A 5-day guide to focusing through life’s challenges even when you feel like enough is enough. Find out how to push past the self-chatter and seek God’s wisdom concerning the matter at hand. Focusing is about seeing yourself through the filter of God’s love. Find out how.
THE RUBY NETWORK
Day 1
Scripture: Psalms 25:4
Self-chatter is one of the biggest opponents to focusing. Often, we find ourselves in thought cycles that lead us to the inevitable conclusion that God has forgotten about us. Most times, when the enemy wants to get us off track, it only takes one thought to derail the whole plan, God’s plan for you to focus and fight. The enemy of your soul would hate for you to get the revelation that you’ve got the power, beautiful. Stand up to him, stand up to your thoughts, and most importantly, stand up for the purpose that God created you for. Don’t you deserve to win? I’d be willing to bet, if I were a betting woman, that you’d give just about anything to have a strategy to fight well. Your journey starts today. Get ready to learn how to focus, fight, and win by God’s grace! Let’s go.
{SAY THIS} I choose to focus No matter what it looks like today. I know why I’m here, and I know who called me. Nothing that I am facing today is unto my demise. I choose to believe God’s best about my life, my circumstances, and my situation. Nothing I am facing today is stronger than my God. I acknowledge I may be afraid and a little unsure, but I commit myself to the journey of understanding how to focus my thoughts and center my soul. I declare today that my soul is anchored in the Lord. I will focus. I will fight, starting today. Amen.
Day 2
Scriptures: Proverbs 18:21, 1 John 4:18
Wrapping your head around the swelling feeling of NOT having it all together makes not having it all together feel that much more intense. The power of life and death is found in your tongue, Beautiful. Being able to see the situations you face for what they are, temporary, even if they are life-long issues, in the context of life and death they are considered temporary. Separating what is now and what is passing away with the thought of Heaven and its eternity helps us focus our minds on what’s important. Yes, this situation is a doozy, but focusing to fight requires you to take control of the thoughts you think and the words you speak. Sometimes, not having the ability to think clearly impacts the way we see the world. It directly impacts how we speak and how we respond. Today, we will decide to focus to fight. We will decide to line our mouths up with the Word of Truth and determine the outcome of our day. We will choose to think life-giving thoughts and speak life-giving words. Today, we will overcome by the power of our OWN testimony.
{SAY THIS} Today, I will take control of my thought life. Today, I choose to focus to fight. Today is the day that I decide to maintain control of my mind and my mouth by giving control over to the keeper of my soul. I acknowledge the hard things in my life, but I also acknowledge the power of the One who loves me more than I can even imagine. Today, I submit myself to the power of my Father’s hand. I submit my thoughts to the power of the One who holds all things in His hands. It is not by my power or by my might that my situation will change. I release the need to control the outcome of a thing and fully submit myself to the understanding of God’s perfect love and His perfect will for me. I will allow the knowledge of this to cast out all fear. Today, I am victorious. Today, I am focused.
Day 3
Scriptures: Isaiah 26:3, Psalms 5:3
Telling yourself things will never get better ensures that they won’t. If you’re ruminating all day on the things that you can’t control, you’ll be knocked out before you even get started. Self-chatter can either be our guiding light or what knocks us out of the fight. What are you thinking about? What thoughts are ruling your mind as you endure this season of life? Pockets of joy must be intentionally uncovered. You must search for glory like you search for your favorite sweater and favorite book on a fall day. How we see and speak to our situations internally drives the compass of our hearts. Our hearts then drive our words, and of course, our words drive our actions. Defeat in your mind leads to defeat in your heart.
A sorrowful soul is a sure way to walk in the opposite direction of expectation. The hope of fulfilled promises is necessary to lean on. Waiting in expectation is one of the ways we focus. Remembering and meditating on the times the Lord did exactly what He said He would do must take center stage in your mind’s eye. Rehearse the ways the Lord has provided in times past, and intentionally recall movements of joy, victory, and glory in God. Beautiful, I know you’ve heard this a million times before, but truly, the God you serve did not bring you this far in your journey to leave you undone. He wants to fulfill every promise made concerning you. But you’ve got to remain focused. Your right now depends on it.
{SAY THIS} I will rehearse the days and times past that God came through for me. Today, as I go through my day, I will intentionally recall pockets of glory in my life. I remember the time when He brought me out of an impossible situation. I remember when others said it couldn’t be done, but God knew it could. He showed up for me then, and I believe with my heart that He will do it for me now. I may not see it, but I choose to believe. I understand that today is a new day, and I am ready and waiting in expectation for God to be God in my life. I will wait in hopeful expectation, and today, Lord, I renew my commitment to joy. Amen.
Day 4
Scriptures: Hebrews 7:26, Psalms 56:8, 1 Peter 5:7
It really is going to be alright. When we are in the middle of what feels like an ocean of emotion, we lean towards the comforts of life. Sometimes, that learning takes us away from the God-factor. Other times, it leads us towards the reality of our humanity. Feeling frail, left out, overlooked, and even downright abandoned by God is not something we should be ashamed of. It’s the old adage that says, no pain, no gain. When we focus on the spots that we feel left out, we shine a light on the goodness of God. It’s when we avoid how we feel that we get caught up in feelings of shame, blame, guilt, and resentment. And this space, Beautiful, is exactly where the enemy of our souls wants us. He’d like nothing more for us to shove our feelings deep down inside and try to pretend that everything is alright. Here, in that space, he can plant seeds of doubt and confusion. He has a foothold to make us question God and His sovereignty.
Don’t give in to the temptation to run away from how you truly feel. Disappointed? Tell God. Ashamed, tell God. Angry? Tell God. He can deal with the humanity of life and meet us in the spaces of hurt. Focusing to fight means we must also embrace the pain that we feel. The disappointment, the letdown, the feelings of abandonment, or feeling like, really God? It’s okay. God can handle it. You’ve got to embrace the pain, lean into it, and keep going. Give your cares to God. He can handle it, and He cares about what you’re going through.
{SAY THIS} I will not give in to the trick of the enemy. I will acknowledge how I feel in this season of my life. Today, I know that God loves me and cares for me. I know that He sees what’s going on and will neither leave me nor forsake me. I understand that the enemy of my soul desires for me to question God. I will not give in. I will focus my heart and my mind, and today, I will declare the wonderful works of God. I will press into the pain. I will lean into the moment. Today, I choose to give God the glory for my life, for my health, for my mind, and for my moment. Yes, even this moment, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My God is concerned about me, and I am grateful. I will not live in my head today. I choose to live out loud. Amen.
Day 5
Scripture: Psalms 91:1-16
You’re a tough cookie. Yep, I said it. You’re it. You’re that girl. You’re the one. You’re amazing. You’re excellent. You’re magnificent. You’re chosen. You’re called. You’re anointed. Who can stand in your way? You’ve focused all week; you’ve fought. You’re stronger today than you were yesterday. You cast your cares, you took inventory of the enemy’s schemes, you stared the issues of life in the eye, and you came out victorious. How do I know? You’re here. You’re reading this. You’ve overcome by the word of your OWN testimony. The faithfulness of God has proved true in your life. He was right about you. You are worth fighting for. Prayerfully, you can pat yourself on the back, if for nothing else, because you did exactly what you came to do. You learned how to focus to fight. You took life by the horns, and you decided to do something about how you felt. You met God along the way, and you should feel your shoulders sliding back and your chin naturally lifting. I hope you didn’t roll your eyes because I meant every word I spoke over you. It’s not easy to admit that you need God. It’s not easy to admit that you don’t have it all together, but that’s the beautiful thing about being a part of such a magnificent Body. You don’t have to have it all together; you just need to know the One who does. And be willing to reach for support when you’ve hit a rough patch. Kudos. Now,
{SAY THIS} I made it. I am a living, breathing example of what it looks like to focus and fight. I am exactly where I need to be in Christ. I am found under the shadow of His wings, and I am safe. I am protected. I am covered. God will never leave me nor forsake me. I believe it. As I go about the rest of my days, I will remember to focus to fight. I will remember to fix my eyes on the One who knows me best, and when I am feeling low, I will remember who holds my heart. Jesus, thank you for loving me like You do. Holy Spirit, thank you for leading me and guiding me with tender mercies every day. I will continue to focus. I will continue to fight. Until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, I will make it my goal to tame my thoughts and speak life. Amen.