Focus

People do some incredibly stupid things when they lose their focus: I lost my photography vision. I felt weak really weak when everything just goes against me. I am having a trial of a lifetime, eye and heart problem which persisted haunting me. I'm so tired dealing with these stuff alr. Why a person who know you for more than two to three year don't understood you and hurt u deeply.. Mostly is the girls who does that. I don't understand them. Oh well

In Luke 4:1,2, the Bible tells us Jesus fasted for forty days. Satan observed that Jesus was hungry and came to tempt Him. A couple of things to consider about hunger:

1) Abraham Maslow wrote a psychology theory in 1943 known as “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Maslow believed that if a person is hungry (this is extreme hunger), all of his energies turn toward remedying his deficiency. In other words, a hungry person will ignore every other aspect of his existence until he is fed.

2) When Christians are physically weak, they are more prone to be spiritually weak.

Satan has been working against humans for thousands of years. He knows human psychology and physiology better than any human. Seeing a potential opportunity of vulnerability, he moves against Jesus.

Luke 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

Here is Satan appealing to Jesus' basic human need. It is an attempt to get Jesus to do a miracle to please Himself. Perhaps Satan reminded Jesus that John the Baptist had said that God could raise children of Abraham from stones if He needed them. If Jesus needed food, just make it from this stone! He is the Son of God! Doesn’t He need to eat? Doesn’t He have power to feed Himself? But, there is potentially more here than getting Jesus to do a miracle to please Himself. Satan simply throws out an idea – “command the stone that it be made bread.” Jesus could have responded in many ways:

1) He could have rationalized the situation. After all, He does need to eat. God the Father wouldn’t want Him to die of hunger. Jesus needs to live to conduct His ministry ... and it is a long way to town. Just this one time wouldn’t hurt anything and it’s not like He’s making a spectacle of His power ... it's not like anyone’s there to see it. And, “all things were made by Him” (John 1:3) so it would seem He does have the right to do it.

2) Jesus could have felt sorry for Himself. After forty days of devotion to God, why wasn’t there food for Him? Surely, God knows He’s hungry! Why hasn’t He provided for Him? If He can’t trust God to meet this simple need, how can He trust God with anything?

But “What’s the big deal?” you might wonder. “Isn’t Jesus the Ruler of all and doesn’t He have the right and power to do as He pleases?” The answer is, “Yes.” However, Christ chose not to abuse His power. That’s how temptation works and sinbegins, then deepens. There are many examples:

Power abuse: But when he ("he” is King Uzziah) was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. So Azariah the priest ... withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.” Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar ... King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 26:16-21).

Adultery: In 2 Samuel 11 and 12 is the story of David and Bathsheba. A lustful look at a woman bathing led to an adulterous affair, the birth of an illegitimate child, and David giving orders to have one of his most valiant fighters killed.

Alcoholism: Melvin Trotter helped his father and brothers tend bar and was uninfluenced by his mother’s prayers and desire for him to live a Christian life. He began to drink heavily and couldn't hold onto a job. He committed petty crimes to buy liquor. Melvin stayed away from his wife and baby son for long periods of time. He came home after one such period to find their baby son dead. On January 9, 1897, while in Chicago, he sold his shoes to buy alcohol. Now utterly destitute, he came to the Pacific Garden Mission, a place for the city’s down-and-out where they could eat, sleep, and hear the Gospel. Melvin listened to the sermon and committed his life to Christ.

Stealing: And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold (Luke 19:8). Tax collectors in Israel made extra money by overcharging the people and pocketing the difference.

Selling out the Lord: (Judas speaking) Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein…For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor…Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver (John 12:5,6; 13:6; Matthew 26:14,15).

All of these people had something in common. They never anticipated the consequences of their sin and they lived with regret for the rest of their lives. (Judas hanged himself shortly after betraying Christ.) Sure, sin is pleasurable for a while (see Hebrews 11:25), but note the consequences: “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15).

These are people who lost their focus. The problem with sin is it begins with something small, perhaps insignificant. But once that small sin is committed, it gets easier and easier to do again. Then the sins get bigger and bigger until the consequences of the sin control the person: the grand larcenist began with one item, the adulterer with one flirt, the alcoholic with one drink, the rapist with one lustful thought, the murderer with one selfish idea.

People who lose their focus don’t think the sin they’re committing is that bad and they don’t think the consequences will ever happen to them. Satan tells Christians, “Don’t worry. No one will ever know. Nothing’s going to happen to you.” But what is Satan doing? “… your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 6:8b). Satan wants to devour you. Are you letting him?

Jesus didn’t lose His focus: Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Matthew 4:11 records that once Satan departed, angels ministered to Jesus. There was never a need for Jesus to turn stones into bread. He only had to wait a few more minutes and angels would minister to Him.

There will be many times when you will be tempted to gain something the wrong way that could be yours if you would just wait a little longer for God. Keep your focus. Avoid the sin. Don't become the next person to live the rest of your life with regret because you did something stupid and lost everything that you value.

Credits:
http://www.examiner.com/article/losing-focus-on-god-could-result-sin-and-a-lifetime-of-regret