Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You Because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3
Whatever we focus on, we magnify. We are not changing its actual size, we are simply making it bigger in our minds. And if you stay focused on your challenges, oppositions or the negative things somebody said about you, they will only get bigger than it is. Wouldn't you rather stay focused on God's promises and make them bigger in your mind? They are true, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and will produce the desired result!
God said you are a masterpiece. He said you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). He said you are one of a kind. You have the right looks, the right personality, and the gifts that you need to fulfil your purpose in life! Flood your mind with what God says about you or His promises concerning you to keep your mind in perfect peace!
Magnify what God says about you and not the challenges you are going through. All through the day, instead of complaining, stay focused and declare God's promises; "God, you said with long life you would satisfy me (Psalm 91:16) You said the number of my days you would fulfil (Exodus 23:26), that I would live and not die (Psalm 118:17), that you are restoring health unto me"(Jeremiah 30:17). Remember it takes the same amount of energy to declare God's promises as it does to complain!
If you change your focus from the challenges to God's promises concerning the challenges, worry will leave. Doubt, fear, and negativity will go and faith will rise. For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20 As you stay focused and meditate on God's promises, your desired result shall be yes and Amen.
Your meditation and focus should be on God and His promises! God is bigger than anything that comes against you, and what He promised He will bring to pass. If you are single and you want to get married, don't go around thinking, "I will never meet the right person. I'm too old. I missed too many opportunities. It's never going to happen".
No, turn it around. "God, you said because I delight myself in you, you would give me the desires of my heart. (Psalm 37:4) Lord, you said no good thing will you withhold because I walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11) And Lord, I want to thank you that my good thing is coming in. That man, that woman whom you have already picked out for me, it's just a matter of time before they show up".
Whatever you are believing for, instead of magnifying the negative, instead of worrying, find God's promise that you can stand on. And all through the day, let that play in your mind. "God, you said you hold victory in store for the upright. You said your favour surrounds me like a shield. You said the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter" (Proverbs 4:18)
The reason it's so important to have a promise that you can focus on is that God is not obligated to bring to pass what we say, but He is obligated to bring to pass what He says. You can say, "God, you said I would prosper and live in good health (3 John 1:2). God, you said you would always cause me to triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14). God, you said my latter days will be better than my former days" (Job 8:7) When God hears His promises coming out of your mouth, He will arise and says to the angels, "Go to work. Get busy, make it happen".
MAKE GOD BIGGER IN YOUR MIND!
The scripture says "Let God arise and his enemies be scattered". (Psalm 68:1) When you make God bigger in your life, when you focus on His greatness, and you go out with this attitude of faith, expecting breakthroughs, expecting dreams to come to pass, your enemies will be scattered. Enemies of debt and lack, enemies of depression, enemies of sickness, enemies of progress, enemies of injustice will scatter!
Now, my question today is, what are you letting arise? What are you lifting or making bigger in your mind? "Well, pastor, I'm in a slow season at work. Somebody hurt me in a relationship. My health has gone worse. That's why I'm so discouraged".
No, that's letting the wrong things arise and making them bigger in your mind. That's doubt, defeat, self-pity. That's not going to do anything productive. You have got to turn it around and change your focus from the challenges to the promise, from considering your circumstances to considering your God.
Here's how... All through the day, you tell God to strengthen you for this battle. God, you said no weapon formed against me will ever prosper (Isaiah 54:17). God, you said the trap the enemy set for me they will fall in themselves(Psalm 57:6). God, you said eyes have not seen, heard, or imagined the amazing things you have in store for me (1Corinthians 2:9)
Things are changing in my favour. You have done it in the past; I know you will do it again in the future". When you let God arise, you can't stay defeated. Healing comes, promotion comes, favour comes, victory comes. Your enemies will be scattered.
The bigger you make God, the smaller your challenges or opposition becomes, and the more faith will rise in your heart. But too often we do just the opposite. It's easy to magnify the challenges instead of magnifying God. That's why David said, "Magnify the Lord with me". He was saying if you are going to make anything bigger don't make the challenges bigger. Don't make the opposition bigger. Don't make the negative medical report bigger. Learn to make God bigger.
It's interesting, that when David faced Goliath, he never called him a giant. Everyone else did. They talked about his size, his strength, his skill. Not David. He called him an uncircumcised philistine (1 Samuel 17:26) He didn't even give him credit for being big. He didn't deny it, his attitude was, "If I'm going to magnify anything, I'm going to magnify the source of my strength. I'm going to talk about the greatness of my God. I'm not going to focus on how big my opposition is. I'm going to focus on how big my God is".
David's brothers and the other Israelites were afraid, intimidated, and didn't know what to do. When David told them that he wanted to fight Goliath, they said, "David, you can't fight Goliath. You are just a kid, you are too small. You don't have a chance". But David had a different perspective. He knew if God be for him, who dare be against him? He knew he was strong in the Lord. He knew he wasn't going out there alone, that all the forces of heaven were backing him up.
David stood before Goliath and said, "Goliath, you come against me with a sword and a shield. But I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Israel" (1Samuel 17:45) Notice what he was doing, magnifying his God, talking about his greatness.
This teenage boy; David, half the size of Goliath didn't have a chance in the natural to defeat this huge giant. That's what happens when you magnify the promises and not the challenges. The apostle Paul said, "Do not be intimidated by your enemies" (Philippians 1:28 NLT)
Like David, you may be up against a big giant right now, a giant called an addiction, a giant of debt, a giant called financial hardship, a giant of sickness. And you could easily be overwhelmed, and think, "Oh, I don't have a chance". No, don't be intimidated, the forces that are for you are greater than the forces that are against you. (1 John 4:4) Have the right perspective. The Most High God is on your side.
I read about this little boy, there was a big bully who lived down the street who was always bothering him. He was trying to get his nerve up to stand up to him, but he was just too afraid and didn't have the confidence.
And one day, his father bought him a new telescope. He was in the front yard, playing with it, but he was looking through the wrong end. He was looking through the big side. His father came out and said, "No, son, you are doing it backwards. Turn it around and it will make everything bigger like it was designed to". He said, "Dad, I know that. But right now, I'm looking at this bully. And when I look at him this way it makes him so small that I'm not afraid of him anymore".
And maybe you need to turn the telescope around. You have magnified those challenges long enough. You have talked about how impossible it is, and how it's never going to work out. But if you turn the telescope around, you will see it from the right perspective. You will realize that it's nothing for our God.
Your dream coming to pass may seem impossible to you, but if you turn it around, you will realize that it just takes one touch of God's favour, one contact, or meeting one right person and everything will turn around for the good.
Maybe that financial challenges, that relationship issue, that addiction may seem insurmountable. However, if you just stay focused on God's promises, you will see it from a different perspective and realize that, for our God, it's a small thing. He parted the Red Sea for the Israelites. He can make a way in your life. You can't go through life focusing on the negative and how it's never going to work out; it will keep you from the best God has for you. Stay focused on God's promises and enjoy the best in Him.
"The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”