Daily Devotional: Where I Focus

David A. Case
Jan 5
4 min read

By David A. Case

Life Sayings:

Whatever has my attention has my heart.
My focus will determine my future.
What I worship is what I will become.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If, therefore, your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” (Matthew 6:22–23, NKJV)

“No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24, NKJV)

Jesus placed two powerful realities side by side: focus and lordship. The eye is the lamp of the body. What I keep looking at shapes what fills me. Focus is never neutral. Focus determines what gets fed. Focus determines what grows. Focus determines who is in charge.

This is why the simple saying is so accurate: whatever has my attention has my heart. When my attention is dominated by me and what I want, I am still sitting on the throne. I may still speak spiritual language. I may still have good intentions. The center of gravity remains self. Over time, that focus produces predictable outcomes.

Matthew 6:22–23 says that if the eye is good, the whole body is full of light. If the eye is bad, the whole body is full of darkness. Focus is part of what Jesus is addressing, yet there is another layer implied here as well. The “eye” includes what I pay attention to and how I interpret what I see. This devotional is about focus, since actions tend to follow focus. When I keep returning to the same center, my choices eventually follow that center.

Romans speaks of a law at work in humanity, the law of sin and death. This law helps explain why “follow your own heart” is not wisdom. A spiritual heritage gets passed down through generations. Good and bad seed gets sown into the next generation through what is modeled, loved, feared, and practiced. When a person lives in a headlong pursuit of selfish desires, that pursuit lays down more selfishness inside. What flows through me sticks to me. Self-focus keeps reinforcing the very thing I say I do not want.

Even the Apostle Paul described the inner conflict of wanting one thing and doing another (Romans 7:15). This conflict is not solved by stronger willpower. The conflict gets answered through a change of focus. My deepest choice is not simply choosing to be good in a moment. My deepest choice is choosing what I will aim my attention at, day after day. Focus decides what gets worshiped. Worship shapes identity. Identity shapes behavior.

To overcome the downward pull of spiritual heritage, there must be an upward thrust greater than the pull. An airplane overcomes gravity through sustained thrust. The heart overcomes the law of sin and death through sustained focus on something higher than self. Life becomes about God’s will and genuine love for others. That is where freedom begins. That is where light fills the body.

This also connects to purpose. Whatever holds my attention when selfishness is not in the driver’s seat often reveals the passion God placed in me. Purpose is not found by staring harder at myself. Purpose is found by turning my eyes toward what God cares about and noticing where my heart comes alive in the light. Focus is not only a discipline. Focus is a doorway.

Scripture says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NKJV). Stillness is not passive. Stillness is a choice to stop scattering attention and to return to the One who is worthy. A good eye is a single eye. A single eye produces a full life.

Reflection Question

What has held my attention most today, and what does that reveal about who is truly in charge of my heart?

Prayer

Father, I bring my attention back to You. Expose the ways my focus has been dominated by self and selfish desire. Give me a good eye, a single eye, so that my whole life can be filled with light. Teach me to seek Your will and to love others in practical ways. Show me the passions You placed in me that point toward purpose and strengthen me to choose focus that honors You. Amen.

Today’s Step of Obedience

Set a timer for five minutes and sit in silence with God. Pay attention to what your mind keeps trying to return to. Write down the top three “attention grabbers” that surfaced. Choose one concrete focus shift for today, such as praying for someone else by name, serving in a small hidden way, or reading Matthew 6:22–24 slowly and asking God to realign your attention.

Get Heart Change

If this message has helped you reflect on the role of focus in your spiritual life, I encourage you to go deeper with The Heart Change Handbook. The Heart Change Handbook provides a practical and biblical understanding of the connection between focus, heart direction, and spiritual growth. This resource is well suited for personal study and for use in church small groups or faith-based recovery communities. Consider purchasing a copy for yourself and sharing it with others who are seeking lasting heart change.