Stay Focused
“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." Matthew 14:29-30 (KJV)
Life is full of distractions. Distractions are one of the biggest problems in our world. It’s such a big issue that it’s reported that 95% of people say it’s hard for them to focus. Last week we talked about how leaders are visionaries and why our visions get delayed. We said that everything is about proper timing but I think another reason our visions get delayed is because we get distracted. One of satan’s biggest tactics is distractions. He uses distractions to stop us from accomplishing great things, making progress in life or even growing in our relationship with God. What is a distraction? A distraction is anything that sidetracks you from your God-given purpose. Distractions causes us to miss out on God’s Word, voice, presence, blessings, opportunities and plan for our lives. The distractions in life remind me of the story of Peter walking on water. He answered the call, he’s out of the boat, he’s walking on the water and he is on his way to Jesus but then he get’s distracted! He took his eyes off Jesus and started focusing on the winds and waves. Then he started sinking. Anytime satan sees you making progress, he will always distract you! satan uses outside distractions to destroy inside development. Peter is distracted and he starts sinking. Distraction is the main reason for failure. I believe the downfall of most leaders occur when they lack true genuine focus. We as leaders must learn how to stay focused. According to this scripture I’ve gathered five ways we can strengthen our focus. Some of these lessons are from what Peter did successfully and what he should’ve done.
How To Stay Focused…
- Possess a clear goal
“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” Matthew 14:28
Peter possessed a clear goal which should’ve been his main focus. His goal was to walk on the water. Then he got out of the boat and started walking to Jesus. A goal gives you something to walk towards. If you want focus you need a clear goal. Where are you now? Where do you want to be? What do you see? What are you willing to do to get it? Always have a clear goal. You can’t be focused if you don’t know where you’re heading! Peter knew where he was going!
2. Don’t listen to your "boat buddies"
“And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.” Matthew 14:26
Let’s go to the beginning of the story. The 12 disciples in this scripture are in a boat and they see Jesus walking on the water. When they saw Him, they ALL (every disciple) cried out for fear saying “it’s a ghost/spirit.” How many of the disciples were in fear? All 12! Okay, according to verse 28, who got out of the boat? Peter! ALL the disciples were in fear but only ONE operated in faith and got out of the boat. They all started in the boat, but only one got out the boat and started walking on the water. Can you imagine what the other disciples who by the way stayed in the boat, we’re thinking or saying. “Peter are you some kind of idiot? What the heck are you doing? Have you lost your mind dawg? Dude you’re going to drown out here and lose your life! Look at Peter, trying to show off. What, does he think he’s better than us? When did Peter start taking water walking lessons? Peter is being so arrogant, he didn’t have to get out there. Anyone of us could walk this water, Peter you ain’t special!!! Yo, Big Pet look at those winds and waves, they bout to take you outta here fool.” I could just imagine the disciples bashing, laughing and criticizing Peter for taking this walk of faith. Most of your criticism in life are going to come from people who used to be your boat buddies and have still refused to get out of the boat. If you want to stay focused, you can’t listen to those who are persecuting you from the boat! There will never be somebody talking about you that’s doing better than you! Oooh!!! I wanna get my shout on! Because everyone who’s talking noise about you are folk who are still in the boat! Instead of listening to your boat buddies, focus on the voice and instructions of Jesus who is leading you through this journey of life.
3. Surround yourself with water walkers
“And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” Matthew 14:29
If you want to stay focused, you need to remove yourself from your boat buddies and surround yourself with water walkers. Boat buddies will stop you from dreaming. Water walkers will introduce you to a life beyond imagination. Peter changed his circle; he stopped hanging around fearful people (fear is contiguous) and he got around a water walker named Jesus. You need to get away from people who remind you of where you were (the boat) and get around people who remind you of your mission (the goal). We must get around people who empower us, dream with us and will hold us accountable. When we surround ourselves with people who are going after something; who are ambitious people, there is absolutely no limitations for us. To increase our focus we must get around other focused people. Focused people don’t focus on unnecessary drama, destructive criticism, draining conversations or pessimistic people. Focused people focus on GOD, themselves, their futures and they take the focus off other individuals. You need to be around people that motivate you, push you and stretch you. Get away from the boat buddies (fearful, negative, complaining, passive, apathetic people). Surround yourself with water walkers. Leaders are water walkers!
4. Look not at your winds and waves
“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:30
Focused people must learn what not to focus on. One of the things you can’t focus on is the winds in life. You can’t focus on your trails, oppositions, roadblocks or challenges. When you focus on the issues that stand in your way, you slip into something called panic. Panic is a leaders worst enemy. You don’t want to get into panic. Peter started to panic when he saw the winds boisterous. And out of his panic he started to sink. Panic always leads to danger. satan got Peter were he wanted him; going down!!! satan was able to accomplish that when he got Peter sidetracked. satan wants to get you sidetracked. When you get sidetracked, you can only sink. satan wants you focusing on your problems, your insuffiences and the persecution instead of focusing on the One who called you! This leads me to point five.
5. Follow the One who called you
“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Matthew 14:31
If you want to stay focused you must keep your eyes on the One who called you. His name is JESUS! Jesus was the One who called Peter. Peter took his eyes off the Caller and focused on the Crisis. Are you going to focus on the Caller or your Crisis? Are you going to focus on your vision or the chaos around you? Who are you going to give your focus to?! As Peter sinked, Jesus came and rescued him. Your true friends will rescue you! What a friend we have in Jesus; who always comes to our rescue!!! The scripture said that when they got back to the boat the wind ceased (verse 32). The wind was a setup!!! Oooh!!! The wind was a setup!!! satan tried to use the wind to get him distracted! It worked, caused him to sink and sent him back to the boat. The winds in your life is a setup! Don’t fall for it, he wants you off your game!
Perhaps you’ve seen your life today in this story of Peter. You feel like you need to be more focused in order to fulfill this God-given vision in your life. You have a clear goal but you keep sinking. If you’ve been dealing with distractions as a leader, you must follow these simple principles to help stay focused. Ask the Lord to strengthen your focus so you won’t succumb to any satanic distraction but so that you can fulfill your vision. If you didn’t takeaway anything from what I said, whatever you do my friend; always STAY FOCUSED!
