POSITIONED TO SOAR V: Focusing Your Anchor

Positioned to Soar V: Focusing Your Anchor

Hebrews 6:19; Acts 27:8-41

A reliable anchor makes you unmoved by changing or trying situations.  On a boat or ship, an anchor is an instrument used to stabilize the boat/sheep. The anchor is made of a heavy object (according to the size of the vessel) attached to a rope or chain and used to fasten a ship to the seabed.  Typically, the instrument has a metal shaft forked at one end, as in PICTURE 1, able to grip or dig into the seabed to keep the boat from drifting due to water currents. 

PICTURE 1

The anchor instrument must be strong enough and cast to the anchor seabed, which must be solid enough to provide the anchor effect.  If the anchor is weak or poorly maintained and the seedbed is sand, false rock or seaweed the anchor will not hold. A boat whose anchor does not hold fast enough is exposed to the bashing of strong winds that cause it to swing wildly, drift away, or be swept away or wrecked by water currents.  The anchor must hold and keep the boat unmoved if it is good.

The human soul also needs an anchor that can hold reliably. The result is peace, hope and progress. Without stability, one cannot pursue one’s goals and develop.   Generally, a life anchor is a person or thing that provides stability and instils confidence in an otherwise uncertain situation. Trust placed in the thing and the thing’s ability to provide stability provides the anchor effect.  Focusing your anchor is about placing your faith in what is most able to anchor your soul/life.  It is so very important where you decide to drop our anchor. Have you placed your trust in something able to overcome the storms that threaten your stability/peace/security?  Will it keep you safe and still in the storm.  Is it strong enough to keep you from shipwreck? What do you stand on? Whom do you hold on? Whom do you call on? Are you anchored right? You need an anchor that can hold in the midst of life raging storms.

Acts 27:8-41 tells how four anchors failed to hold fast enough but one anchor held and saved lives.  Paul was a prisoner en route to Rome to stand before Caesar. At Safe Haven on hearing from God Paul warned that sailing would be a danger to the ship and its passengers. However, the centurion guarding him believed the captain of the ship rather than Paul. In addition, the majority of the 279 passengers reasoned that it was best to sail. Winter was approaching and they had to be at a place where climatic conditions were better. Further a favourable south wind seemed to confirm that time was right to go (Acts 27:13, 14).  You like Paul may have been in situations when you know what God wants but everyone else sees things differently and you feel like the odd one.  Be encouraged, God will in one way or more vindicate you. They ignored Paul but as he had predicted, before long the gentle south wind became a ‘hurricane’ type wind.  To contain the situation they threw out the ship’s cargo and ship’s accessories to no avail. The ship was rocked so much that they lost all hope of living.  In the circumstances, they were prone to abstaining from food. That is how bad things were. When you can still eat, you are well. At one time some of the sailors wanted to jump onto the ship’s escape boats and abandon the ship (Acts 27:30-31). Even that option was taken away when the soldiers cut off the boat’s ropes.

On the voyage Paul became an emotional anchor who brought God’s word and encouraged the passengers to eat and cheer up.  He announced that despite having disregarded his earlier advice no life would be lost but the ship only.  God provided a plan B (Acts 27:21-23).  More and more they were listening to what Paul had to say. Eventually when the ship was approaching some country (Acts 27:27-29) they dropped four anchors down to stabilise the ship and prevent it from crashing onto the land. Paul continued to cheer them up (Acts 27:33-34). The anchors they dropped however did not help save the ship because the place had crosscurrents that produced fierce waves that made them ineffective and wrecked the ship.

The crew threw four anchors down but in the circumstances, their anchors could not prevent a shipwreck.  Instead, Paul cast one anchor that saved all the passengers. Paul narrowed his trust to only one anchor that holds all the time – ‘for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me’ (Acts 27:23-25). He proved that salvation was not in sailing experience, was not in escaping from a situation, was not offloading the ship, was not perfect circumstances, and was not being in the company of over 100 soldiers but in God alone. He trusted Gods promises, presence, and power. They cast their anchors downwards but He cast his one anchor upwards to the rock of ages. Like him, drop/cast your anchor upwards to the solid ground found only in God’s strength and security. That Anchor is placing your Faith in God who never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Paul knew the good news that there is solid ground.  Trusting in anything under the sun is vanity (Ecclesiastes) - whether it is position/power, possessions, privileges/status, pleasure, or popularity.  Even the earth referred to in Latin as being a terra firma--which means that it is solid ground. The very thing we are living on---the place where we have built our homes, our castles, store our treasures, pin our hopes on, our dreams on has proven it is not solid ground. It is prone to earth quakes, landslides, greenhouse effect, set on moving plates, possibly spins wobbly on its axis, etc

When you cast your anchor up to the rock of ages and not anything on earth or its universe, you shall not be moved:

>>You shall not be moved from Truth.  By setting on the dangerous voyage despite the warning of God’s word, they moved from truth.  God has provided Apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists and pastors to the Church so that they anchor believers in the truth instead of moving back and forth with every wind of doctrine.

Mathew 24:4-5 warns, ‘take heed that no man lead you astray. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.’ People anchored in the truth not only know God’s word but also obey his word (Mathew 15:8; Proverbs 12:3). Nothing can steal and sway their hearts from God. Jesus knows that you have a tendency to drift away from the place where you are supposed to be, e.g. not praying as you should, reading the bible like you should and responding to situations and people like you should. It does not matter in which direction you tend to drift, if your anchor is upward, when you start drifting a little too far, you will sense the anchor pulling you back.

>> You shall not be moved by Trouble. It is interesting that Paul was still even though he was in a storm of being a prisoner even before he experienced the physical sea storm.  He then created a storm within the sea storm by the manner in which people swim to safety. During the escape, the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape (Acts 27:42-43).  However, his anchor was strong enough to withstand all the three storms he was facing.  The anchor of trust in God will strengthen you in trouble (Psalm 46:1 – 5).  Thou dost keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee (Ps 26:3).

>> You shall not be moved from Hope. The passengers on the sheep had lost all hope. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared , and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away (Acts 27:20).   Casting your anchor upward will inspire enduring Hope (Colossians 1:23).   You cannot depend on Christ, focus on him, and fail to have hope, or be prone to lose hope.  

>>You shall not be moved at all times. Even when you wish you had done things differently (Acts 27:21, 22). Maybe you are constantly mourning missed opportunity, and wishing if only you had stayed. Yes, you should have done things differently but God has not given up on you yet. He recalculates as the GPS does and will take you to his destiny if you choose to obey him.  You can be of good cheer. God’s recalculations may however come at a price such as they lost the ship. There was however no loss of life and later they embarked on a different ship. No matter what is happening or happened before, you remain unmoved because your anchor is right. Whether it looks too good, too bad, or too late God will make a way.    Listen for his recalculation and learn from the past (Psalm 62:6 – 8; 21:7; 2 Corinthians 6:4-10; Romans 8:35-39).

>>You shall not be moved at Will. When your anchor is upward, you decide whether circumstances move you or not. Paul chose to believe (Acts 27:25).   Faith is a choice. Courage is a choice. Joy is a choice. A choice of how you fix your anchor. ‘I have set Jehovah always before me: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved (Psalm 16:8).’

The storms of life are raging. Drop the anchor of faith.  Be anchored right (Hebrews 12:1-2).  The people who will make it are those who do not mix Jesus plus stuff from witch doctor, apostolic sect, some unbiblical practice, etc.   Drop your anchors on solid ground. Trust in Him only and fully. Nothing else will do. Only anchor in God is truly safe and secure (Isaiah 43:1-3; Luke 1:37; Jeremiah 32:17; Ephesians 3:20). He is the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19; Ecclesiastes 12v13).   Be very sure in times like these – as in ‘Solid rock’ a song by Cynthia Jone. Be very sure that your anchor holds and grips that solid rock Jesus.

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

South Africa 

POSITIONED TO SOAR IV: Focusing Your Activities

POSITIONED TO SOAR IV: Focusing Your Activities

Nehemiah 6:1-19; Luke 9:51-53;

Philippians 3:13-14 and Ephesians 5:14–17

We have seen that having a central focus in life helps one to identify distractions and be able to overcome them in order to accomplish one’s goals. Have you ever woken up wanting to accomplish a lot in that day and only to put realise at bedtime that you did a whole lot of things, but not the main things.  Your number one challenge is  to focus on keeping the main thing the main thing. At a practical level, one has to be able to set right priorities that align or focus daily activities to the central focus.   Setting priorities and implementing them is a tool to maintain focus. How you maintain focus is also how you switch back to focus when you lose it.

Nehemiah set his priorities and kept working on them despite distractions (Nehemiah 6:1-19). Jesus showed immense concentration on his mission to seek and save the lost that his whole life was set on achieving it. Even his face, body and attitude reflected his focus on the mission (Luke 9:51-53). Priorities are a basis for directing effort, time and material resources (Ephesians 5:14–17). In this message, setting right priorities that reflect the importance of activities to life’s central focus is focusing one’s activities.

We live in an age of multitasking and multiple income streams. Many are wearing many hats and juggling more and more balls than before. Paul was everything to every one but did not lose his focus.  He wrote that his life goal was to press towards knowing Christ and serving him (Philippians 3:13-14; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:31). He wanted to know who He was and what He wanted him to do. He pursued Christ inspired values and goals.  In other words, he set his priorities to fit into the one thing he sought. He made sure his various roles, responsibilities and functions where contributing to a single grand purpose. He made sure everything lined up towards the purpose.  Alignment of car wheels is crucial for the four or more wheels pull in the same direction as determined by the driver. Misalignment of wheels results in poor performance and quicker wear and tear. 

You also need to maintain your various life areas and roles at home, church, and work in alignment.  Some believers suffer from spiritual schizophrenia and are different people for example at home and at church. The story told is that a woman and her children who brought a suitcase and some household items such as a bed and stove to church.  When asked to explain she explained that the husband and father they saw at church was more loving, gentle and warmly smiling at everybody. The one at home was terrifying. Therefore, they had decided to pack and come live at the church. The man’s life was misaligned to say and show Christ anywhere.

Before focusing, therefore, determine what is important, and best.  You aim to focus on the best and prioritise in favour of the best. The quality of focus is that of what is in focus.  The time management tool below is useful in allocation of time and any other resources. The following helps achieve alignment and priority of the important things in life. 

Explanation of the tool:

Q. 2 deserves special attention. It is the quadrant whose activities should receive top priority and should receive resources first. Q.2 activities include:

-           Life planning – include finances

-           Developing of relationship with God in word and prayer

-           Building relationship with family

-           Developing a ministry in line with your calling and gifts

-           Doing things that prevent problems in future

o          Physical  Exercise, enough rest, recreation,

o          Discipline in maintaining things

o          etc

-           Building healthy relationship and accountability mechanism

-           Generating and recognizing ideas and new opportunities

-           Investing in learning, empowerment and training

-           Committing  time and resources to preparation

-           Evaluating and celebrating progress

Q.2 activities are about self-leadership. Society and your employer may not monitor and penalise you for neglect as long as it does not directly affect work and public performance. Indirectly however the social and personal costs are very high. Neglect of Q. 2 activities results in crises/emergencies/pressing problems that require Q. 1 activities. For example, a gas pipe that was not maintained could burst. A person who neglects physical exercise could collapse. A person who does not prepare for their work assignments is fired from employment. Moreover, as such it goes on. Often people with Q. 1 experiences often describe themselves as being under some evil attack. It would therefore mean that neglect of Q. 2 attracts enemy attacks while meaningful attention to Q.2 keeps the devil away.

Q.3 and 4 have activities that are not top priority and often are distractive. The activities include responses to interruptions, some calls, some emails, some invitations to meetings, some reading and activities to win approval at the expense of Q. 2. The phone rings. You go get something at the store. You want to check our email. You are caught in the web of the internet following a story, looking up something, blogging, reading other people’s blogs, checking the weather, looking to see if your sports team won, or just catching up on the news. These activities and others deserve lower priority, refusal, delegation or to be ignored.

How to use the tool:

1) Establish values. Put God and his word at the centre and foundation of all activity. To maintain a Christ focus you need a Christ purpose (e.g. Mathew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 10:31). We desire to glorify and please God by moving people towards Christ and by dedicating ourselves to releasing people to serve God according to their passions, gifts, and style.  You are a Christian who happens to be a businessperson, a lawyer,  a doctor or any other job or profession.

I find meditating on the word of God and the work of the cross very helpful to keeping focus on Christ. Christ is the word (John 1:1). Internalising the word through meditation reprograms the mind and facilitates living a life that resembles Christ (Isaiah 26:3).     I find the Word has higher density to displace other thoughts and attitudes wanting to dominate my life.  Think it long enough, pray it long enough and practice it long enough until new response patterns are established .

2) Set goals – Set goals for Quadrant 2. Be clear about what you want to accomplish or focus on and ensure that it is important and best. In Q. 2 the most important and best is the grand goal about your relationship with God and what he wants you to do. All other goals need to align with the grand goal. Without a goal, activities are as rabbit trails that keep it busy running but going nowhere.

3) Decide on the course of action to reach the goals. Determine how you will achieve your goals by listing the activities you will need to do and their sequence and timing. Where there is no clear plan there is lack of restrain or focus (Proverbs 29:18).  A plan provides direction.

4) Motivation:  Without motivation, plans remain unexecuted. Your plan will happen when the goal arrests your will and set it alight so that you are so passionate about achieving it that you will not give up, you will stay awake if need be, and you will overcome every distraction.. You can nurture passion by spending time in prayer, reading, and meditating on the word of God so that you receive goals and strength for them inspired by the Holy Spirit. In addition, you can reflect on the benefit of successfully achieving the goal and noting the consequences of failure. As well as by establishing the resultant value enough to be attracted to the goal. Have a convincing answer to the question, why am I doing this. Another way is to make yourself accountable to someone regarding your values and goals. Accountability brings discipline and the support that you need. Know the benefit, how it will help you.

5) Decision making.  Make the decision or commitment to take action steps to activate or roll out your plan. Acquire relevant training. Align what you read, watch, people you get close to, places you go, etc towards your goal. Prepare yourself in competency and attitude. Know when to take necessary steps and be courageous to implement them.

6) Self Discipline. Wants you get started things do not always work according to your plan and challenges and distractions come. You need to keep doing the right things and keep your focus and prioritising accordingly. Be prepared to work hard and smart. Do not get weary of doing what is good for in due season you will reap a reward. Be a relative thinker as opposed to a terminal thinker, by constantly linking what you are doing with the end in your mind.

7) Resources allocation. In a dogfight, the dog you feed is the one that will win. Ensure that you prioritise Q. 2 activities in the allocation of time, finances, faith, effort and any other resources.

8) Celebrate progress. You will not manage unless you measure. Measure how well you are doing. What progress you are making. Identify what needs to be kept and what needs to be stopped.  Celebrate the progress you are making even when it is incremental and at significant milestones.

Exercise:

List your activities for the last three months or more and evaluate if they show focus or not. Apply the prioritisation tool discussed I this message to bring alignment and focus to your activities.

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

South Africa 

POSITIONED TO SOAR III: Focusing Your Attraction

Positioned to Soar III: Focusing Attraction

Nehemiah 6:1-6:19

The power of focusing on a task and see it through is the secret for achievement. The quality of such focus however depends on the importance and nature of the task. You can focus on a noble cause or a base one. God’s plan for your life will unfold when put focus on the important things such as growing in knowing Him.  Do you focus on what is important, best and eternal? 

Holding on to your focus is not always easy because of many alternative attractions pulling you in many directions.  Discipline is ability to hold or keep focus.  To hold focus you have to overcome distractions.  A distraction is anything that keeps you from seeing or focusing on the right target. Distraction is therefore the opposite of focus. Distractions are attractions that sway your focus from the important attraction (s). The enemy will use anything he can, especially worthwhile things to distract or divert your focus.  Before he discourages you, he will distract your focus from Christ first. Whenever you are discouraged and despairing check what has happened to your focus. A sustained distraction is a detour that diversion from what is best.

This message is about focusing your attractions. Focusing your attractions is overcoming distractions in order to pay full attention on what is important.  Distractions are attractions that pull you away from your important attractions. Distractions can have such a high cost that for example, many countries have legislations that bans the use of cell phones.    They have not done much about a bee that flies into the car or a driver that does makeup in the rear view mirror. Such practices may cause fatal motor vehicle accidents. Any other distraction pauses similar risk. For example, you can be distracted from listening to the message in church by preoccupation with who is here, who is not here, and what you will eat when you get home and so on.

Distractions are all around us. Their sources are too numerous to mention and monitor. They include things like:

Life busyness.   You can lose your focus on the bigger picture of what God is doing by letting your life become overcrowded.  You can become be so busy and occupied with so many things so that you do not have time to think about your souls or souls of others until it is too late. In your everyday busyness, are you able to notice Jesus when he appears and calls your attention?

Life storms. Peter walked on water but when his eyes where diverted from Christ to the waves he became afraid and began to sink (Matthew 14:28-31).  The same storms he was heroically walking on almost swallowed him when his focus shifted.   Storms of life come with fearful experiences that discourage and can leave behind emotional pain and disarray.  Experiences or circumstances that cause trouble, steal joy and stretch faith.  You however cannot sink when your eyes are stayed on Christ (Isaiah 26:3).   Often storms are a sign of imminent breakthrough. Many people give up at the edge of their breakthrough.

Nehemiah overcame distractions by simply identifying, monitoring and concentrating on serving God by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, which were his important attractions. As a result, he completed the project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in fifty-two days.  He kept on building. He would not be distracted.  In Nehemiah 6:1-19 we find examples of some of the distractions he had to overcome.

i) Interim successes. Nehemiah had achieved so much progress that it was easy to become complacent. He however refused to be distracted by having built the walls. He realised that the gates to the walls were not yet in place. Good is enemy of the best. Counterfeit is enemy of the genuine. False arrivals are the enemy to final arrivals.   Without the gates, there was no full protection. Anyone could just come and go as they wished.  Isaiah spoke of walls of salvation and gates of praise (Isaiah 60:18).  A believer without praise is like the walls Nehemiah was building before he hung the gates. Distractions come to  keep you from a fulfilled, fruitful and meaning life that overflows in praises to God

ii) Seemingly good  opportunities. Not all offers that sound good are right. Many are distracted by such opportunities. Nehemiah stood firm on godly priorities (Neh. 6:1-4). He showed wisdom and discernment to know that building the walls was the best thing to do. He said, "I am carrying on a great project and I can not go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?".  He had been invited by people who previously had opposed and threatened the rebuilding of the walls to a meeting in one of the villages on the plain of Ono. It was like being invited to a vacation. Ono plain were a rich with trees and water ideal for a getaway vacation. However, there was a catch; the enemy attractions always have bait and a hook. The plain was a full day’s travel from Jerusalem. Therefore, the invitation meant a one day of distraction. Not only did it take Nehemiah from the work but also it exposed him to a plot and harm.  Distraction is persistent. Nehemiah gave the same answer to four attempts to get him to comply. Its not easy often with each attempt it is easy to weaken or dilute the answer. To him Ono rang as ‘Oh No’.

You also need to ask the Lord to give you wisdom and discernment and overcome persistent distractions. Paul exhorted believers to fix their eyes on Jesus and lay aside not only their sins but also their weights (Hebrews 12:1-2). A weight keeps you from the best you could be doing - a weight is a good thing that begins to work against the best and your purpose.

iii)  Unfounded rumors.  Nehemiah had to overcome the distractions of unfounded rumors that were going around discrediting and maligning him.  You also will have to overcome slander, unfair remarks, gossip, criticisms and rumours that have no basis but only meant to hurt your reputation. False accusations come with exaggeration and inaccuracy. This happens because it is passed from person to person each time taking on a new form. Even the strongest can be devastated but Nehemiah entrusted himself to him who judges justly through prayer (Neh. 6:5-9; 1 Pet. 2:23). The rumors could have resulted in him losing his head but he retained his focus. Like gossip the letter alleging he was leading a political uprising was not sealed so that the message would spread like a wild fire. Like other false accusations, the source was never declared. The rumors began by ‘It is reported that …’. Be careful not to entertain messages without a signature.  Gossip is something you are quick to pass on only to discover it was not true.

iv) Spiritual defilement (Nehemiah 6:10-14). The enemy never quits. Nehemiah’s detractors did not give up. Having found him thus far unyielding to repeated pressure they decided to  get him on religious terms and turf. Nehemiah however persisted in his refusal because he knew what his priorities were. Working with a prophet Shemaiah, the prophet invited Nehemiah to hide with him in the temple holy place. Doing so would be a transgression (Numbers 18:7). The place was off limits to all but priests except you accidentally killed somebody (Numbers 35:6-15). Nehemiah could have reasoned that his life was in danger, after all no one would notice the doors would be closed. He however would displease God by going into the holy place and undermine himself as a leader among the people if Israel.

Temptation often brings sin clothed in fear - False Evidence Appearing Real. Nehemiah grappled with questions such as what if you die. What if the wall, having come this far, never is completed?   You may also be facing temptations clothed in questions such as what if I never find a job, what if I never find the right person, what if nobody else or another opportunity comes along, what if it costs me my bonus or promotion. On and on it goes. Fear is a form of focus that robs you of the best. Sin hinders fellowship with God (Psalm 66:18). The best way not to be distracted is by being more attracted to those things that are on the heart of God.  Nehemiah saw the greater value and importance of the work he was doing.  You will also overcome if you can see value in keeping focus on the best. Christ is the best.

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

South Africa