How to Stay Focused on God: 8 Tips
As our family adjusts to the busy back-to-school season, I’ve been feeling pulled in dozens of different directions. By the grace of God, all three kids are participating in the same sport, cross-country, but we still feel stretched. I’ve been considering how to stay focused on God amid the noise and activity of this season.
A conversation with our six-year-old, Aiden, recently came to mind. As I’ve reflected on his words, they’ve prompted me to come up with practical ways to keep my focus on Christ. I pray these insights bless you. I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you keep your eyes on Christ.
How to Stay Focused on God
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7
“Mom, if you could have one wish, what would you wish for?” little Aiden recently asked me.
It was the end of a very long day, and I didn’t have a good answer. “I don’t know, buddy. Can I think about it and get back to you tomorrow?” I asked.
“No, you need to pick something right now. If you don’t, I’ll pick for you,” he demanded.
“Okay, go ahead. What is your wish for me?” I probed.
“I wish for a thousand more wishes. You can tell me all thousand wishes tomorrow when you make up your mind!” he decreed.
I’ve been thinking about the spiritual significance of Aiden’s question since he asked it. I’ve been wondering, What one wish would be most honoring to God?
An answer has been formulating in my mind, and it goes something like this: I wish that my life would be so saturated with God’s love that others would immediately look to me and see Jesus’ character, being drawn to him through the light pouring through me.
Keeping Our Eyes on the Lord
Deuteronomy 6 offers insight into this topic.
After reviewing the Ten Commandments, Moses points out that the entire law boils down to loving God with all our hearts, souls, and strength. Jesus later repeats this statement when asked to name the greatest command. He tells his followers that loving God is the greatest command, and loving others is the second-most important (see Mark 12:30-31).
As I reflect on what it might look like to be so saturated with God’s love that it flows through me at all times, I find hints on how to live in this love within today’s reading:
Daily, I commit to following Jesus.
I speak of God frequently as a part of my everyday life at home and in the community.
I do whatever it takes to frequently remind myself of God’s goodness.
Moses told the parents and grandparents to talk about God often, teaching their children what it meant to follow him. He commanded them to write God’s laws on their hands, doorposts, gates, and, if necessary, their foreheads. He was basically saying, “Do whatever it takes to keep God on your hearts and minds—always before you.”
Do whatever it takes to keep God on your heart and mind—always before you. #seekingGod #faith Share on X
How to Stay Focused on God
This is how we saturate our lives with God as well. I’ve learned that there are certain spiritual practices that help me stay focused on God. Here are a few of these practices.
1. Engaging in worship through music daily and often.
I was raised in a family culture that celebrates many kinds of music. I could easily make a soundtrack of my life in which certain songs coincide with certain seasons. As I reflect on this soundtrack, I notice something that’s worth paying attention to: Some of the hardest, darkest seasons of my life are represented by music that failed to point me to Jesus.
The seasons of healing, growth, peace, and spiritual development are all marked by songs of praise and worship. This inspires me to keep the worship music playing and stay engaged. Worship pulls us above our temporal circumstances and directs our eyes to the King.
2. Interacting with God’s Word daily.
God uses the Bible to renew our minds, aligning our ideas and even our desires with his. Reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word every day helps us stay focused on the Lord. I try to start each day reading even a few verses. These words become an anchor that keeps me grounded throughout the day.
3. Staying connected to other believers.
We grow, heal, and mature through relationships with others. For this reason, staying connected to friends who are earnestly seeking God helps us stay engaged with him and focused on him. Wolves attack the sheep that have wandered off alone. We were made to stay close to the flock.
4. Talking to God throughout the day.
This looks like taking time to talk to God at set-apart times in the day as well as throughout the busy moments of the day. As we aim to talk with God about everything, we become more engaged with him and focused on him.
5. Engaging with others over Scripture.
Studying the Bible with other believers in a group Bible study sharpens us and helps us stay focused on God. Again, God designed us to grow and mature together. As iron sharpens iron, we sharpen each other.
6. Watching what I watch.
I’ve realized that watching biblical teaching online instead of binging on the latest TV shows keeps me engaged with God. There’s nothing wrong with watching TV and movies at times, but the more we feed ourselves from God’s truth, the more God transforms our hearts to look like his heart.
7. Reading with discretion.
I try to read every day. At times, I have delved into works of fiction that seemed innocent from the start but later led me to places I didn’t want to go. As tough as this is, I find that when I put these books down and choose something different, I care for my soul. When I keep reading, I often lead myself into ways of thinking that aren’t healthy or honoring to God.
To avoid this situation, I’ve learned to be discerning about what I’m going to read before I open a book. This seems simple and obvious enough, but it helps me avoid slippery slopes into valleys I don’t need to visit.
8. Regularly worshiping with others.
When I make corporate worship a priority, my heart follows. Making the effort to get up on a Sunday morning and go to church reminds me of what is important to me. This can feel like a sacrifice when I’m tired or we’ve had a busy week, but the sacrifice of praise always produces a shift in my soul.
This is far easier said than done for those who have been hurt within the church. If we stick around the church long enough, we will all face church hurt. Because the church is made up of people who have not yet been made perfect, we are bound to hurt each other. In the same breath, it’s worth noting that we heal together, not alone.
Reflect on Your Focus
On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest, how saturated is your life with the Lord? Why did you choose this number? What do you think God thinks about this number? What do you sense him inviting you into?
Calling All Parents (and Grandparents)!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Calling All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Find Peace in God’s Presence
I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
