Why "Focus On Yourself" Has No Place In Biblical Faith

This post is all about how the focus on yourself mantra that is prevalent in our society actually goes against Christianity.

Here, I will break down what it means to focus on yourself, how it is harmful, what you should be doing instead, and how it will change your life.

To focus on yourself means prioritizing your own needs and wants, well-being, and personal growth above all else. This mindset involves self-reflection to understand your thoughts, feelings, and actions. While these things have their place, they can quickly place you at the center of your own world, displacing Christ from His rightful throne.

The “Focus on yourself” mantra

Instagram influencers love the “focus on yourself” mantra. This idea that self-care should come before serving others. Self-empowerment is all that matters as a woman in the 21st century. And that self-love triumphs over all else. Although some aspects of self-care are healthy and beneficial – after all, you truly can’t pour from an empty cup – the overemphasis on inward focus is dangerous. It takes away from the Biblical principle that God should be the top priority in a Christians’ life.

When Life revolves around focusing on yourself, it cannot revolve around Christ.

If you are interested in learning more about the harmful beliefs of the “focus on yourself” mindset and how Christians are called to think and live, keep reading!

What it means to focus on yourself

The modern cultural emphasis is to focus on yourself. That is: to find yourself, be your own hero, and put yourself first. So many people think they need to find themselves in order to live a happy and meaningful life. They think that by putting themselves first, they will be able to find happiness in themselves and then they can find happiness in other people.

The problem with this thinking is that as Christians, we are called to surrender to ourselves daily. Jesus tells His followers in Matthew 16:24 that “whoever wants to be His disciple must deny themself, pick up their cross, and follow Him.” This very act of denying yourself is saying “no” to your desires and plans, and “yes” to God’s will. It is realizing that you are not in control and you are not the hero of your life. Instead, when you deny yourself, you are saying that you acknowledge you are not the final authority of your life, but Christ is.

Although there is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself, the problem with the cultural definition of self-care shifts the heart from surrender to self-exaltation. This puts the self at the center of life instead of God.

Popular examples of “focus on yourself” thinking

Some examples of the “focus on yourself” thinking are super easy to spot. But some others are hidden better and even accepted by most Christians. These examples include popular tropes on social media, language used in everyday life, and self-empowerment slogans.

Social media may be the biggest culprit of the “focus on yourself” mindset. You cannot go a single day without scrolling past some kind of post. Whether it be a specially curated image which gives the poster more attention, the need for users’ constant self expression and validation, or even getting offended by other posts. All of these things lead to the user focusing on themselves more, and caring about the wellbeing of others less.

We also use language and sayings everyday in line with the “focus on yourself” mantra. These include saying such as “cut out anyone who makes yo uncomfortable.” “Take time for you.” and “you’re the most important person in your life.” These sayings make it abundantly clear that it doesn’t matter how you treat other people as long as you are happy.

Finally, self-empowerment slogans are everywhere, from billboards, to cereal boxes, to wall murals at the gym. These slogans include the ideas of “manifest your own destiny,” “you have everything you need inside you,” and “you are enough.” Although these slogans seem innocent enough, they remove the need for a savior by implying that you can save yourself.

The “focus on yourself” mindset affects Christians too

Unfortunately, even Christians fall into these traps of self-empowerment and the “focus on yourself” mindset. Although Christians should place God at the center of their lives and everything they do, they become wrapped up in the ideals of the world and place themselves on their throne.

This was true even in the early church, and Paul addresses this mindset when he wrote “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

As Christians, we need to be especially sure that we are critical of this mindset, which goes against the teachings of Christ.

How this mindset is harmful

The “focus on yourself” mindset is so dangerous to Christians for three main reasons. First, and most important, it has many spiritual dangers as you place yourself above Christ. Second, this mindset does great relational harm to those around you. And third, it also has emotional implications and risks when you place yourself at the center.

Spiritual dangers when you focus on yourself

The first spiritual danger of focusing on yourself comes with erosion of surrender. In Luke 9:23, Jesus says “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Over and over throughout scripture, we are called to deny ourselves and exalt Christ. But when we place ourself at the center of our universe, we remove Christ from His rightful throne and the surrender that flows naturally from obeying our King.

There is also a lack of repentance with this mindset. Luke 18:9-14 tells the story of the Pharisee who exalted himself in his giving. He thought to himself that because he could give money to God, it made him more righteous than the poor beggar. But God shows that He does not want our good deeds as much as He wants our quiet surrender.

Lastly, there is great pride that comes when you focus exclusively on yourself. Proverbs 16:18 warns us that “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” When you are focused on yourself and your own thoughts and desires, it is easy to think of yourself more highly than you ought. This leads to a prideful spirit that is no longer willing to listen to Christ.

how to focus on Christ — Focus on Christ, not yourself.

Relational harm from focusing on yourself

When you choose to focus on yourself, it may also lead to great relational harm. This is because self-focus leads to broken community and loss of sacrifice in relationships. Paul writes that we should not do anything out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4). When you focus on yourself, you are thinking about your own selfish wants and desires. You begin to lose sight of other peoples’ value. When you no longer value other people, you are unwilling to sacrifice for them and follow the model Jesus gave.

Emotional harm when you focus on yourself

Focusing on yourself can also lead to emotional harm when you begin to realize that you are not enough, you cannot manifest your own destiny, and you do indeed need a savior. The world likes to preach that if you send out enough “positive vibes” and believe in yourself, anything can happen. However, as King Solomon learned, everything is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 1:2). After searching the whole world, dining with royalty and chasing his wants and desires, he realized that without God, there truly was no point to life.

Focusing on yourself can lead to great disappointment and discontentment when you come to the same realization that Solomon did all those years ago.

What the Bible has to say about focusing on yourself

We have taken a deep dive into what the world says about focusing on yourself and how it leads to harm. Now, we will look at what the Bible has to say.

The sin of pride

As mentioned previously, focusing on yourself may lead to pride, even though we are called to humility. John warns against pride, stating that the “pride of life comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:26). Instead of being proud, we are called to have the same humility of Jesus “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8). We are called to humility because of the example Jesus gave – the greatest sacrifice of all. And you cannot be this sacrificial when you are focused on yourself.

The sin of greed

Focusing on yourself is also a form of greed. First, Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross to follow Him (Matthew 16:24-26). To deny yourself is to put away all selfish desires and thoughts, focusing on God and His kingdom instead of you will. We are also called to love God and others more than ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). You cannot love others in the way God has called us to if you are focused on yourself.

The sin of idolatry

Finally, focusing on yourself is a form of idolatry. It is putting yourself above God. Paul writes that as Christians, we have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). If this is truly the case in your life, you cannot be focused on yourself because you are focused instead on Christ.

What to focus on — Seek God’s kingdom above all else.

What you should focus on instead of yourself

Although the world says it is normal and good to focus on yourself, Christianity says it is a form of sin. Instead, Christians are called to put God first in everything. Thus, we should focus on God first, then the gospel, living for God’s glory and loving others.

Focus on God first

During the sermon on the mount, Jesus tells the crowd not to worry. To not focus on the things of this world and how it affects them. Instead, Jesus commands that we seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Instead of focusing on yourself, shift your focus to the creator of the universe. Focus on His character, His goodness, His mercy, His love, and His grace.

When you seek first the kingdom of God, you will be able to set your mind on things above (Colossians 3:1-3). Instead of focusing on your desires, you will die to yourself so that you can focus on the gospel. (Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected for the sins of the world). The natural outpouring of this mindset shift is living for God and not yourself.

Living for God and Loving others

Living for God means that every part of our lives should reflect His glory—not our own (1 Corinthians 10:31). Our purpose is not to build ourselves up, but to point others to Christ. Jesus makes this clear when He commands us to love one another just as He has loved us (John 13:34–35). This kind of love isn’t self-centered or self-seeking; it’s sacrificial, humble, and outward-focused. When we shift our focus away from ourselves and instead choose to serve others, we begin to live out the heart of biblical faith. In God’s Kingdom, greatness is found not in self-promotion, but in selfless love.

How your life will change when you implement this new mindset

You will find freedom, joy, and peace when you allow yourself to be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2), choosing to focus on God and His kingdom instead of yourself.

Freedom and joy in Christ

Choosing to focus on God means that there is no longer any pressure to “be enough” or “manifest your destiny.” Instead of feeling like you have to think or perform a certain way, you can rest in the knowledge that you are not enough and you never will be – but God is.

Because of this, you can enjoy deeper joy and purpose, knowing that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Instead of always thinking about yourself and your desires, you will begin to think about the wants and needs of those around you. You will start to live in a self-sacrificial way that lends to having deeper relationships as you get to know friends and family better.

You will also experience true peace when you focus on God instead of yourself. God promises that He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him” (Isaiah 26:3). This is a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and does not depend on your life circumstances. Rather, God’s peace has nothing to do with you or the situations around you, but everything to do with Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

Conclusion and call to action

John 3:30 says that God must become greater and we must become less. The call of Christianity of not to “focus on yourself” but “deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.”

Examine you heart today. Where are you embracing self-focus in your life that you need to surrender to God? Prayerfully give those areas of your life to Him.

As you go about your week, limit any influences that feed this self-centered thinking and spend time meditating on scripture and God’s truth instead. Seek accountability and community. Be rooted in gospel humility and find ways to encourage others to place their focus and trust in God as well.

In a world that idolized self-care and the “focus on yourself” mindset, remember: focusing on Christ brings the life, freedom, and joy that self-focus can never provide.

Why “Focus On Yourself” Has No Place In Biblical Faith