Your eyes can only focus on one thing at a time. That’s part of being human, and it applies not only to your physical vision but also your spiritual vision. You can be aware of many things simultaneously in your inward being—your heart, your mind, your soul—but you can only focus your attention on one.
That presents you with a choice every time you face a problem. You can focus on it, or you can focus on something else—like the corresponding promise God gives you that addresses it. (Every problem in your life has a corresponding promise, you know; it may take a long time to be fulfilled, but it’s there.) So what do you do when the problem appears huge? How do you respond when it tries to dominate your attention?
If you’re like most people, the problem consumes you. You turn your focus to it until it’s resolved. Problems have a way of doing that; they overwhelm our thoughts and drain us of energy. But there’s no reason you have to be like most people. In fact, you’re called to something much higher and better: focusing on the promise instead.
That takes discipline, but it’s doable. Actually, it’s imperative if you want to retain your faith and experience breakthrough. Problems exhaust you; God-given promises energize you. And, in spite of appearances, the promises are truer and bigger than the problems. The more you focus on them, the smaller the problems appear.
[Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised (Romans 4:20-21).
