of infertility. In the Bible’s account of Abraham and Sarah, Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred year old body could never father a child.” Nor was he discouraged by Sarah’s decades of infertility and completely give up on the hope of having a child with her. He focused on God’s promise to him, confident that God would make good on what He had said.

Think and meditate with confidence on His promise in Deuteronomy 7:14. Have confidence in God’s unconditional love for you. Barrenness is not what God desires for His children. Trust His Word and His love for you. Have confidence that He wants you to be fruitful. Focus on that!

“You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle.” Deuteronomy 7:14 NASB

 

Monday’s Marinade – Distractions

Posted on by Evangeline

Your marinade for this week builds upon last week’s challenge. Distractions serve to hinder us from making decisions and taking action. As you begin this week by “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God, decide to not be distracted from the important things. Hebrews 12:2 encourages us to stay focused on Jesus, the One who wants nothing but the best for us and who empowers us to live our best life. Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!

Distractions

 

Focus Friday – Change Your Focus

Posted on by Evangeline

Change your focus in those moments when doubt sweeps over your soul. Remember to do as Hebrews 12:2 suggests:

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”

Focus on that scripture throughout the day. Focus on His unchanging love. Focus on His unstoppable power. Focus on His faithfulness to always say “Yes” to His promises.

change your focus - looking unto Jesus

 

More on Follow Through

Posted on by Evangeline

Follow thru rockEarlier this month, I shared that I want to follow through on the things I need to do, for myself, my family and for you. This is a component of my effort to finish strong in 2014.

September is more than half over so I thought I’d let you know how things are going for me.

 

follow through- Falcon CrestI followed through on surprising my husband for his birthday with a trip to the cool pines of Payson, AZ for a weekend. He loved it! It was worth the torment of wanting to tell him all about the plans I was making but not being able to so that I could wake him up and say, “Pack a bag! I’m taking you away for the weekend.” It was our first time staying at a Bed & Breakfast. The Falcon Crest B&B was wonderful and the owners, Al and Linda, made it a very special time for us with their hospitality. As you can see, Linda baked a birthday cake for him!

 

Another big item that I needed to get done in September was my iHope Fertility Game Plan Teleseminar. I hosted the call on last Saturday. It was thrilling that over 35 people signed up for the call! If you were one of those ladies, I hope you got lots of encouragement.

On that call, I invited everyone to checkout my new online course, 50 Days of Unleashing Fertility Hope. To get the details about your opportunity to decrease the stress of infertility and increase your hope, click HERE.

Planning this course has been a joy for me because I know that it will help those who choose to use it.

50 Days of Unleashing Fertility Hope

I hope that you’ll see the benefit of taking advantage of this opportunity to:

  • Decrease the level of stress you experience everyday using specific tools I’ll share
  • Incorporate a daily strategy that can help you put worry on the run
  • Remove doubt caused by infertility’s mind-chatter
  • Anchor yourself in hope so you don’t give up
  • Focus on receiving the promised benefits of God

I’m SO glad I followed through on this desire to bring a course to you that you can access 24/7 AND have the opportunity to have weekly coaching calls.

Check it out. 

 

Right now, I’m about to follow through on getting a few smaller things checked off of my To Do list (like washing the dishes). 🙂

Praying that you’ve been able to do some follow through, especially on things that are important to you.

On what one thing that you still need to follow through?

Follow Through–My F-Word for September

Posted on by Evangeline

Two months ago, I shared with you that there were certain F-words that I would use to help me finish strong in 2014.

In July, my F-word was Fellowship. My goal was to increase my commitment to fellowship and communicate with the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to influence my life on a daily basis. I wanted to build upon my relationship with Him and enjoy Him more.

In August, my F-word was Focus. My goal was to decrease the level of attention I gave to the distractions of life and to increase my attention to the benefits that come as a result of “looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). Distractions serve one purpose —  to divert your attention from what and who you really need.

Now that it’s September,  my F-Word will be Follow Through. My intention is to follow through on the goals I’ve set. I’ve decided to look at my goals as promises I’ve made to myself  rather than just a wish on paper. I don’t like to break a promise so this little tweak should help me get the follow through done. I also want to follow through on whatever Holy Spirit gently whispers to me to do each day, trusting that His way is the best way.

Follow Through - F-word
My F-word card for September

I write these F-word cards and keep the current month’s card on my desk so that I’ll remember what the target is. This also helps me to remain committed to the process!

My two key scriptures for this month are:

 “ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. Think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.”

Proverbs 3:5,6 RSV and HCSB

AND

“Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 NLT

What are some things you do that help you follow through and live with integrity? How does trusting God play a role in your follow through?

Sharing my F-word journey/experiment with you really gives me a sense of accountability, which most times, spurs me on to action. So thanks for holding me accountable to “follow through” this month!

Some of you found it helpful to join me in August and challenged yourself to FOCUS. It would be much appreciated (and motivating to me) if you’d leave a comment about how that went for you.

If you haven’t already, I’d love it if you would  join me in this challenge of following through on what you’ve committed to do or on what would bring about a blessing in your life. Just make a decision to do so (which means cutting off all other options and excuses). Then, let me know you’ve joined the movement (below).

Yes, I’m joining the F-word movement!

Focus–My “F-Word” for August

Posted on by Evangeline
My "F-word" Rocks
My “F-word” Rocks

Focus: to concentrate; to have a central point of attraction, attention, or activity.

Half of August is officially over. Time for an update on this month’s “F-word” — FOCUS.

I’ve developed the habit going to my special chair every morning soon after I awaken to sit and read a devotional and my Bible. I recently finished Encouragement for Today by Renee Swope and the Proverbs 31 Ministry Team (I highly recommend it). Some word or phrase will usually jump out at me while I’m reading and I’ll spend time finding other scripture passages that broaden my understanding. I feel my best when my day starts focused on the Word. And so I should; after all, the Word is Jesus, right?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  ~ John 1:1

During these first two weeks of August, there have been days when I’ve seen all the benefits that come from being focused. My To Do List gets whittled down quickly, I’m less stressed, and feel better about myself and what I’m accomplishing. Taking steps toward my goals is getting easier. I feel less burdened and more joyful throughout the day.

F-word, Focus

There have also been a few days when I’ve gone to bed feeling like I haven’t focused on anything at all–work–family–marriage–my health (exercise)—ANYTHING. It seems as if my To Do List has gone virtually unchecked. I’ll ask myself, “What did I do with my time today???!!!” I shouldn’t beat myself up about it. Those are the moments when I should shift my focus back to Jesus’ love for me.

I prod myself to ask Him to be my time and task manager for the next day— to guide my decision-making so I can do what HE needs me to do in my marriage, family, work, etc.  Those days that I make that request are always more productive. 🙂

Here’s what I’ve learned: DISTRACTIONS are the enemy of focus.

When I purposely ignore the distractions and keep my eyes on Jesus, when I look to Him to show me the way throughout my day, I am more productive, less stressed, and live with a more hope-filled focus.

Thanks to all of you who let me know last month that you’re taking this F-Word challenge with me. Let’s see how things improve the rest of this month as we focus and allow Jesus to be at the center of what we do each day.

Here are a few affirmations crafted from passages from the Message Bible about focus that I hope will help you direct your attention to the One who is ultimately able and willing to help you in every situation you’re facing every day.

  • “Give me an uncluttered and focused heart so that I can obey what you tell me and live by Your directions and counsel.” ~ 1 Chronicles 21:19
  • “I shift my focus  from what I do to what Jesus has already done for me.” ~ Romans 3:31
  • “I quit focusing on the handicap/challenge/trouble and begin appreciating and using Your gift of grace.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:6-8

Thanks to F-words, I’ll Be Rockin’ It For the Rest of 2014

Posted on by Evangeline

Earlier this year, I attended a retreat that I hoped would help me gain more focus in business-building activities and in personal matters. As an activity, we wrote on a smooth stone the one thing that would be our target for the remainder of the year. I wrote, “FINISH” on mine because I was finding that there were a number of things in my life I would start but didn’t finish.

A couple of months passed and as I thought more about how to finish the things that I start, I realized I also needed to target some other issues as well. Going through this thought process brought other “F-words” to mind. No, not the bad “F-words.”  🙂

I wrote the new F-words on stones and placed them on my desk as a tangible reminder of what I’m doing—FINISHING STRONG!

Here are my “F-words to Live By” for the remainder of the year:

My "F-word" Rocks
My “F-word” Rocks

In June, I decided I’d put some energy behind one of these words each month for the remainder of 2014. Hopefully, as I do so, I’ll be building some good habits along the way. This month, I’ve been concentrating on Fellowship.

Fellowship= sharing; participating with another; constant companionship; communion

My desire is to fellowship more with friends and family, as well as, and most importantly, with Holy Spirit.

I became more intentional about spending time with my daughter while she’s home from college for the summer. I’ve been intentional about getting together with each of my sons, individually. Making sure that I schedule date nights with my hubby became a priority again. Phone calls to extended family members who live back East have become more frequent, just so I can say, “I’ve been thinking about you.”

But how would I target fellowshipping with Holy Spirit?

How would I increase that time and experience more enjoyment out of it?

I made a decision to just do it. I started using my afternoon PIT Stop everyday to spend “extra” time with Him. I made a list of things I wanted to be sure to do with Him.

F-words Fellowship Card
My F-words “Fellowship” Card

 

Just like I scheduled time with each of my children, with my husband, and, for the phone calls, I put God on my schedule. I made an appointment with myself so that I could not only talk to God and read the Bible, but to also hear from Him.

“My fellowship with God enables me to gain a victory over the evil one.” 1 John 2:14b (MSG)

Guess what happened! I began to feel less anxious about things in my life. I’m experiencing greater peace about the challenges I face because I know He’ll get me through them. I’ve begun to glean more wisdom from Him through His Word. Maybe the best thing is that I‘ve grown to really look forward to that time with Him because I’m excited about what He’s going to show me about His love for me! I protect this time from the distractions life throws at me.

Want to join me on this quest of filling each month with an “F-word?” You can. Just make a decision to do so (which means cutting off all other options and excuses). Then let me know you’ve joined the movement.

What are some of the things you do to fellowship with others and with God? Please share!

Next month’s keyword is FOCUS. I’ll be sharing my thoughts about that in August.

Yes, I’m joining the F-word movement!

Who Dat?

Posted on by Evangeline
Image courtesy of by Jeroen van Oostrom / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of by Jeroen van Oostrom / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

No, this post is not about the New Orleans Saints and the Who Dat Nation. It’s about deciding where your focus will be in 2014.

If Jesus appeared in your living room today, would you recognize Him or would you have to say, “Who dat?” If He showed up at your place of employment, would you have to say, “Who dat?”

Make a decision today, 12/31/2013, that no matter what challenges lie ahead, your focus will be on Jesus and all His goodness, strength, and unconditional love for you. Then, when He appears, you won’t have to say, “Who dat?” You’ll know Him for sure and you’ll enjoy the favor, wisdom, and peace that only His presence can give you.

Focus on the presence of the Champion. That will be the best decision you’ll ever make as you plan for advancement in 2014 and beyond!

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. ”

Hebrews 12:2 (NLT)

I Got Distracted

Posted on by Evangeline
Image courtesy of Idea go/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Idea go/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I got distracted last week.

On Saturday, 7/27/13, I woke up with a “little ache” in my lower back. By Saturday night, nausea and a headache had set in. Relief did not come even after using the pain reliever and heating pad. With no appetite, I endured the weekend of feeling yucky, eager for the doctor’s office to open on Monday morning.  I was fortunate to get a same-day appointment. Diagnosis? Just a viral infection that “should pass in few days”.

During the eight (8!) days it took to finally feel better,  I watched TV (most of the time). My body ached for almost a week, yet the achiness did not serve as a reminder to do what I knew (focus on Jesus). Tiredness  and headache set in and I didn’t persistently look to a different source of strength after I took the pain reliever . Nausea swept through and I did not seek out alternative nutrition for the part of me that was not sick—my spirit. The headache, back ache, tiredness, nausea each became a physical distraction that I allowed to keep me from pursuing the spiritual solution to my problem.

Thankfully,  I’m feeling much better today. Looking back on this past week,  I did not follow what I’ve encouraged others to do so many times—get in the Word of God, find my answer to the problem at hand, and focus on the answer. I got distracted by the symptoms and the TV.  I feel like I wasted a LOT of time last week.  No writing, no working on goals, no online posts, and certainly no chores or exercise got done. Admittedly, I didn’t feel like doing much of anything. I didn’t even feel like strengthening my spirit by reading God’s love letter to me (the Bible).  But God so lovingly strokes me with His gentle, fatherly hand and tells me, “It’s okay, I’m still here with you.”

Proverbs 18:14 (NKJV) encourages us that, “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?”  Within the Word of God lies the answer to every problem we can ever experience in life. I know that. I teach that. But, I got distracted by my circumstances.  Has that ever happened to you?

Today, no more beating myself up with thoughts about what I should or could have done in the midst of that illness. All the “Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda” in the world won’t change the past nor help in moving forward. Now is the time to praise God that He kept me through those eight days and will continue to do so. Now is the time to read and marvel about how His power and favor work in my life. Now is the time to realign my focus so that I continue to look to the One who loves me and does nothing but good on my behalf.

I’m looking forward to a productive week where I handle distractions in a much more effective way. Are you?