Focus on One - The One who is able to keep you from falling

I had a vision of a tree, with its roots running into the ground, its trunk solid and strong, and its branches flourishing with green leaves and fruit. A picture of beauty, design and "flourishing". 

Conversely, a vision of one upon whom 2 forces are applied but going in different directions - being torn apart, like an explosion. Such a force doesn't produce beauty, but disorder and destruction. 

"Do not be double minded, but be single minded - focused on ME."  was impressed upon my heart. 

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-"he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." - James 1:8

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:8

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To be double minded is not only unstable, it's sin! 

I had to make a choice- serve my own purposes, or God's.

Before,  I thought the idea was to do both, so as to be a well rounded person, winning in every "arena". 

Do well at work/academics/impress people  ☑ 

save enough money to do the following:

Buy everything I want ☑

eat at the best restaurants ☑

create stylish home, look fashionable ☑

try to get as popular as possible ☑

and with time/attention leftover,

fulfill some godly goals such as going to mission trips and serving in church ☑

But I know now that all of that amounts to a big zero in God's eyes AS WELL as in my own life. Everything I was doing amounted to nothing, was meaningless and i knew it - I felt spiritually shaky and unstable.... I was tossed about by the winds, at times giving into deadly temptations to glorify or worship my selfish wants. Most of the time I was prevented from achieving any of them anyway, those of you who know me can attest to that! 

But giving it all to Him makes ALL the difference. perhaps we ARE meant to put all our eggs in one basket - in light of who God says He is. (Luke 10:27 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.)

The picture of Peter walking on water comes to mind [Matt 14 :22-36] - while he focused on Jesus he was able to do the impossible, but when he looked at the winds and got scared, he began to sink. but Jesus reached out to him and took hold on him - how he does for us too when we cry out to Him for help! One of the lessons from this is that God wants us to trust Him, and not look towards our earthly circumstances/understanding. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

 in all your ways submit to him,    and he will make your paths straight

Trust Him for EVERYTHING. not for a house, car, clothes or material gain, no, trust Him for our very existential essence of being. Trust Him for our spiritual care, and physical care, for His purposes, and to ultimately take us to be with Him for eternity. 

John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Gaining the whole world and all its recognition, success and accolades is ultimately worthless without God, but when living for Him, anything He calls me to is eternally valuable and worth it. Like that tree rooted in Him, growing strong and flourishing, and bearing fruit that in turn blesses all around it - I have to be focused on His purposes, and not be double minded. Perhaps, our hearts can really only have one person on its throne. 

Who is Lord of your heart? 

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“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money". Matt 6:24 

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Well the greatest treasure in the whole wide world is peace with God

Yeah, the greatest treasure in the whole wide world is peace with God

It's the only treasure that will never fade

Even death can't take it away

Yeah, the greatest treasure in the whole wide world is peace with God

You can live for happiness, or live for stuff but it's all gonna fade away

But you'll never ever feel like you've got enough because it's all gonna fade away

The trickiest toys that money can buy it's all gonna fade away

What if the world makes you a star? It's all gonna fade away

The biggest house and the flashiest car, it's all gonna fade away

Earthly treasures like the morning mist are all gonna fade away

Yeah the greatest treasure in the whole wide world is peace with God

Yeah the greatest treasure in the whole wide world is peace with God

-Colin Buchanan "The greatest treasure" 1997