Focus
A devotional by Temeka Borden
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
– Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)
One day, as I was doing one of my live Biblical teachings, I asked viewers what were some of the greatest challenges they have faced or are facing right now. One of the most common answers to my question was remaining focused. In other words, many are becoming distracted while trying to meet their goals.
Allow me to begin this devotional by writing the following: When God assigns you a task (or sets a goal for you to meet) don’t think the path to completing that task will always be easy. However, remember that “not being easy” can be a good thing because if everything we attained was always easy to get, we would not have the opportunity to grow and become stronger spiritually. There is a benefit to encountering resistance.
Recently, I gave up some things so that I could better “focus.”
In January of 2020, I announced my sabbatical from Biblical teachings, which later became a sabbatical from posting on social media, which most recently became a sabbatical from even logging into my social media accounts, except when absolutely necessary. Why? I’m trying to avoid as many potential distractions as possible while I’m on this journey of becoming as mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared as possible for when I resume my postings and teachings.
As a sidebar, I have spoken at length regarding the importance of taking care of ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually in the past, and I intend to talk about this topic even more upon my return to the social media world as I know the pandemic we are currently facing has impacted so many in a variety of ways, including mentally and emotionally.
During the time of my sabbatical, I have begun running again, including long-distance running, and not only that, how often I run have changed. I run almost every day now; I have never done that before in my life.
I’ve (unintentionally) become vegan again, and most importantly, I’m spending much time in the Word, in worship, and in prayer. I’ve established a reading schedule that will allow me to read the entire Bible before my social media return in August, and I’m listening to certain Biblical sermons frequently.
All I can say is that doing all of these things is making a difference. Now, there have been days when I got that “itch” to log into my social media account and post something not necessarily spiritually related (or just take a peek at what is going on in the social media world), and then the Lord would kindly remind me of why I’m on my social media sabbatical in the first place (in His own very unique way).
I must say that when I “focus” on God and His Word, I am better able to “focus” on continually becoming the person He wants me to be. Sometimes we must temporarily remove ourselves from certain people, certain situations, and/or certain environments so that we can be strengthened in Christ.
However, I also want to caution you regarding the spirit of “guilt” when doing what I mentioned above. Because I’m not posting encouragement, I experienced moments of feeling guilty because of this. I felt as though I was not fulfilling my Christian duties by being there for others. However, as I’ve mentioned so many times before, you must feed and fill yourself before you are able to adequately feed others.
Ultimately, what I want you, the reader, to get out of this devotional is to do all you can to avoid potential distractions while working toward your goals, and you will see a difference.
God has given each of us an assignment, a purpose, and the enemy (Satan) knows this and will do all he can to stop you from fulfilling that purpose. Still, remain focused. Remember why you are doing what you are doing. Commit to it. See it through to the end, and know that a reward awaits you for your faithfulness.
~*~
Author Bio:
Allow me to begin this devotional by writing the following: When God assigns you a task (or sets a goal for you to meet) don’t think the path to completing that task will always be easy. However, remember that “not being easy” can be a good thing because if everything we attained was always easy to get, we would not have the opportunity to grow and become stronger spiritually. There is a benefit to encountering resistance.
Recently, I gave up some things so that I could better “focus.”
In January of 2020, I announced my sabbatical from Biblical teachings, which later became a sabbatical from posting on social media, which most recently became a sabbatical from even logging into my social media accounts, except when absolutely necessary. Why? I’m trying to avoid as many potential distractions as possible while I’m on this journey of becoming as mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared as possible for when I resume my postings and teachings.
As a sidebar, I have spoken at length regarding the importance of taking care of ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually in the past, and I intend to talk about this topic even more upon my return to the social media world as I know the pandemic we are currently facing has impacted so many in a variety of ways, including mentally and emotionally.
During the time of my sabbatical, I have begun running again, including long-distance running, and not only that, how often I run have changed. I run almost every day now; I have never done that before in my life.
I’ve (unintentionally) become vegan again, and most importantly, I’m spending much time in the Word, in worship, and in prayer. I’ve established a reading schedule that will allow me to read the entire Bible before my social media return in August, and I’m listening to certain Biblical sermons frequently.
All I can say is that doing all of these things is making a difference. Now, there have been days when I got that “itch” to log into my social media account and post something not necessarily spiritually related (or just take a peek at what is going on in the social media world), and then the Lord would kindly remind me of why I’m on my social media sabbatical in the first place (in His own very unique way).
I must say that when I “focus” on God and His Word, I am better able to “focus” on continually becoming the person He wants me to be. Sometimes we must temporarily remove ourselves from certain people, certain situations, and/or certain environments so that we can be strengthened in Christ.
However, I also want to caution you regarding the spirit of “guilt” when doing what I mentioned above. Because I’m not posting encouragement, I experienced moments of feeling guilty because of this. I felt as though I was not fulfilling my Christian duties by being there for others. However, as I’ve mentioned so many times before, you must feed and fill yourself before you are able to adequately feed others.
Ultimately, what I want you, the reader, to get out of this devotional is to do all you can to avoid potential distractions while working toward your goals, and you will see a difference.
God has given each of us an assignment, a purpose, and the enemy (Satan) knows this and will do all he can to stop you from fulfilling that purpose. Still, remain focused. Remember why you are doing what you are doing. Commit to it. See it through to the end, and know that a reward awaits you for your faithfulness.
~*~
Author Bio:
Temeka Borden, better known by her pen name “Positivity Inspires,” is an author, speaker, minister, PharmD, multi-state licensed pharmacist, founder and owner of Positivity Inspires, LLC, and most importantly, a servant of the Lord.
She was introduced to Christ at a very early age and was raised in the church. Her ministry focuses on encouraging Christians to love God first, to love all people, to continually strengthen their bond with Christ, and to study His Word, and live His Word daily.
Dr. Borden has been blessed with a variety of gifts, and she has gained much professional experience in a variety of settings. She also has served in administrative roles in the professional and church settings.
In addition to obtaining her PharmD, she also obtained her bachelor's degree in biology (minor in English), and she is working on her third degree. What's more, as stated in her words, “I completed a specialty pharmacy residency that prepared me for the workforce and made me a force to be reckoned with.” She is a long-distance runner, a drummer, a singer, and she has a strong “fashion sense.” She also can read and type at almost supersonic speed in some instances.
Dr. Borden loves to learn and is constantly looking for new ways to challenge herself.
She loves God and she loves people. She is “crazy about her family,” and she adores her friends. She strongly encourages others to show kindness, respect, and love to everyone. She loves and welcomes diversity and flourishes in culturally diverse environments.
Dr. Borden loves to laugh and loves to make other people laugh. She also is passionate about giving back to the community. Her favorite sayings are “Speak Up!” and “Watch God Work!”
She was introduced to Christ at a very early age and was raised in the church. Her ministry focuses on encouraging Christians to love God first, to love all people, to continually strengthen their bond with Christ, and to study His Word, and live His Word daily.
Dr. Borden has been blessed with a variety of gifts, and she has gained much professional experience in a variety of settings. She also has served in administrative roles in the professional and church settings.
In addition to obtaining her PharmD, she also obtained her bachelor's degree in biology (minor in English), and she is working on her third degree. What's more, as stated in her words, “I completed a specialty pharmacy residency that prepared me for the workforce and made me a force to be reckoned with.” She is a long-distance runner, a drummer, a singer, and she has a strong “fashion sense.” She also can read and type at almost supersonic speed in some instances.
Dr. Borden loves to learn and is constantly looking for new ways to challenge herself.
She loves God and she loves people. She is “crazy about her family,” and she adores her friends. She strongly encourages others to show kindness, respect, and love to everyone. She loves and welcomes diversity and flourishes in culturally diverse environments.
Dr. Borden loves to laugh and loves to make other people laugh. She also is passionate about giving back to the community. Her favorite sayings are “Speak Up!” and “Watch God Work!”
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