This post is all about the best Bible verses to help you focus on God, no matter your current situation.
In our busy world, full of distractions stealing our time, it can be hard to truly focus on God. Here is a list containing 31 of the best Bible verses to help you focus on God, by helping you understand what it means to keep your eyes on Him and how you can apply it to your life.
Verses for what it means to focus on God
If you want to begin focusing on God more, but you aren’t sure what that means or where to start, this section is for you. John 3:30 tells us that God must become greater in our lives, and we must become less. These verses are the perfect place to start that transformation!
2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
The first step towards focusing on God and not your problems is to realize what you are focusing on. Every time you notice that you are worried about a problem, stressed about a situation, or thinking on something that is not from God, take those thoughts captive. Give them back to God and ask for His wisdom and direction to keep your eyes fixed on Him.
Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
Do you remember the first time you picked up a new hobby or started learning something new? Do you remember the excitement you felt as you dug in, thinking of nothing else? That same feeling is what Paul talks about in this verse. The same wonder you felt when you first heard about the Good News of the Gospel is the same wonder you should carry on. This amazement at the Word of God, and questioning of everything else, should still be at work in your life.
Here, Paul is warning you to stay focused on Christ and not get caught up in the traditions or teachings of this world.
Hebrews 3:1
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.
One of the reasons we need to focus on God more is because of who He is. It is through an understanding of who Jesus is, and what He did, that we can truly put our own lives and thoughts into perspective. Jesus is the apostle – or ambassador – of God, sent to reconcile us to the Father. He is the High Priest who is capable of taking away the sins of the world. Focus on Jesus today by fixing your thoughts on what He has already done for you.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Part of Focusing on God in everything you do includes allowing Him to transform your mind. If you let God renew your mind, your will, and your desires, you’ll find the rest of your life being transformed as well.
Verses to help you focus on God and not this world
It can be difficult to focus on God when this world has so many distractions – both good and bad. Here are a few verses to help you navigate putting God first.
Matthew 6:33-34
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Instead of going straight into worrying about the things of this world, find ways to prioritize putting God first. Maybe read your Bible and spend time in prayer first thing in the morning. You could build in a midday coffee and Jesus break or go for an evening “walk and talk” with the creator.
Related post: Do Not Worry | God’s Command to Never Be Anxious
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
This verse is a great reminder that the things of this world are temporary. We spend so much time, attention, and energy on things that don’t matter. Instead, we should keep our focus on God and not the things of this world.
Galatians 5:19-24
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Here, Paul gives a great reminder of the things we should not be focusing on, as well as the things that we should focus on. If you are honest with yourself, how many of the “acts of the flesh” do you find your mind wandering to? How many of the “acts of the spirit” do you think about regularly? Take some time today to re-orient your mind towards the things of God that we are called to focus on.
1 Peter 2:11
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.
This world is not our home (Hebrews 13:14), and although we are called to live in it and be a good example to others, we need to remember that we are foreigners here. Our culture is not the culture of the world, and because of this, we should not be focused on what the world is focused on.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
What an amazing list of things we are called to focus on! Take some time to think through this list and what each individual quality looks like.
Verses to help you focus on God by drawing near to Him
Focusing on God is useless if you don’t allow it to draw you closer to Him. Here are some verses that explain how and why we should draw near to God.
Hebrews 10:22-23
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Drawing near to God mean coming with confidence that He hears us and cares for us. God isn’t a far off ruler who couldn’t care less about his subjects, but a loving kind who wants to know the inner workings of your life and your heart’s desires.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God chose to come down and live among His people, first with His cloud of glory that settled among the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness, then as the Son who made His home among His earthly family. Now God dwells inside us as the Holy Spirit, guiding us and helping us live lives worthy of the calling we have received in Him.
Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
What would it look like to dwell in the house of the Lord? You can find out today by spending time with God, reading His Word, talking to Him in prayer, and fellowshipping with other believers.
Psalm 9:10
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Take time to spend with God. Get to know Him and who He is through His word. Place your trust in Him because of His faithfulness in the Part and His promises for your future.
1 Chronicles 22:19
Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”
Devote yourself to seeking God. Make it your life’s calling to get to know him better and make Him known to others.
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
If you are going to seek God, don’t just do it haphazardly, when it works for you. Do it with your whole heart. If you are going to giver yourself to God, jump in with no restrictions.
Verses to help you focus on God because of who He is
We are called to focus on God because of who He is. He is the creator of the world. He is where our help and salvation come from. These verses will help you focus on God by helping you understand His qualities.
Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Before you can truly experience the qualities and characteristics of God, you need to understand that He is above all. We are not to focus on the things of this world – the temporary things we talked about earlier – but the things above. Focus on God, His eternal qualities and divine nature (Romans 1:20).
Romans 8:5
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
Once again, are you living a life filled with the Spirit or a life filled with your own desires? To truly focus on God means to live in accordance with His word and the things you find in Bible verses.
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Here, God is telling you that His thoughts are completely different than yours. That is why it is so important to focus on Him and His word, allowing yourself to be renewed by the transformation of your mind. You cannot keep doing the same things you have been doing and expect different results. You need to go to God and ask Him to give you His mind – His heart for His people – that you may start to see and act as He does.
2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
This verse that helps you focus on God is an important reminder that most of the things we stress about have no lasting importance. Instead of spending energy worrying about what doesn’t matter, choose to devote yourself to finding out what does matter.
Related Post: Slow Living | The Amazing Truth About Finding Your Rest in God
Hebrews 12:2
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, is the one you should be focusing on because of what he did for you on the cross. He took your sins upon Himself, taking your punishment so that you could have a relationship with the Father. He then rose from the dead, and now He sits at the right hand of the Father, mediating for you.
Related Post: Uncovered Joy in Everyday Life Because of the Cross
Colossians 3:1
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Because you have been raised with Christ, you have been washed clean by His sacrifice. If you are in Christ, then you are a new creation. Your old self is gone (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because of this, you should not live the same life you were living before Christ, because you should have crucified that life. Setting your mind on things above is key to living a transformed life.
Verses to help you focus on God and His Word
The best way to learn how to focus on God is through His word and reading various Bible verses. These passages listed below offer a good starting point for realizing the importance of the Word of God.
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
Instead of spending time on things that don’t matter, or even worse, can cause you to sin, spend time delighting in the Word of God. This Bible Study on Genesis is a good place to start if you are looking to get into regularly reading God’s word.
Psalm 18:30
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
One of the ways God is able to shield all who take refuge in Him is by transforming their minds when they spend time in His word. The perfect word of the Lord will not return to Him void. So He will use what you have read and learned to help keep your focus on Him all throughout the day.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
This may be may favorite aspect of God’s word! The Bible is such a dynamic book with never-ending wisdom for daily living. It is a compilation of many letters, narratives, and prophesies, written over hundreds of years to different people, and yet, it is still applicable today!
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
The Word of God is useful for so many things. On top of learning more about God and who He is, His word teaches us how to live and love. It teaches us how to selflessly put others above ourselves and how to care for those we would not normally choose to.
Psalm 119:97
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
How many of us can actually say that we meditate – that we think about – God’s word all day long. But if we want to focus on God in everything we do, this is one of the best verses for us to consider. Thinking about God’s word is a great start to renewing our minds and transforming our lives.
Verses to help you focus on God through your actions
Focusing on God would be useless if we did not allow Him to transform our lives. These verses help us see how our actions can change as we focus on God and His word.
Matthew 15:8
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
It is easy to say we are Christians – to go to church, read our bibles, and even offer up prayers, without actually letting God rule in our lives. Take some time to see if you have really given all of yourself to God or if you are holding a part of yourself back from Him. Remember, he wants you – all of you.
Psalm 62:8
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
So often, we only say what we think God wants us to say. We hold back from really giving Him our whole heart – all of the hurt, anger, and pain – because we think it would be “unchristian” of us to give it to God. Here, David encourages us to do just that.
Related post: My Soul Finds Rest In God Alone
Psalm 19:14
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
This is a humble plea of David, acknowledging that it is not only the actions of a man that determine His faithfulness to God but also his thoughts. The reason is that your thoughts determine your actions, and what is in your heart determines how you live your life. In order to be transformed in how you live, you must first be transformed in how you think. This is one of the reasons focusing on God is so important.
Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
If you want to focus on God in everything, you need to surrender everything you do to Him. This doesn’t mean you should stop caring about what you do, but that you should do everything for the glory of God. Trust in Him that if you devote your life to Him, He will establish your plans and give you more than your could ever hope or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
How to use these verses to focus on God
These verses can help you focus on God by shifting your mindset to align with God’s will for your life. By not merely listening to the Word, but doing what it says (James 1:22), your life will be transformed so that focusing on God become more of a second nature to you.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
When you are focused on God, the things of this world will not cause you so much stress because you know that He holds tomorrow. By reading the Bible and understanding what God says, you will see that he has plans for you and he cares for you.
Reflect on these verses that help you focus on God
Which verse did you most resonate with and why? Write the verse down and take it with you wherever you go. Strive to memorize it as you meditate it and allow it to transform you. Dig deeper into the verse, exploring its context and how you can apply it to your life.
This post was all about the best Bible verses to help you focus on God!
