Romans 7:18-25 .“18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to so what is right , but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is the sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life-that when I want to do what is right , I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” ….. Paul is very frustrated with himself because of his sinful nature.
I can relate to Paul’s frustration. Lately, I have been so busy with my life that I have lost my focus. Things have come my way and I take on more responsibility than I should. I am tired when I go to sleep and when I wake up, I am just as tired and drained. I have lost my focus. I have put my busy before my Lord. I am like a hamster in a wheel, running and running and never getting any where. My busy life has become an idol and I have worshipped that before I worship my Lord. Don’t get me wrong, I know better, but like Paul, I am very frustrated with what I am doing with my life. I am paving a path of good intentions and that is it. I have suffered and so has my family, because I have lost my focus. So how did this happen, when I know better? Little by little. I may have been to busy to seek my Lord today. Before you know it, it’s a two days, a week and now a month. This has left me frustrated, tired, and heavy hearted. Any thing that is put above God is an idol, so I have been worshipping a busy life without Jesus as my focus. A life without Jesus is pointless. I am wrong and I repent to the Lord for my sinful nature. I have been a slave to a busy lifestyle with no inner peace. Oppressed with no rest. I apologize to Sara and all the beautiful Lilies. I am sorry that I have not been focused and I humble myself before you and ask for your forgiveness. I know if one person is not doing their part and obedient to God’s will, that the entire body of Christ suffers. This was not my intention and I’m sorry for letting you down. I am wrong, but I know how to make it right. I have been down, but I know how to get up. I have been in battle, but I know where to get peace. Refocusing is a process. Paul tells us in Philippians 3: 13-14 “13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”…. Paul tells us to focus and refocus and refocus on Christ Jesus until the end of the race. As for me I will get up early and make sure I have my time with my Lord, I will be obedient to His will, and I will share this with my friends on theDailylily. Thank you for your prayers. May God Bless the writers and readers of this beautiful website..
Consider the lilies of the field… Matt 6:28
thedailylily.com 
CF,
Thank you for posting this blog. Just abouit 3 minutes before I logged on I had written this message to a good friend who is Christian.
“We had a glorious retreat and learned more revelation about the Lord and the Bible and about ourselves, how our spiritual hearts “work”, that is the machinations of the spiritual heart and life applications of the divine life. BOY! He’s still working on me!!!!!! FOR SURE
“We learned about the heart (spiritual) and physical….there was a nurse at the retreat who gave a wonderful teaching on the workings of the physical heart and P. Sara integrated that lesson into her spiritual lessons on our hearts which she had already authored. Her theme…David’s Psalm 51:10….Create in me a Pure heart, O God and renew a right Spirit within me..” The name of the retreat is THE DESIGNS OF ONE’S HEART” by Sara Mullennex
The anointing was there and miracles, healing and restoration happened throughout the 4 days and continued as we cleaned up and prepared to come home, yesterday. I praise God for all He has done but I have a long way to go….I am finding out.
But I found out, like CF says above, If I miss my personal time with Him even though it SEEMS THAT there is a good reason, I miss out what He is doing by His Spirit even if I think I am ok. NOW I am going to get back to my time with Him. Even though we were in a very anointed service 8 hours a day for 3 1/2 days if I don’t get my PERSONAL strength from Him and seek Him until I hear, I miss out on a goodly amount!! It is a spiritual precept and cannot be changed. It just happens to be the way that it is with God. If I neglect or slip-shod my prayer time….I miss out on what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing and HE goes on without me, even if I am present. That is scary, to be left out even while you’re ” in.” But that is the way that it is. Now that is for me not only because I do NOT want to miss the Lord my God and what He has for my life and the Kingdom work but…very scary because I am part of a ministry team and have to stay current with the Lord or I can’t be a help but become a hindrance to the ministry for saving and rescuing and restoring souls.
I am sure you understand what I am talking about.”
Thank you CF for the courage to put it on the line. I believe we got the message. THANK YOU HOLY SPIRIT. I resolve to take you back unto myself, as Sara taught, and to be a star for the work of God.
One thing that echoes in my being from Retreat ’10, The Designs of One’s Heart, was this sentence from Sara’s lesson from ‘Winter’: “Renew thyself completely, each day. Do it again and again and again and forever again.”
She told us how imperative it is that we renew our minds daily if we are going to have a healthy, pure heart.
So what chickenfarmer is saying about the need to focus and refocus until the end of the race says to me that is a renewing of oneself. The cares and distractions around us can take our minds off track so quickly that we end up on a dusty and dirty road that clogs our carburator and air filter so that we are no longer breathing heavenly air from the Holy Spirit and makes our windshields filthy so we can’t see where we are going.
One thing I took away from the lessons of the Retreat with regard to renwing yourself and staying focused is that it is important to stay alert and engaged to what the Lord wants us to do and in what the Spirit is doing and not grow weary or lax in doing it.
Focusing requires organization and clear intent. Sara asked this question in “Designs of One’s Heart, Lesson Spring regarding how we are using our talents and gifts. “Do you even have form, a plan arrangement.”
That requires focus. “Just throwing seed anywhere you go”, she asks.
We have got to sow it where God wants to grow it so we can be productive and add to the body of Christ.
CF, this is a most insightful blog. I am walking around asking myself…”and what am I worshipping?”
It seems when our interests are divided our focus is splintered and we run here and there in our bodies and minds. Jesus tries to help us keep focused by telling us to seek after the kingdom of God first and His righteousness. (Matt 6:33). He also says factually that what we treasure is where our heart will be.
“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” Matt 6:21-23 NLT
It looks as if our eyes, actions, words and focus follow our treasure.