In our previous blog, we stated that our ability to move forward in the Kingdom of God is directly related to how we handle change. So, how do you know you are in a season of change...other than the calendar says so?
We always try to dress appropriately for the season we're in, don't we? We don't wear t-shirts and shorts when it's freezing outside. When we find we are inappropriately dressed for a situation, it hinders our confidence.
Our "inner" dress is the same. We must always have a focus that allows God to change us and re-dress us for what He has for us in His future. Our growth depends on our choice, willingness to be vulnerable, and understanding that He only wants our best. Change can result in trauma unless we have developed a relationship with Jesus. His agenda is Kingdom focused, and so must ours be. We must understand the times and seasons of God; we must be able to recognize His voice when He says "Change."
After all, everything is always changing. You've been changing from the moment God placed you in your mother's womb. In fact, the only thing that NEVER changes is God and His Truth!
In order to accept and handle change successfully we have to recognize and accept three realities:
1) God works in Seasons. Ecclesiastes 3 makes that clear: To everything there is a season, a time to be born & die; to plant and uproot; to kill and heal; to weep and laugh,etc.
2) Recognizing your season is crucial to fulfilling your Destiny. Your focus on God and your relationship with Jesus is worth the effort spent in study, prayer, listening, worship.
3)Seasons change. One season isn't necessarily better or worse than another, nor are they all easy. But they all are designed to teach us and make us more like Jesus when we trust Him and are willing to allow Him to work in us.
Here are some Clues that God is bringing a CHANGE in your life:
1) HUNGER...FOR GOD: You will notice a deep hunger for God and a dissatisfaction with the status quo.
2) HABITS: Old habits become distasteful. You can't stand to waste time. You perhaps used to enjoy hobbies or watching tv, but they become more and more boring and feel like a waste of time! There's something more!
3) HANG-UPS: Intolerance for your "acceptable sins" will arise; i.e. over or unhealthy eating, procrastination, inactivity, gossip, negativity. You will find you tend to be intolerant of yourself and of others.
4) DREAM AGAIN: There is a sense of unsettledness and you don't want to do what you've always done, even if it was successful. Old dreams and visions, past promises and prophetic words come back to your mind. You begin to dream again!
5) YOU BECOME A WARRIOR: You begin to pray the most dangerous prayer: "Whatever it takes, Lord...DO IT!"
If you are sensing any of these situations in your life, be encouraged. God is moving. He has YOU on His mind and YOUR best in His heart. Stay Focused On Him!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Moving Forward....
I can't believe it's already December!! Here we are once again, changing seasons, years, lives....Change! For many of us, that 6-letter word can be rather upsetting. The thought of Change can bring various emotions: fear, questions, limbo, discomfort.
Let's face it, no one is excited about change. One man said, "The only people who DO like change are wet babies...and even they aren't too excited about it!"
Change is a state of becoming; of shifting and being dissatisfied with the status quo. It's like looking into a fog, knowing you are about to walk where you can't clearly see and possibly have never been.
Change is part of a healthy life, and always requires TRUST. We have to trust ourselves, what we've learned from the past, and what God is going to teach us to successfully move forward into Change. If we aren't willing to move forward, we can miss what God is doing. How we handle Change is directly related to our ability to move forward in the Kingdom of God.
If we are not willing to allow God to constantly change us, redress us and examine us, then we short-circuit the Destiny God has planned for us from the beginning.
In the next few blogs, I'm going to talk about Change: the clues that God is bringing a Change in our lives; the steps for Change; and the requirements for Change.
Are you in a season of Change? How do you view Change?
Check back in often to read my thoughts and your responses. I am looking forward to hearing from you as we stay...
Focused On Him,
Ann
Let's face it, no one is excited about change. One man said, "The only people who DO like change are wet babies...and even they aren't too excited about it!"
Change is a state of becoming; of shifting and being dissatisfied with the status quo. It's like looking into a fog, knowing you are about to walk where you can't clearly see and possibly have never been.
Change is part of a healthy life, and always requires TRUST. We have to trust ourselves, what we've learned from the past, and what God is going to teach us to successfully move forward into Change. If we aren't willing to move forward, we can miss what God is doing. How we handle Change is directly related to our ability to move forward in the Kingdom of God.
If we are not willing to allow God to constantly change us, redress us and examine us, then we short-circuit the Destiny God has planned for us from the beginning.
In the next few blogs, I'm going to talk about Change: the clues that God is bringing a Change in our lives; the steps for Change; and the requirements for Change.
Are you in a season of Change? How do you view Change?
Check back in often to read my thoughts and your responses. I am looking forward to hearing from you as we stay...
Focused On Him,
Ann
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Morning Praise
"It's Amazing"
Your Love is so amazing;
Your Grace is so divine;
Your Mercy undeserving,
Yet You make it clear it's mine!
You speak in ways so subtle,
Yet Your Love is clear and pure.
You reign above my understanding
With Your hand so strong and sure
You are the God who has called
me from darkness.
You are the God who frees
me from pain.
You are Omnipotent, Holy, and Righteous,
Yet You are the God
Who knows me by name!
---Ann Buck
Friday, November 20, 2009
Where Are Your Eyes?
On the plane recently, I sat next to a young lady in her military fatigues. During the conversation, she told me that she had completed her basic training and was on her way home to see her parents before she was shipped out to who knows where. She was so excited to see her folks! So I asked her if she had talked to them during her basic training. She explained that she had not spoken with them because they weren't allowed phones or phone calls. So I asked if she had seen much TV or watched the news. No, she explained, they were not allowed to watch TV. Had she read the newspapers? No, they weren't allowed that either. They only voice they could listen to was their commander's voice. All their information and direction came from their commander.
I believe this was an divine encounter that taught me a spiritual truth.
When in a battle, we don't look at the enemy or listen to his lies. We keep our eyes on our Commander. Our ears are tuned to hear His Voice, and His alone. The only time we focus on the enemy is when our Commander gives the direction. We don't worry about the enemy and we don't listen to the enemy. Our Commander in Chief is the only thing we see and His Voice is all we hear. We trust Him. Everything else is His job.
After all, isn't this what Jesus meant when He told us to "Seek first His Kingdom and His Righeousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matt. 6:33; Luke 12:31)
Where are your eyes? Survivors focus on their surroundings. But those who Thrive are focused on Jesus, our Commander in Chief.
I am no longer surviving, but thriving. How about you?
Focused On Him,
Ann
I believe this was an divine encounter that taught me a spiritual truth.
When in a battle, we don't look at the enemy or listen to his lies. We keep our eyes on our Commander. Our ears are tuned to hear His Voice, and His alone. The only time we focus on the enemy is when our Commander gives the direction. We don't worry about the enemy and we don't listen to the enemy. Our Commander in Chief is the only thing we see and His Voice is all we hear. We trust Him. Everything else is His job.
After all, isn't this what Jesus meant when He told us to "Seek first His Kingdom and His Righeousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matt. 6:33; Luke 12:31)
Where are your eyes? Survivors focus on their surroundings. But those who Thrive are focused on Jesus, our Commander in Chief.
I am no longer surviving, but thriving. How about you?
Focused On Him,
Ann
Monday, October 19, 2009
Thoughts
God is teaching me so much about trust and focus. It seems that when you step out and think you fully understand a concept of the Kingdom, He reveals so much more...showing that you really know very little! Every turn is a new facet of Him to discover. And yet, He is faithful, gentle and loving. He never leaves us and will never put more on us than we can handle. He promises that 'a bruised reed He will not break', so the stretching will not result in our breaking. Somehow that brings great peace to me.
Ex. 33:14 says "My Presence will go with you, and I (in My Presence) will give you rest (peace).
What distinguishes us from the world? Peace...His rest which is that unexplainable calm, quiet, lack of striving in the midst of storms. The disciples experienced this as they found themselves on the Sea of Galilee in a storm with Jesus asleep in the boat. They called out to Him, and He answered "Peace, be still."
Peace in spite of....
Peace in the midst of....
Peace through all....
Psalm 91 gives great insight into the secret of living in peace: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
May you focus your attention on dwelling with the Most High this week, shutting out all distractions and resting in the secret place with Him. There's nothing more important than this.
His peace be with you as you Focus On Him.
Ann
Friday, October 2, 2009
Fear
Is it just me, or do you also deal with various kinds of fear? There are 365 "Do Not Fears" in the Bible, and yet I still have been dealing with fear this week. I know 2 Timothy 1:7 clearly says "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind." (KJV) The NIV says it more gently: "God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power, love, and self discipline." I relate more to the KJV in this instance. It's fear that I have struggled with, and fear tends to erase my "sound mind." Timidity hasn't been my issue, but fear has kept me buried far too long.
I've overcome many of my fears: the fear of public speaking, the fear of public opinion, the fear of man, the fear of failure/success etc. I even confronted my fear of water and learned to swim this summer. But this week found me facing fear all over again. You see, this week I had to face the dreaded evil tube...the MRI! In spite of the tranquilizer the Dr. gave me, I still freaked and had to resort to an IV of something that caused me to sleep during the procedure. I'm a grown woman full of the Holy Spirit, and a simple medical examination caused me to panic. Ridiculous!
I know fear is not from God and yet in this situation it rose up and tried to take control. Last night I dreamed of being put into the MRI, and awoke in a panic. However, God is faithful. When I fell asleep again the Holy Spirit rehearsed scriptures in my dream. How awesome is that? The last one was Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers (and that means me, too), whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things. ... and the God of peace will be with you."
God gave me a strategy for deliverance from fear! Think on the TRUTH. By focusing on the Truth of all God is and does, fear is eliminated from my mind and peace floods my spirit.
Satan's only real weapon against us is fear and his battleground is our minds. If he can get us to fear, he can immobilize us and stop our effectiveness in the Kingdom of God. When we allow fear to rule our emotions it also rules our minds, and we align ourselves with the LIE that is satan. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy and his favorate way to accomplishe this is through fear.
1John 4:18 says "Perfect love drives out fear." The scripture goes on to say that we love because He first loved us! So why should we fear? His love covers all. We are His children, created for His good works. Romans 8:15 says: "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father."
Psalm 91:4-5 says: "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday."
That covers it all, doesn't it? Why should we fear when we have the Almighty Most High God as our shield and fortress!
If you have been dealing with fear, I pray a renewed focus for you today. May the Truth of God rule and reign as you align yourself with Him. Do Not Fear! The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty and is armed with strength! (Ps. 93)
Walk in the peace of God who never leaves you as you remain...
Focused On Him,
Ann
I've overcome many of my fears: the fear of public speaking, the fear of public opinion, the fear of man, the fear of failure/success etc. I even confronted my fear of water and learned to swim this summer. But this week found me facing fear all over again. You see, this week I had to face the dreaded evil tube...the MRI! In spite of the tranquilizer the Dr. gave me, I still freaked and had to resort to an IV of something that caused me to sleep during the procedure. I'm a grown woman full of the Holy Spirit, and a simple medical examination caused me to panic. Ridiculous!
I know fear is not from God and yet in this situation it rose up and tried to take control. Last night I dreamed of being put into the MRI, and awoke in a panic. However, God is faithful. When I fell asleep again the Holy Spirit rehearsed scriptures in my dream. How awesome is that? The last one was Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers (and that means me, too), whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things. ... and the God of peace will be with you."
God gave me a strategy for deliverance from fear! Think on the TRUTH. By focusing on the Truth of all God is and does, fear is eliminated from my mind and peace floods my spirit.
Satan's only real weapon against us is fear and his battleground is our minds. If he can get us to fear, he can immobilize us and stop our effectiveness in the Kingdom of God. When we allow fear to rule our emotions it also rules our minds, and we align ourselves with the LIE that is satan. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy and his favorate way to accomplishe this is through fear.
1John 4:18 says "Perfect love drives out fear." The scripture goes on to say that we love because He first loved us! So why should we fear? His love covers all. We are His children, created for His good works. Romans 8:15 says: "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father."
Psalm 91:4-5 says: "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday."
That covers it all, doesn't it? Why should we fear when we have the Almighty Most High God as our shield and fortress!
If you have been dealing with fear, I pray a renewed focus for you today. May the Truth of God rule and reign as you align yourself with Him. Do Not Fear! The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty and is armed with strength! (Ps. 93)
Walk in the peace of God who never leaves you as you remain...
Focused On Him,
Ann
Friday, September 25, 2009
What does it mean to "focus"?
Webster's Dictionary defines "focus" in the following manner: 1) a point at which rays of light, heat, or sound converge; 2) the adjustment made for distinct vision; 3) the area that may be seen distinctly or resolved into a clear image; 4) a position in which something must be placed for clarity of perception; 5) a point of concentration
Recently, someone asked me why it took me so long to re-marry. What a question. My first response was that no one had asked! Ok, that's not really true, but it evaded an uncomfortable question with a bit of humor!
The truth is...I decided I would be like a dove.
The Song of Solomon describes his beloved as having eyes like a dove, and the more I studied, the more I wanted to have dove's eyes. You see as I understand it, when a dove focuses on the love of her life, she sees nothing else. Nothing can distract her: food, enemy attacks, noise, nothing! She only focuses on her mate.
So, I decided I would attempt to have the eyes of a dove when it came to the Lover of my Soul. I would focus on Jesus, meaning that I put myself in a position for clarity of perception and I would concentrate and make adjustments for a clear image. My eyes would be so fixed on Him that the only way I could be distracted would be if I saw someone in my peripheral vision, meaning they had to be on the same path as I. The focus of a dove's eyes is very narrow, and doesn't allow for distractions.
Some would say this is a lonely place to be. You and I both know we can be in many relation-ships and still be lonely. I would argue that focusing your eyes on the Lover of your soul is the very best place to be. Jesus promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is the ever present, ever constant God who never changes. And when you see the person who has the same heart for God that you have, he will be in your peripheral vision on the same path as you.
Focus on Him. Married or single....it's the only way for peace.
Ann
Recently, someone asked me why it took me so long to re-marry. What a question. My first response was that no one had asked! Ok, that's not really true, but it evaded an uncomfortable question with a bit of humor!
The truth is...I decided I would be like a dove.
The Song of Solomon describes his beloved as having eyes like a dove, and the more I studied, the more I wanted to have dove's eyes. You see as I understand it, when a dove focuses on the love of her life, she sees nothing else. Nothing can distract her: food, enemy attacks, noise, nothing! She only focuses on her mate.
So, I decided I would attempt to have the eyes of a dove when it came to the Lover of my Soul. I would focus on Jesus, meaning that I put myself in a position for clarity of perception and I would concentrate and make adjustments for a clear image. My eyes would be so fixed on Him that the only way I could be distracted would be if I saw someone in my peripheral vision, meaning they had to be on the same path as I. The focus of a dove's eyes is very narrow, and doesn't allow for distractions.
Some would say this is a lonely place to be. You and I both know we can be in many relation-ships and still be lonely. I would argue that focusing your eyes on the Lover of your soul is the very best place to be. Jesus promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is the ever present, ever constant God who never changes. And when you see the person who has the same heart for God that you have, he will be in your peripheral vision on the same path as you.
Focus on Him. Married or single....it's the only way for peace.
Ann
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
New Beginnings
Hello!
This is the first of what will be many blogs on the Focused On Him website. I hope you will check here often and leave your comments. We will be posting often with thoughts to ponder, teachings that will challenge and reality that will point you to the Way, Truth, and Life that is Jesus.
As you read my testimony on the website, you will see that I am well acquainted with functioning in survival mode when my world turned upside down. However, I want to encourage you to read the rest of the story, because surviving can lead to thriving when one stays focused on the Kingdom of God. Your situation may be more devastating than mine, but Truth remains: God doesn't change. He loves you, and He alone knows the plans He has had for your life since the beginning of time.
I love all of Psalm 139, but the 17th verse has sustained and encouraged me for a long time. It says: "All of the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." Wow! I am determined to walk out all that God has ordained for me without fear, insecurity, or that continual conversation in my mind that begins with "what if?".
This website is part of walking out what God has already ordained for Ray and I, and we can't wait to see where it leads us. As a friend of mine often says, "Life is a great adventure!" Plan to check in often and join us for the ride!
I look forward to hearing from you as we remain
Focused On Him!
Ann Buck
This is the first of what will be many blogs on the Focused On Him website. I hope you will check here often and leave your comments. We will be posting often with thoughts to ponder, teachings that will challenge and reality that will point you to the Way, Truth, and Life that is Jesus.
As you read my testimony on the website, you will see that I am well acquainted with functioning in survival mode when my world turned upside down. However, I want to encourage you to read the rest of the story, because surviving can lead to thriving when one stays focused on the Kingdom of God. Your situation may be more devastating than mine, but Truth remains: God doesn't change. He loves you, and He alone knows the plans He has had for your life since the beginning of time.
I love all of Psalm 139, but the 17th verse has sustained and encouraged me for a long time. It says: "All of the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." Wow! I am determined to walk out all that God has ordained for me without fear, insecurity, or that continual conversation in my mind that begins with "what if?".
This website is part of walking out what God has already ordained for Ray and I, and we can't wait to see where it leads us. As a friend of mine often says, "Life is a great adventure!" Plan to check in often and join us for the ride!
I look forward to hearing from you as we remain
Focused On Him!
Ann Buck
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