The Power of Truth Focus: Living a Principled Lifestyle in This Unbalanced World

By Apostle Jesse Duckworth Jr.

We cannot succeedat any thing in life without the natural ability to focus. There is no purpose;there is no real success without this innateability you were born with, called focus. There would be no technologicalhuman successes in this worldcontinuouslywith out focus. However, this is an unbalanced world, and as a result, so is our natural focused reality. This is not the way God designed this world to focus.

Picture your natural focus being changed to a focus from another perspective, by becoming the principled person God designed you to become. This can happen no matter what your disposition is right now, through The Power of Truth Focus!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781449792299

Apostle Jesse Duckworth Jr.

Apostle Jesse Duckworth Jr. served over ten years as an Associate Pastor on staff at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Seattle, Washington.  He served as a foundering member, and recording secretary of the Greater Seattle Area Minister’s Conference- as a foundering member, and secretary-treasurer of the Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship in the Pacific Northwest.  Apostle Duckworth is a foundering member of the Black Dollar Day Task Force-in the Pacific Northwest, and the foundering pastor of the New Creation Christian Church-Renton, Washington, and founder of Power for  Victorious Living Ministries.   Apostle Duckworth attended Seattle Central Community College in Seattle, Washington, studying General Studies. Later attended Northwest University Christian College, Kirkland, Washington, majoring in Pastoral Ministries.   He attended Dr. A.L. Hardy Theological Seminary in Seattle, Washington,majoring in Biblical Theology.  He continues  a lifelong pursuit of Biblical understanding of the Word of God.

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Copyright © 2013 Apostle Jesse Duckworth Jr..

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-9230-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-9231-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-9229-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013907214

WestBow Press rev. date: 7/15/2013

Contents

Dedications

Acknowledgments

Introduction:       A Principled Mindset

Chapter 1       Understanding Natural Focus

Chapter 2       Truth Focus Vs. Natural Focus

Chapter 3       Truth Focus: Biblical Principles

Chapter 4       Truth Focus: Your Life

Part Two:

Truth Focus Is The Highest Level Of Focused Mentality

Chapter 5       Truth Focus Your Mind

Chapter 6       Truth Focus Your Faith

Chapter 7       Truth Focus Your Spirit

Chapter 8       Truth Focus Your Soul

Chapter 9       Truth Focus Your Prayer Life

Chapter 10       Focus Conclusion

DEDICATIONS

T his book is dedicated to my father, Jesse Duckworth, Sr. (1933–1978), and my son, Marvin J. Duckworth (1973–2002). To me, they were the greatest, strongest, and more courageous heroes of my family. To my wife, Wanda, you are a gift from God and a vision of the virtuous wife from Proverbs 31 that was manifested into my life. Thank you for your commitment, dedication, and loyalty to our marriage, and the Christian lifestyle. And for continuing to stand by my side despite our issues and obstacles the enemy throws in our path. To my mother, Virgie Duckworth-Cathern, who remains the foundation of our family in strength and love, thank you for supporting me, throughout my entire life, you have always been there. To my son Isaiah, you help me stay up with computer technology and the latest trends continually without complaint. You are one of the greatest young men God has birthed into this world. And I am blessed to have you as a son. Thank you for your love and support. I love you more than I can express in words. Gods’ best for you is yet to come. In addition, to my to my elder son, Chris, elder daughter, Jessica, Salyse, Danielle, and the youngest of all, Marie, thank you for your love and support. God will bless us to be closer than we have ever been. To my eight sideling’s, God has continued to bless us and allowed us to remain alive, and close as brothers and sisters can possibly be. To my entire family, you know who you are. I love you all. You know God has blessed us with divine favor. I hope you are proud of the example I try to live before you, especially when displaying the Christ in me. To all of my friends and loved ones—God has great blessings on the way, if you continue to focus on Him, according to Gods will!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to acknowledge some great men and women of God who have been blessings to my ministry over the years. In particular, I want to acknowledge my first pastor after I moved to Seattle, the late Dr. C. E. Williams. He is the founding pastor of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Seattle, Washington. I also want to acknowledge my godfather in Christ, Bishop A. L. Hardy. He is the pastor of the Rose of Sharon Pentecostal Temple in Seattle, Washington. Thank you for your spirit of excellence, and godly wisdom, and more importantly, your accessibility. I want to especially express thanks to Dr. Robert L. Jeffery Sr, current pastor of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Seattle, Washington for over twenty-five years, under whom I professed my call to minister. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Thomas Tobin, the pastor of St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church, and Doctor Linda Smith, pastor of the Sky Spiritual Center, both of Seattle, Washington. I want to also thank many other men and women of God; however, there are too many to name. Thank you for being an encouragement to my ministry and me over the years. May God continue to bless you all richly!

Last but not lease, I express gratitude to my family, my wife—Wanda, and my youngest son Isaiah—one of my role models. And to our son, Dannie, you are an inspiration to all that observed how God transformed your life; you exemplify a godly lifestyle, which opened the door to His abundant blessings on you and your family. Finally, I express thanks to my eldest son, Chris The Warrior, who currently serve in the United States Army, the entire family is thankful for your sacrifice to our country. Furthermore, to my brothers, Bishop Clayton Duckworth, pastor of New Creations Praise Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and my youngest brother, Minister Jimmy Duckworth. And thanks to everyone who knows me—for your continuous loving support. And above all, I acknowledge my heavenly Father, God. He truly gave me the vision to write this book. It is through His grace, mercy, and much prayer, plus empowerment in the Holy Spirit, I was able to overcome doubt, fear, discouragement, and many days of frustration to complete this prose.’

INTRODUCTION:

A PRINCIPLED MINDSET

Focus Scripture

I will meditate on Your precepts (bible principles) and contemplate Your ways.

—Psalm 119:15

Focus Observation

Divine precepts (biblical principles) are instructions given to direct our conduct, which is grasped through prolonged meditation and focus on biblical principles, which is the premise of this book.

P lease realize focus is something we do instinctively, such as loving, hating, or sinning. The question is, how do you use your focus in an ethical way? For that reason, the aim of this prose’ is to encourage people to learn how to use your focus from a " principled mindset." This deliberate accomplishment can change your natural mentality, thus altering your natural focus. Unquestionably, focus is one of the elements among our natural capabilities that can propel any person toward achievements of intention. The transforming of this natural ability is needed more in our modern times than at any time in history. Because everything has become more specialized, and computerized, from classrooms to boardrooms in our society. Therefore, a greater focus is needed in the battlefields of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and all the way back home, where many of our injured troops face mental as well as physical hardships. It will take a greater focus and determination for them to overcome sufferings, particularly, mental and physical impairments suffered in war.

In spite of these and other challenges, there are people who triumphed over great obstacles to reach impossible levels of success in life. For example, look at megastar Stevie Wonder, who was actuality born Steveland Hardaway Judkins, also known as Steveland Morris¹, which is his mother’s maiden name. Even though he was born with a condition called retinopathy of prematurity, which made him blind, he basically taught himself to play musical instruments. I have tried for fifty years and still can’t play a musical instrument successfully. After teaching himself to play, Stevie went on to sign with Motown’s Tamla Record Label at the age of eleven, and to this day, he continues to perform as a member of the Motown family. Since his beginning, he has been awarded twenty-five Grammy Awards and counting, which is the most by any solo artist in history. He has also received possibly every award you can think of, including being the second recipient, and the youngest presented with the noted Gershwin Prize for lifetime achievements and contributions to popular music by President Obama.

Like Stevie Wonder, many who are challenged with various medical conditions and disabilities went on to contribute to our society in many ways. I believe most of them used great determination, focus, and meditation, to overcome their obstacles on the road to achievement. Despite any excuse you might have, you can also change your negative mentality and succeed at anything you put your mind to, in a positive and principled way. However, your mindset is of the utmost importance.

We often hear about the failures of other people, especially celebrities who made grave mistakes that led to adversity. Celebrity misfortunes seem to always make the headlines of television and radio shows and many of the gossip or chitchat pages that sell magazines.

I often wonder about the gloomy reality of why many celebrities have never found a way to overcome their adversity. Sadly, many of them lost their lives due to some irresponsible tragedy from living promiscuous, and confusedly—mixed lifestyles, i.e. Whitney Houston. For this reason, I propose this question: Why do some people experience great financial success for years and then basically lose everything? Publicly, many of them sold their souls for the pleasures of this world, and seemed to throw in the towel due to hardship, thus giving in to the consequences of their actions. However, others never gave in to negativity or made excuses for the failures caused by their own actions that led to adversity. Many, despite the fact that they hit rock bottom due to various issues, never stopped trying to recover or to find ways to make a comeback in life.

For instance, Mr. Mike Tyson, borne Michael Gerard Tyson, (also known as Malik Abdul Aziz)² and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles; he was twenty years, four months, and twenty-two days old when he accomplished this feat. However, in spite of receiving $30 million for each of several fights, and earning over $300 million during his career, he declared bankruptcy in 2003. Then in 2006, he did an exhibition tour to help pay off his debts. During this time, Tyson said, The money I make isn’t going to help my bills from a tremendous standpoint, but I’m going to feel better about myself. He went on to say, I’m not going to be depressed. Still, in 2011, on the television show The View, he declared to the world, I am totally broke, but I have an awesome life with my wife and my children. Tyson experienced many run-ins with the law, including serving over three years in prison for a rape conviction; had three marriages; and fathered eight children. On top of that, he dealt with drug addiction and irresponsibility. In spite of all that, Mike Tyson continues to be in the spotlight of public view.

Some people continue to express a willingness to overcome their adversity, while others lose hope. The difference is that many people overcome adversity because they continue to find ways to focus or meditate toward balance, in this unbalanced world. Notes:

Meditation and Focus

This book will draw attention to the power of meditation and focus from another viewpoint. Please consider this fact, the ability to focus, or meditate, is one of the most versatile and powerful assets we human beings possess. Therefore, it is very important for us to understand how to express it truthfully, (i.e. to comprehend the skill to convey meditation, or focus from a principled mindset). However, this type of mental ability is most excellent when learned through meditation, or focus learned from divine truths that are centered in God’s precepts (biblical principles).

In Christianity, the word meditation comes from the Latin word meditari, which means, to concentrate.³ To concentrate means to give one’s attention or mental effort through thought on a particular objective, or purpose and activity. It means to ponder, to deliberate, and of course, to focus. Currently the word focus is the new word of choice over the old word concentrate in our times, whereas the word meditation was the word of choice in biblical history according to Old Testament Scriptures. A primary root word in the Hebrew gives us a basic understanding of this word. It means to murmur (in pleasure or anger): it implies to ponder-imagine, meditate, mutter, speak, pray and study. All the more, Christian meditation is a process of deliberately focusing on a specific thought from the biblical perspective. This level of reality is based on revelations influenced by the power of God in the course of studying His precepts (biblical principles), or divine truths, according to His Holy Word. As a consequence, we can produce a principled mindset that can release a godly force that most of us fail to appreciate. In view of this fact, a principled mindset starts with a desire to have a virtuous attitude about the way you live your life. This is a commitment to which requires a deliberate meditation or focus of your thoughts or mental activity that is influenced entirely by the Word of God.

This deliberate, or purposeful mentality is the key to the writing of this book, which is based on a revelation from God that presents focus from another perspective. This is a level of focused reality influenced by the power of God’s fundamental principles. Furthermore, these principles have the power to produce a principled mentality, and as a result, the ability to release a godly force that most of us should learn to appreciate, just as Jesus and the Prophets of Old, did.

For all intents and purposes, this uniquely inspiring perception of focus offers the opportunity for you to enhance your life with a superior level of awareness. From this state of mind comes a transcendent influence that has the potential to empower you beyond your own natural capabilities through spiritual power (Acts 1:8).

This concept aided me when I was in search of a new direction for my life. I was a young man at the crossroads of life and in need of a fresh start. At that time, I had a wife, three young children, and a minimum-wage job to support my family. Back then, living on minimum wage made it hard to make ends meet. So, in retrospect, I know it was God who guided me all the way across country to the Pacific Northwest to make the fresh start I needed for my life. It was difficult, but God provided for us. It was during this time I made up my mind that I could no longer afford to just exist. I had to move to another level in life.

I began to focus on what to do to change my way of living. Consequently, I began to focus on God’s Word. It gave me motivation and the needed help to change my entire mentality. This is a process that takes great concentration on divine truths from biblical principles. And then it becomes an ethical—driving force that causes one to become adept at realizing a principled existence. In truth, God desires that all humanity learn, develop, and exercise this powerful, godly force (truthfully), with the purpose of using it the right way.

Moreover, this focused power from God’s Word brings determination to help overcome complexities and essential problems in life. For example, a few of the potential benefits are that this awe-inspiring force helps people alleviate drawbacks, holdbacks, setbacks, ills, struggles, and stumbling blocks that stand in the way of most real success stories in life. However, this reality can only take place through a desire to change your old, innate mentality, into one of a principled balanced mentality, in this unbalanced world.

Meditation and Principled Balance

The ability to focus is one of the most versatile and powerful assets we human beings process. Therefore, it is very important to understand how to express it truthfully, (i.e. to comprehend the skill to convey focus from a principled mindset). However, this type of mental focus is most excellent when it is learned through meditation and focus on divine truths that is centered in God’s precepts, or (biblical principles), which have the power to alder the natural focus.

Chapter One

UNDERSTANDING NATURAL FOCUS

Focus Scripture

Meditate on these things, and give yourself entirely to them that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to you, and doctrine (biblical principles). And continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

—1 Timothy 4:15–16, NKJV

Truth Focus Observation

The apostle Paul taught his son in ministry, Timothy, to teach people to mentally absorb the teachings from biblical principles to do well or prosper in life spiritually and morally. However, they must be focused to the mind’s eye and studied though meditation. These principles must be focused on, and meditated on to affect our current and eternal needs.

Natural Focus

F or the sake of focused distinctions, the phrase " natural focus" replaces the word meditation and the commonly used word focus in this expose.’ As a result, the phrase " natural focus" expresses our original instinctive ability called focus. In other words, this phrase expresses attention toward worldly values or things that belong to the materialistic aspects in life. Most people tend to focus on material concerns at the expense of spiritual values. Therefore, this mentality exists in the natural dominion, where we communicate authority and views according to our human nature and from the fleshly aspects of this world. For example, when you use your personal focus to emphasize more interest in worldly power, philosophies, sciences, and desire for the physical and material pleasures of this world. This innate focus hinders our basic reverence for God.

Another interesting point is the use of the word worldly. It basically means, showing more interest in material values and physical pleasures over spiritual values for happiness in life. More often than not, the worldly lifestyle helps people reject spiritual values. In essence, this frame of mind has the power to lead people away from moral guidance and toward arguing against spirituality and belief in God. At this time in history, this course of action may