Focusing On The Journey

"Let us remember, that we whilst are in this world, we sojourn in a strange land, and at a distance from home; and, therefore, do not let us be inordinately affected with anything in it" - Phillip Doddridge

Psalms 119:105
NUN
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path"

I love this verse in psalms, I was once at this church service and this preacher began to talk about this light, and he said "Notice, it is just a Lamp unto our feet, and just a Light unto our path.

Psalms 23:4

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me"

He went on to say that for there to be a shadow there had to be a light, God chooses to just light up certain parts of our path so that we can't see everything around us, it is all about focus.

Matthew 6:22-23;
"The light of the body is the eye:if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness."

We need to check our focus and single it on one thing, that one thing should be God, and the path that he has set before us.

Matthew 14:22-33;
"And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray:and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves:for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."

This is one of the most influential stories in the Bible, Peter is sitting in this boat with all the disciples and they see this Jesus walking upon the water and they called out, then Jesus bid Peter to come, and Peter came. Now if someone told me to come out upon the water I would sink like a rock, and changes are you would too right? Well Peter focused upon something, He focused all his attention upon Jesus and the path that was leading to Jesus, and he walked upon the water. But then he lost focus and looked around and begin to see the dangers around him, he saw the shadows of death surrounding him, he saw everything surrounding him, and he lost focus upon the path, he begin to focus on the peripheral dangers and began to sink.

Matthew 7:13-14;
"Enter ye in at the strait gate:for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it".

Scientist had proven that if you put a person in a dark room, or if you put them in a place that is lacking a focal point or something to focus upon and tell them to walk straight they will walk in a arc all the while thinking that they are going straight. There is a reason that they say if you are lost to just stay in place because if you wander you will begin going in circles, there is a reason why in movies people who are lost say "This all looks familiar". When God sets us on a path we have to focus on the light or else we will being to walk and think that we are on the straight and narrow but in reality we are unfocused and we will be wandering farther and farther from the path that we were supposed to walk, all the while still thinking that we were going the right way. Anyone can go Wide Left or Wide Right, but it takes a focused christian, it takes a person who has focused all his attention upon the light to stay on that straight and narrow.

Proverbs 3:5-6;
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths".

If you were blindfolded and walking and someone called to you, you would begin to walk in that direction, even if subconsciously. When we quit focusing on God's still small voice, and the path and light that he has set before us, we lose track and begin to go towards the thing that is demanding our attention the loudest.

Proverbs 4:18-19
"But the path of the just is as the shining light,
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
The way of the wicked is as darkness:
they know not at what they stumble".

God, he gives us just enough light that we won't stumble, but when we begin to focus all of our attention on it it consumes and takes over our world and it will seem like a shining beacon to us. And the longer and longer we walk in it the more and more it will begin to illuminate.

Proverbs 29:18
"Where there is no vision, the people perish:
but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."

Just because there is a light, doesn't mean that you won't fall, it just makes it easier to succeed.
I have never heard of someone just waking up one day and being backslid, but it's a slow slide caused by losing focus and lost vision. It takes a choice to begin to allow something else to take over your focus.

2 Samuel 11:1-4;
"And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house:and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness:and she returned unto her house".

David had it all, he was living the good life, he was focused on his journey, his armies were conquering the area, he had it all. But one day he went up onto the rooftop and he began to look around, and he focused in on this beautiful woman bathing, he changed his field of focus onto her beauty and he lost focus on what he needed to focus on. His visions began to be about this woman. He lost focus on the path and began to focus on his fleshly desires and sinned.
When you see something on the side of the path, you lose your focus on the path and misstep.

About two years ago my family went to New Mexico for vacation, so me, my dad, my brother JJ, and my brother John went hiking. Well me and JJ went ahead and left them behind, and John and my Dad were coming up slower. So they were coming up on a turn on the trail, and they saw sheep off on this goat path, and they lost focus on the trail and went of on this little side path and got lost, and they wouldn't have made it to the top of the mountain, but this man saw them stray and he came and got them and got them back on the right path.
Thank God for men of God who when we stray come and find us and help us to get back on the right path.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27;
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway".

2 Timothy 4:7;"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith".
Hebrews 12:1;

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us".

Ecclesiastes 9:11;
"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

All of those verses denotes that there is a path, a course to run, and a race to finish, a prize to be one, But not to whoever it is who does it the fastest, but to he who endures to the end and remains focused on the light.
I used to do triathlons, and in triathlons they have what is called a negative split, that is where you want to finish the last mile faster than you did the first mile, it is where you pace yourself so that you don't burn yourself out, and so you are always pushing harder and getting faster as the race goes on. You get in to a Zone, you become focused on just finishing and pushing until the end. You must endure to the end so that you can receive this prize.

John 14:6;
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:no man cometh unto the Father, but by me".
Jesus is the way, he is our path, and to receive the reward we must strive and focus on him. Every thing else in our lives has to play second fiddle to him. He is our primary objective, when we focus on him with everything we got, nothing else will matter, forget about wide left or wide right, the straight and narrow is right there, go for it. Let the Holy Ghost lead you and guide you.