The Direction you are looking will determine your direction

If you are driving and you look to your left or right you tend to start drifting that way. Where your eyes are focused determines which direction you are heading. One of the things we are always told is to "PAY ATTENTION" (yes it seems I always heard it in a screaming voice) But to pay implies that it will cost us something. We have to give up something now to gain something later. If you Pay Attention to your health every day then it will pay off later. You pay now or you pay later but you will always pay. There are always things we should pay less attention to and other things we should pay more attention to. We get sidetracked so easily by things that are less important and by people that we should not even giving any of our attention to.

“There are people and activities that have the potential to lure us away from the things to which we should be paying attention. And if we are honest, the cost of disentangling ourselves from unhealthy relationships and activities seems to high a price to pay.” (Pg 144 Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley)

One of the most difficult things to get rid of in our lives are the unhealthy relationships that we sometimes have. People that our in our lives that take too much attention away from the things we need to be focused on. As parents we always warn our children about who they hang out with and the negative effects those relationships can have on their lives. What about us as adults? Are we around people and places that steal our attention away? Do we have people in our lives that are more of a hindrance to the things we need to be doing? Getting rid of the distractions, or paying attention, will cost you. People will not understand why you no longer hang around them, people will not understand why you did not take that job promotion, people will ask you questions that you will not be able to answer because you do not want to talk badly about the people you need to move away from. People will not understand right away but your concern is to pay attention now to the things God is calling you to do rather than having people who pull you away with things they want you to do.

Deuteronomy 7:12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers.

God is warning the children of Israel to not get distracted by the other gods and the other lifestyles of those living in their region. It is so easy for us to get trapped into thinking about the things they have instead of the things of God. We see commercials that show us things that they say we need even though we do not have any need for them.

<strong>Hebrews 2:1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

You never wind up where you want to be by changing your course a bunch of times or by just drifting along. You have to be intentional about where you are going and how you are going to get there. Who are those people in your life that always try to get you off course by getting you to go somewhere or do something that you know is not going to help you get where you need to go? They are people that are concerned about only themselves and the joy ride they are on. You have to identify them and make sure they do not become a distraction to the course in life you set out.

A Captain will always set his course ahead of time and determine the best way to arrive at the destination. Yes he will have to make course corrections because of storms or even engine trouble but a captain will not allow others to tell them to make extra stops along the journey or to change the course of the boat. Too many people live their lives as if they are in a speed boat rather than on a cruise liner. They whip in an out around others cruising along without a care in the world.They change direction without even having to think about it but at the end of the day one boat goes back to the dock and one boat goes on a journey.

We all like the speed boat moments and it is alright to have those days but remember a cruise liner has fun as well. A cruise liner takes more people on the journey with them than a speed boat could ever think about taking. They have fun on the journey together and they go to places that the speed boat could not go. And when they arrive at their destination they have speed boats moments before leaving for their next journey together. The difference between a speed boat and a cruise liner is the cruise liner takes more thought and more planning to reach its destination. The speed boat just goes along not knowing what the day will hold and where they might go. The speed boat does not have a destination but only a concern for having fun for the day. There is minimal pay for the speed boat and the course can change quickly. The speed boat only takes a few on their day trip because only a few can be a part of someones life that has no direction or destination.


Proverbs 4:25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.


Psalms 119:35-37Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.

What goals do you have? Are you setting a course to reach those goals? People that say they want to be led by the spirit everyday do not realize that goals allow you to do just that. God always has the ability to redirect your course. He will allow storms to come your way so He can guide you where He wants you to be. The spirit guiding hand will be in your planning as well. (see Nehemiah)

Pay the price you need to pay in order to reap the benefits down the road and do not allow others to distract you.