The Power of Being Focused On Jesus: Pursuing Presence Above Promise
Jesus makes a powerful declaration in Gospel of John 12:32, saying, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself.” Within this statement lies a kingdom principle that many believers overlook. There is a position in God where, when we lift Jesus up and make Him the center of our lives, the center of our decisions, and the center of everything that we do, attraction begins to take place spiritually. Men are drawn, opportunities begin to align, and favor begins to manifest—not because we pursued them, but because Christ was exalted.
The Bible already teaches that breakthrough often comes through people. In Gospel of Luke 6:38, Scripture declares, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.” God consistently uses men as channels of blessing. Men become indicators of favor, breakthrough, access, and answered prayer. When a person grows in favor with men, they gain access to resources, influence, partnerships, and opportunities that make life fruitful and effective on earth.
Yet the strange mystery of the kingdom is that believers are never instructed to seek men or even to seek money. The instruction is to seek Christ. When Jesus becomes the focus, He orders everything else. He draws men unto Himself, and because our lives are anchored in Him, those same men become aligned with God’s purpose concerning us. Even when wealth, influence, or visibility comes, the center remains Jesus. The glory does not shift toward the individual because the drawing was never toward man—it was always toward Christ.
There is a moment recorded in Book of Exodus 33:14–15, when God told Moses that Israel would still reach the Promised Land and that an angel would go before them, yet His presence would not go with them. Moses responded with a cry that revealed deep spiritual understanding: “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” Moses refused victory without presence. He refused promise without God. He understood that success outside of divine presence is emptiness, even if it appears prosperous.
Sadly, many today desire the promise more than the presence. People are satisfied with results, achievements, and blessings even when intimacy with God is absent. Prayer becomes centered on requests—“God, do this for me, provide this for me, open this door for me”—until the focus shifts entirely toward personal needs. Yet the key is not what we want God to give; the key is what He desires to supply through His presence.
The glory of God comes upon a person who learns to worship beyond requests. Glory is the weight of God, the manifested presence of God that rests upon a life and causes words to carry authority. The reason many prayers seem unanswered is not always the absence of prayer, but sometimes the absence of glory upon the words being spoken. When God’s presence rests upon a person, even their speech begins to carry spiritual weight. This is why Scripture says concerning Samuel in First Book of Samuel 3:19, “And the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” Presence gave weight to his words.
Today, therefore, is not a day focused on what we want from God, but on who God is to us. It is a return to worship where Jesus becomes the center again. A day where prayer is not driven by need but by devotion. As worship rises, the glory of God rests, and as Christ is lifted, His promise remains true—He draws men unto Himself.
When Jesus is truly the center, favor follows naturally. Alignment happens without struggle. Provision comes without striving. Influence flows without self-exaltation. The presence of God becomes the greatest pursuit, because when His presence rests upon a life, everything else that men spend years chasing begins to follow according to divine order.
Today we lift Him up—not for what He can give, but because He alone is worthy. And as He is lifted, may He draw men unto Himself, and may His glory rest upon our lives in the name of Jesus.
