Every Christian wants to know how we can walk in God's good, pleasing and perfect will in the most efficient and effective way possible. You've probably been given heaps of advice that may include following your passions, loving your neighbour, being ambitious and the like.
But one practice when it comes to pursuing God's call that I feel is not given the attention it deserves is gaining the ability to focus. Philippians 3:13-14 illustrates it best when it says, "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
There are many distractions today that can inhibit us from becoming the people God wants us to be—greed, complacency, money, social media, toxic relationships, and wrong values are just some. To follow God, we need to ignore every distraction and focus on the goal of winning the prize that is Christ.
If you feel like you're distracted from God's call, here are five signs to watch out so that you will now if you're veering away from the right track.
1. You're Not Moving In Life
Do you feel stagnant? While God does bring seasons of pauses and rest, sometimes you might feel like you've come to a complete halt and you're not moving in life. Maybe that's because you're heading the wrong direction and getting stuck too many times.
2. You're Forcing Yourself Through A Closed Door
Maybe you're forcing your way into a vocation, a college application, a relationship or a ministry, and it's just not sliding naturally. If that's the case, God might be shutting a door that wasn't meant for you and leading you to the door that was really made for you.
3. You Feel No Need To Persevere
While we don't force ourselves through closed doors, other times some people might not even try knocking. God will many times make a wrong path hard, but so might the right path be as well. In this we are called to trust in God's Spirit to give us perseverance.
4. You Focus Too Much On The Temporal Things
There's a reason why focusing on earthly treasures is such a bad deal—because it takes our mind off what truly matters. One of those will include God's good, pleasing and perfect will for our life. When we focus too much on money, fame, convenience and earthly success, we might lose track of that which matters most.
5. Your Relationships Are Suffering
I have yet to meet a lost person who has not led others astray. When we do that, it will take a toll on our relationships. Our relationships—marriages, parenting, friendships, and professional dealings—work best when we are in the centre of God's will.
