Jesus said “Seek and you will find”, but often we don’t realise that applies to both the good things and the bad in life, because the principle of what we look for and then magnify is what we get more of. (Matthew 7:7)
To magnify means to increase in significance, to intensify, enhance, to make larger. The question is what are we magnifying?
Whatever we’ve lost, if we choose to magnify it we will live in that loss. Whatever someone says or does to us, we choose what we are going to magnify about that relationship or situation. That includes the ten great things people have said or done to us or the one unkind word or action.
If we focus on the wrong thing – where people have hurt or injured us those things in our minds and hearts will begin to be magnified until we cannot see anything or anyone else.
If we come to a relationship, job, church or situation, (essentially where there are people involved), looking for things to get upset about then we will find what we look for. That doesn’t mean we throw wisdom and discernment out the window especially if something is out of line with God’s best for us, and what His word teaches. However what we look for we will find, so what are we looking for and seeking to magnify?
When we start to think about what we are magnifying and focusing upon it leads us to become more self-aware, to understand who and what is valuable, important and the core of who we are. This then enables us to choose more wisely who and what we surround ourselves with so that we can magnify the positives in these things or people, whilst not blindly ignoring what is out of sync with God’s plan for our lives.
We decide everyday, at every given moment what we are focusing on. We get to choose.
God says a great place to start is to magnify Him, to lift Him up in our view.
Paul a disciple of Jesus wrote these words and he obviously understood the power of focus and magnifying God in his life. He lived an incredible, adventurous, fruitful life where he experienced both joys and trials, triumphs and suffering as he followed Jesus’ call on His life. But I believe he kept going regardless of what he was experiencing because he kept his focus. He said, “I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this, however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead”. (Philippians 4:13 TPT)
He exhorts us to not, “be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ. So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honourable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God praising him always”. (Philippians 4:6-8 TPT)
Today choose to magnify that which is going to help you keep running in the plans and purposes God has for you, as you fix your eyes firmly on Him knowing that He will lead you in the way to go.
“So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us. We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus”. (Hebrews 12:1-2 TPT)
Prayer: Lord thank you that today is a brand new opportunity to focus upon all those things that are good. Please help to give all my concerns and problems into your hands so I can then focus on the possibilities and opportunities before me. In Jesus name Amen.