FOCUS - STEADFAST GAZE
Numbers 21:9 (AMPC) And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], he lived.
Focus is everything. What you and I focus on could very well determine our victory in many situations. When I think of how important focus is, I often think of an account in the Old Testament. The children of Israel had disobeyed God and, suddenly, there were fiery serpents in the camp. In Numbers 21:8, we see that the answer was to focus on what God had said to do and not on the extreme circumstances that were trying to destroy them. Verse 8 says, "And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live." If you will study this out, you will see that the look is not a passing glance. It is a steadfast gaze. In other words, if they did not focus on what God said to focus on, their lives would be lost. Can you imagine the chaos that was going on? Loved ones screaming, "I'm bit"! Natural tendency would be to quit looking at the serpent on the pole and try and help those we love; however, the moment they looked at the problem instead of what God said, it began to cost them. What they had to do was to get others to focus with them and look at the serpent on the pole. Don't break your focus no matter what. In these turbulent times, we need to focus on the Lord more than ever before! How do we do that?
Colossians 3:1-2 tells us: Verse 1 says, first, "…seek those things which are above," and then Verse 2 says, "Set your affection on things above." Where is our focus? It should be on those things that are from Heaven and on God Himself. We are to seek those things above and set our affections on those things that are from Heaven. How else do we keep our focus? We keep our mind on God and His Word. Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." You and I must keep our mind focused on the Word of God. When we do that, then we will walk in the peace of God, and we will be able to ward off the lies of the devil. One more scripture I want to use to encourage you to stay focused, and it is found in Hebrews 12:2-3. Verse 2 tells us to, "Look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..." I believe we should get the same picture here as we did from the Old Testament example I gave you. It is not a casual glance but a steadfast gaze. Verse 3 tells us to “Consider Him...” I would emphasize it and say, “Consider only Him.” Why? So, you won't grow weary and faint in your mind.
Because we are raised with Christ, that gives us a position in Him; and with that position, comes a charge from the Spirit of God. Colossians 3:1-2 says that because we are risen with Him, we are to seek those things above and set our affections on things above. We are now from above and no longer from the Earth, or no longer earthly or carnal, so we are to seek Him. And when we seek Him, there will be some noticeable things that happen to us and for us. Hebrews 11:6 says that God will reward those who diligently seek him. Matthew 6:33 says when we seek first His Kingdom, the things we need will be added to us. We are also told that whoever seeks Him will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). Even when a group or nation seeks Him, some very amazing things happen. In 2 Chronicles, the Word says that when we seek Him, He will heal our land. It also says that He will give us rest on every side, and we will build and prosper. As we seek Him with all our hearts, great things will happen to us and for us.
We also need to set our affections on Him, so it is necessary to figure out where our affections are. Matthew 6:21 says, “Where your treasure is, your heart is also.” You could say, where your heart goes, there goes your affections, or your attention, or your desires. When you love someone, your affection is on them, or towards them. You can tell when someone is in love by how much attention they pay to someone. Where are we focused? Who gets the bulk of our time and attention? Hebrews 12:2 talks about us looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. What kind of look? A steadfast gaze. That is how we set our attention on Him. It is like the look that was required in Numbers 21:9 as they looked at the serpent on the pole, which is a type of Jesus. It is not looking to the right or to the left. It is a steadfast gaze with a determination of not letting anyone or anything pull our affections away from Him. It is being single minded, and laser focused on Him.
I want to encourage you to continue to seek God’s face and set your attention on Him and Him alone. And when you do, the things that you need will be taken care of, and God Himself will openly reward you. It is time to be focused like never before. Let's seek Him, set our affections on Him, keep our minds on His Word, look to Him, and consider only Him. When we do these things, we, like the children of Israel, will be saved from the fiery serpent because a steadfast gaze will deliver you, even from the bite of that fiery serpent, your adversary the devil. Stay focused and you will win every time!