SHIFT Your FOCUS
Not too long ago, God gave me a set of
promises, and as a faithful servant and son of
God, I patiently waited. And I waited and I waited.
With time, my focus grew more intent on the
promises of God instead of on God Himself, the
Provider of those promises. And when God’s
promises didn’t manifest in my timetable, I
began to question Him. “Why are You taking
so long, God?” I asked. “When will You give me
what You promised?”
One promise God gave me was my release
from prison; however, He never said when that
release would happen. I had been under the
impression I was going home on June 3, but
when I inquired about my gain time, the officials
told me I was not entitled to it, and that my
release date was September 16. You could say
that I wasn’t happy.
I had already waited so long to go home and
had focused on a date that turned out to be false
hope.
One day after a particularly strong service at
the prison chapel, I returned to my dorm and
found a book on my bunk. I asked around the
by Tomas Adames
I destroyed my calendars
and stopped counting my
days. I just let God take
over, and that’s when
things started to happen.
dorm to see who had left it. Though my inquiry
yielded no results, I decided to read it. The book
was called Waiting on God: Strength for Today
and Hope for Tomorrow, by Charles F. Stanley.
But the most peculiar thing of all was the paper
I found inside the book. There was a folded-up
piece of paper with these words: “Son, I need
you to build a bridge. Here are the tools you will
need. See you soon. Love, Dad.” There was also
a drawing of a hammer and three nails like the
ones used to nail Jesus to the cross.
Believing the book to be a godsend, I read it.
The book was amazing. It helped assuage my
fears about waiting, but the most wonderful
part was the teaching about idols. I learned that
focusing on the promise instead of focusing on
God the Provider makes the promise become an
idol in our lives.
I realized that my focus on the promise of
release from prison was improper, and I turned
my focus to God, my Provider. I destroyed my
calendars and stopped counting my days. I just
let God take over, and that’s when things started
to happen.
Friend, when you let go and stop worrying
about the promise God has already given you,
God will crack His knuckles and say, “Okay, now
we can get started.”
Focusing on God, my Provider, led to more
powerful prayers, and my fellowship with the
brothers behind prison walls grew ever so strong.
Blessings have yet to stop pouring down.
Whatever you are worrying about, give it to
God. Give yourself to God and quit worrying
about the wait. Be patient and steadfast in God,
and in His perfect timing, He will give you all the
things He has promised.
Remember, your promise has already been
accomplished in Christ; the world is just playing
catch-up.
me a natural leader and gave me the gift of communication; but instead of communicating the love of God and leading people to His kingdom of light, I
influenced, manipulated, and led people down a path of destruction. I was like Saul in Acts 9. He was a leader, a powerful man committed to a cause he
believed in. But he used his gift of leadership and his passionate zeal to kill Christians. He was off in his pursuits until the day he met Jesus on the road
to Damascus, and Jesus redirected his zeal and gifts. Are your pursuits and the use of your gifts in need of redirection?
I witnessed a murder at the age of four. Later, the Lord showed me that, although I didn’t pull the trigger, I was a partner in that murder because I
was there. I heard the sounds, saw the images, and smelled the smells. And they became a part of my soul—my mind, will, and emotions. As did the
pornography, movies, music, and all the evil I allowed to enter the portals of my eyes and ears. The things you partner with, whether involuntary or
voluntary, become a part of you and give your enemy, Satan, ammunition to fight against you. What have you seen? Heard? Smelled? Take these things
to the Lord, and let Him bring healing to your soul.
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