3 Ways to Stay Focused on Jesus

With all the temptations and troubles in this world, it’s easy to become distracted from what really mattersβ€”living out our faith in Christ! Here, I’ve listed three steps we can take, to stay focused on Jesus. And, I also made a free printable you can use to keep your focus on Christ each and every day!

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Let’s face it, life is crazy. With all the worldly temptations, the insane pace of life, not to mention worries and troubles nipping at our heels, it’s no wonder we struggle with how to focus on Jesus, in the midst of all the chaos!

Society and culture tell us to ‘do whatever makes you happy’, and ‘be in control of your own destiny’. At every turn, there is an opportunity to get lost in the selfish pursuits of the world, drown in our own sorrows, get depressed about the state of the world, and so forth.

And yet, it’s SO IMPORTANT, now more than ever, to stay connected to the One True Vine, who we NEED to be able to live out His call to love God fully and love our neighbors well.

And yet, I know I’m not the only one who struggles with staying focused on Jesus each day. If you’re reading this, I know you too must struggle to keep your focus on Jesus, amidst all the temptations and troubles of the world.

new life in Jesus Christ

So, what does it mean to focus on Jesus? And how can we do that?

This battle to stay focused on Jesus starts with ONE important thing: our HEARTS! Time and time again, I’ve noticed that when I lose my focus, it’s because my heart is getting dragged away to other things. I’m not focusing on Christ, because I’m too preoccupied with easier, shinier, more comfortable, less costly pursuits. Or, I’m too distracted by my own troubles, that I forget God is so much bigger than whatever it is I’m facing.

Have you done this before too? Forgotten to focus on God, not your problems? You’re not the only one! Even Jesus’ disciples struggled with this…

Take for example, the story of Peter’s experience walking on the water (in Matthew 14:22-33). He stepped out of the boat, and started walking. And he was doing fine, until…Peter “saw” the wind. He was afraid, and began to sink. Peter took his eyes off Jesus, and was fixated on the fear instead of on his Lord and Savior. And therefore, his faith tanked, and he sank. Of course, Jesus rescued Peter, but not without an admonishment: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Did you catch that? Peter forgot to focus on Jesus, not the storm… He was so distracted by the wind and his own fear and panic, that he completely forgot Jesus was right there nearby. And how often do we do the same, by allowing our attention to be on the selfish pursuits, fear, or temptations of this world, instead of on our Savior?

So, what’s the remedy to all this? We need our hearts to stay focused on Jesusβ€”on His grace, His power and glory, His great love and sacrifice for usβ€”so we can remain faithful and full of love and hope, no matter what’s going on around us.

3 Ways to Stay Focused on Jesus

Three Ways to Stay Focused on Jesus

So, with all the β€œwind” and β€œwaves” that threaten to distract us in this life, how do we keep our focus on Jesus? These are three things that I’ve personally found helpful…

1) Create a routine for your daily life, that puts the focus on God.

Of course, to really stay focused on Jesus, it’s imperative to set aside a regular time for Bible study and prayer! If you’re not already doing it, make studying and meditating God’s Word each day a top priority. You could also make a habit to always pray at certain times/in specific situations, like while you’re cleaning your house, driving to work, or standing in line at the grocery store.

Beyond that, consider how to focus on Jesus more as you start and end each day! For example, you could begin with a song of praise and thanksgiving in the morning, and end by writing down what you’re grateful for in the evening. Listening to worship music (on K-LOVE radio) helps me a lot.

Personally, I’ve found that morning prayer and Bible study time is essential. It helps me to set my mind on heavenly things, whether I’m able to spend only a few minutes, or a half-hour. I usually read a Bible passage and/or a devotional, and then I spend at least a few minutes in prayer, or more if I have time.

morning prayer

I also set aside some time on Sunday evenings to do Bible journaling, where I spend more time meditating on a particular passage of Scripture and journaling about it. Any time you can carve out to study God’s Word more in depth, is good and helpfulβ€”whether it’s daily, weekly, or whatever you can manage.

Whatever time you can set aside to spend with Jesus, do itβ€”and do it consistently. As Corrie Ten Boom once said, β€œHave an appointment with the Lord and KEEP IT.”

2) Remove distractions (things/people that take your focus away from Christ).

Let me preface this by saying, there are certainly some β€˜distractions’ that we can’t just remove (like your family member who is far from God, or your boss at work who cusses up a storm, or the trials in your life that make you question God’s goodness). BUT, there are still a lot of negative influences that we can and should get rid of!

So, it’s worth asking: What (or who) in your life is preventing you from keeping your mind on God? Maybe it’s the TV show you watch that’s a bad influence (you know, when it contains promiscuity, lying, stealing, killing, backstabbing, etc.) Or it could be that 90+% of your friends are unbelievers, so you spend more time surrounded by them than by your brothers and sisters in Christ who can help you stay strong in your faith. Or perhaps you’re leaning too heavily on something, like food or shopping, to self-medicate when you’re upset or stressed out (this is something I’m definitely guilty of!). It could be also be an unconfessed sin, like lust or jealousy, that is keeping you from focusing on Christ.

For me personally to stay focused on Jesus, I have to take a closer look at the things I’m β€˜depending’ too much on. Things like chocolate (which I reach for when I’m stressed, when I should pray first). And, online shopping (which I sometimes do mindlessly, not because I need anything, just to make me β€˜feel better’—when really, I need to come to Jesus with my dilemma!).

Also, when I feel adrift, like I’m losing my focus on Jesus, sometimes it’s because I’m allowing too many worldly influences (TV, pop culture, etc.), and not enough time with God. Of course, it’s impossible to keep out every negative influence, but how much (and what) we allow directly influences our ability to stay focused on Him.

focus on Jesus mini-course

3) Surround yourself with reminders of Jesus!

By the same token, to redirect away from worldly influences and instead stay focused on Jesus, it’s important to surround ourselves with more heavenly things! That could be placing Scripture on our walls, keeping your Bible open on your desk, choosing to read Christian fiction (instead of books without any Christian faith in the story), or listening to a Christian podcast.

Legendary author C.S. Lewis was known for his devout Christian faith. And one way he kept his focus on Jesus, was to have only one piece of art adorning his bedroom walls: a picture of Jesus’ face in the Shroud of Turin. You and I may not be THAT minimalist, but still, the point is a valid one. Are there things you should remove from your home, that are distracting you from God? And what can you add, that will remind you of Biblical truth, like how much God loves you, and what His will is for your life?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always

It can be so encouraging and helpful to adorn your walls with Scripture…but, it doesn’t have to stop there! What about putting a Bible verse on your phone’s lock screen? Or writing a verse on a post-it note, which you place on your bathroom mirror, on the coffee maker, or next to the front door? Seriously, post-in notes are cheap, easy, and plentiful, so we have no excuse not to plaster our homes, cars, and offices with Scripture!

And let’s not forget, the benefits of focusing on God that you can glean from nature! Just stepping outside to admire the sunset, appreciate the rainbow after the storm, or marvel at the clouds, can be such a great reminder of God’s majesty and sovereignty over our lives.

β€œFix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.[…] Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates…”
Deuteronomy 11:18,20 (NIV)

So, to summarize, how do we stay focused on Jesus? By ordering our very lives around Him! And of course, this won’t be a one-and-done kind of thing. It’s something we need to work on each day, tweaking our routines, habits, and physical surroundings to help us stay focused on our Lord and Savior.

Keep Your Focus on Jesus - FREE printable

It’s with that in mind, that I created this FREE Keep Your Focus on Jesus printable for you! It’s a like a handy reference sheet, to help you pay attention to your daily life and how different things affect your ability to stay focused on Jesus.

So, let us fix our eyes on Jesus! What small changes will you make today, to increase your focus and delight in Him more?

26 thoughts on “3 Ways to Stay Focused on Jesus”

  1. I love the Idea of writing scriptures on post to stay focus on Jesus. Thank you for the idea i am looking forward for more creative thoughts

  2. Gabrielle ED White

    Everytime i tell myself i wont shift from God i shift from him but i am really trying to stay focused on him because i need him more than ever

    1. Gabrielle, I hear you. It’s definitely not easy, but so worth it to learn to focus on God. I was just reminding myself today, that trees don’t grow to maturity overnight, and neither do we. The strongest and most fruitful trees take at least a few years to get to that point. Give yourself grace, as you learn to focus on Him more and more each day. I’m praying for you!

  3. I am really touched by your post. I will like to be a christian blogger so i could lighten up the faith of others just the way you are doing.

    1. Barbara Austin

      Hi Eloh! I’m so glad and honored to help. If your desire is to be a Christian blogger, I encourage you to pray about it, and ask God if that’s something He might be calling you to do. Also, http://www.bloggersforthekingdom.com is a great resource to learn about how to start and run a Christian blog.

  4. Jacqueline Abraham

    Thank you very much for 3 ways to keep focus on Jesus.
    Timely sharing especially when now we are bombarded continuously with too many unwanted and unnecessary things around us and fear of covid. Focus on Jesus enable us to stay alive and be alive in Christ. Christ in us is the Hope of Glory.

  5. Thanks for this wonderful information…. sometimes life can be so tough and we forget ourselves chasing waves….God help me

  6. WOW! what a helpful information I just read. I love Jesus with all my heart and I always tried to focus on Him and let Him lead my life. But sometimes just like Peter my focus fall away from Him and find myself in the ocean of worry, what is next fear and trying to deal with my problems by myself . I hate that feeling! With God help I will take your advice and focus and cast my burden to Him. Be blessed!

  7. Wow! Thank you so much Barbara for this… I really feel off track with focusing on Jesus. I struggle with impure thoughts and I feel like everything is on my mind, and its like a whole disco ball. And I get social anxiety a whole lot….

    And the part where you added a “sibling that is far from God”… that really stood out to me because my sister, she said to me that she believes but she dislikes when worship music pops up on the radio & I really don’t understand and I love her, but she makes weird faces to me when I sing worship songs or talk about God and it doesn’t make sense
    My family doesn’t like certain things of what I do sometimes and it’s hard to understand, but they told me they believe.

    But again, I thank you for these 3 steps on how to focus on Jesus
    I think watching movies about Him is way better, than watching things with severe scenes, cursing, badmouthing about God, etc. I definitely love pureflix though πŸ˜‰
    Hope all is well & thank you!

    1. Barbara Austin

      You’re so welcome! Unfortunately, it is common for people to say they believe, but not behave like it. I too have family like that. Best thing to do, is pray for them. And of course, we are all works in progress. We must keep seeking the Lord!

  8. hi! beautiful daughter of God Barbara Austin! thank you for your blog post, I learned a lot from this and strengthens my spiritual life..God Bless! Keep sharing the Word of God,.

    from Philippines.

    1. Hi Jerson, it’s so good to meet you! I’m so happy this is helping you. All glory to God! πŸ™ŒπŸ» πŸ™πŸ»

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