Have you ever gotten to the end of your day and thought, “my mind has not been centered on God today”? There was nothing terrible about the events of the day. Your day may have been full of work, errands, family, chores, or just one thing after another. As you put your head on the pillow, guilt crept in because you knew your thoughts should be directed toward God and stayed upon Him throughout your day and they were not. You had good intentions, but couldn’t quite get into the practicality of living with a God-centered mentality in your always busy life.
It is easy to get distracted. Thoughts toward responsibilities crowd out having a mind focused on God. Your engagement may be in line with God’s Word . . . doing good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10) Often there is no time to solely meditate on God’s Word as you desire to do throughout your day. Life is busy. The “to do” list never ends. Are you to throw up your hands in defeat and say “it just can’t be done”? Should you argue with God and say “it is impossible for my mind to constantly dwell on You”?
God would not ask you to do anything He does not equip you to do. Often this phrase is used in terms of “working for the Lord” or doing a specific ministry for God. The most important ministry any of us can have is a stewardship to God. Your first and foremost responsibility in life is a cultivation of your relationship with God. You should be more concerned about your thought life being focused toward God, than about your “to do” list getting done.
Nothing is impossible with God including your mind being stayed on Him. I want to propose four actions you can do in 2 minutes or less that will enable you to have God-centered focused thinking throughout your day. Life has a lot of stops and starts. There are pauses between activities, waiting for appointments, waiting in line, waiting for others, holding for telephone conversations to begin, and down time between tasks. Often these white spaces in our lives are not scheduled because they are in the midst of normal chaos. Instead of squandering this time on meaningless scrolling on social media, letting your thoughts wonder, thinking about how tired you are, or planning the next activity; you can be prepared for 2 minutes of useful God-centered focus.
Preparation is necessary for this to be successful. You must have a passage of scripture readily available. This can be a daily Bible Verse you register to be sent to you and find it easily on your phone. A Bible Verse of the week chosen ahead of time based on personal preference or a Bible reading plan. Choosing various places in your house, vehicle, or phone to post Bible verses, changing them routinely. Just as sure as you have your phone, always carry a Bible verse or passage of Scripture with you. Know where it is at all times. Have it readily available. Think of it as more necessary than your phone.
When the unexpected or planned down time arrives do these four things:
- Perceive the scripture – Read, think about what it meant when it was spoken, what it means now, and what it means for your life.
- Print the scripture – Take a pen and write it, copy/paste it somewhere, or tap it out.
- Pray the scripture – Talk to God about how you know Him better, what you’ve learned, and/or ask Him for a better understanding.
- Proclaim the scripture – Plan to tell someone about it verbally or by your non-verbal action.
These 4 steps can be done in 2 minutes. You can spend 30 seconds on each action or go through all actions until the 2 minutes is up. The passage you choose for this activity should be only a verse or two. Daily prepare a scripture to use. As you perceive, print, pray, and proclaim the scripture you will experience the peace of God, freedom from guilt, agreement with God, instruction to implement, and regularly practicing the scripture in word and deed. You will find your life more invigorated and energized. The refreshment you experience from God’s Word filling you will be undeniable.
The key to God-centered focus in 2 minutes is to read the scripture with intention to understand it and do it. There is only success ahead for you (Joshua 1:8).
To Help You – I’ve prepared 31 days of Bible Scriptures. If you would like to receive 31 days God-Centered Focus passages, sign-up here.
A habit can be formed in ~21 days. Why not begin today forming a habit of God-Centered focus all throughout your day that will energize you for the path of success. Sign-up here. You’ll be well on your way to God-Centered focus.
Written By: Anne Gurley
