focus

Master of Distraction

May 4, 2015 by Tim Sherfy

For Christ followers, I am convinced that the source of all our discouragement, frustration, and depression is the result of taking our focus off of Jesus. As soon as we revert to our selfish nature, looking at ourselves instead of Him, everything starts to go a bit haywire. Each of us has been uniquely designed by God. We have all been given talents, skills, and passions to use to further His Kingdom. When we begin to live in ways that are not consistent with whom we were created to be, we slip and wander.

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Satan does everything he can to cause this to happen. He tempts us with visions of a better, safer, or easier life. He entices us to fill our lives with things other than Christ. He is the master of distraction, and if we give in to his lies, we will find ourselves frustrated, discouraged, and perhaps even sinking into the depths of depression.
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Focus on God

August 28, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

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We are so easily distracted by the cares and pleasures of this world. Knowing he is defeated, Satan has brilliantly crafted a strategy that is making certain that he doesn’t go down alone. His entire purpose is to thwart the plans of God, delay his own inevitable demise, and keep you and me as far away from God as possible. He accomplishes this through altering our focus. As followers of Jesus, our focus should always be on two things: God Himself and serving others in His name. Everything else in life will make sense if we are keeping our focus solely on these two areas.

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Losing Concentration

May 22, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

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In 1978, Alexander Solzhenitsyn addressed the graduating class at Harvard saying, “Many of you have already found out what others will find out in the course of their lives that truth eludes us as soon as our concentration begins to flag, all the while leaving the illusion that we are continuing to pursue it.” I believe this holds true for the Western Church today. Much like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, we have heaped rules and regulations onto the teachings of Christ. In the centuries that have followed His death, Christianity has often looked little like its namesake. Instead of being an all-inclusive people loving and serving others in their desperation, we have become somewhat of a closed society, a secret handshake club that does our best to keep the world at bay. We have lost our concentration on the person of Jesus and have been lulled to sleep, convinced that we are still pursuing His truth.

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Remember What Matters

March 10, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

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Time and again I have to remind myself to remember what really matters. No matter what’s going on in my life or yours, what we are doing for Jesus is all that will count in the end. So many things fill our days and compete for our attention that it is all too easy to have our time consumed by everything but Christ. Several days or even a week or more can roll by before I recognize this issue creeping into my life. It’s particularly bothersome when my starting point is always to do something for Jesus, and along the way, Jesus gets left behind. We start moving in our own strength and following our own ideas instead of moving in sync with Him.

Lessons from a Tightrope

June 21, 2012 by Tim Sherfy

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I recently watched Nick Wallenda walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Beyond the amazing spectacle of the feat, it held a special significance to me as I used to live only ten minutes away from where he walked across. I’ve seen the enormity of the rocks and heard the thunderous crash of the waters first hand. Having ridden a boat that carried me to the base of the falls, I am fully aware of the amount of mist he had to deal with during his crossing. All these things made the breathtaking event that much more intense and incredible to watch. Beyond all of this, I was struck by Nick’s faith and began thinking how life is essentially a tightrope. It is perilous as we walk along the narrow way; we face constant trials that threaten to knock us off balance and perhaps even push us to our death. Watching Nick Wallenda traverse the mighty falls, however, I noticed three key principles he followed that allowed him to accomplish his mission. We can apply these same principles to our walk with Jesus.