The Eyes Have It

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:2-3

Sometimes, we lose focus. We lose sight of our goals and it can wear us out. Two things we have to ask ourselves. 1 - Are our goals the same as God's goals for us? and 2 - What is our focus?

If our goals line up with the Word of God and we have peace about them (in spite of any opposition we face), then we must do as Christ did - look beyond the here and now to see our joyous reward awaiting us in Heaven. We faithfully carry on, daily fulfilling God's calling and purpose in our lives.

What are we focused on? Are our eyes fixed on the problems and challenges that we face? Have we focused all our concentration and energy on trying to solve the issues? Diverting our attention is one of satan's subtle strategies. Let's NOT get in league with him. We all know that whatever we focus on always becomes more dominant. Let us rather fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith... 

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for Your Word that always teaches and trains us, enabling us to more faithfully follow You. Thank You for the answers to everything we could think to ask You. Help us to lead others to Your Word and Your Way. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Eyes Have It

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
2nd Corinthians 4:4 NLT

All of us - at one time or another - have been blinded by the sun or a camera flash or have gotten something in our eyes that temporarily caused us to not be able to see. Soap or conditioner or suntan oil - something that made it so our eyes were not able to focus or clearly see what was in front of our face. Something that should NOT be there.

We know it. There are warnings all over the containers - "Do not use near eyes" - and then they print what to do if we DO get it in our eyes. Why? For the reason that they know many of us will not use the necessary precaution, or we will become complacent and forget to use caution because we've done it hundreds of times before. The remedy is nearly always the same: "wash thoroughly with water; see a physician" or "cover eyes and seek proper attention."

Satan's tricks are just like that. Either he'll appear as an angel of light (2nd Corinthians 11:14) trying to dazzle us with things that appeal to our worldly desires or the oil from his snake oil sales routine as he tries to sell us a false bill of goods will splash onto us and get in our eyes. Either way, we can be temporarily blinded. Why? Because we have ignored the warnings, or we have become complacent about using the proper precaution. 

However, the remedy is nearly always the same - wash thoroughly with water - the water of the Word - (Psalm 51:2) and see the Great Physician. Or cover our eyes - stop looking at the world and what it has to offer - and seek proper attention (Isaiah 17:7-8). And when we do, God causes us to see clearly allowing us to recognize the wiles of the enemy for exactly what they are... We must look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2a).

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for washing our eyes so we can see...even if You have to use tears to do it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

All Heard +

[Jesus speaking] 
Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.

Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine."
John 12:27-30 NLT

Jesus knew He was going to be crucified. He had time to think about it. He knew what was coming. How? Because He knew the voice of God. He was "deeply troubled" and yet He prayed for God to be glorified by His willing obedience. Why? Again, because He knew the voice of God! He wasn't wondering IF it was God or God's will, He KNEW. 

The thing about this particular passage is they ALL heard the voice of God, but how many recognized it? Not all of them. Do we spend enough time with Him to know His voice?

The question on my mind is 'How often do we pray to be delivered from the very thing that serves God's purpose?' What if - in the midst of the trial - our path crosses with someone who never met Christ? Someone we would never have met otherwise. Would they want to know our Lord and Savior because of how we respond to Him in the middle of our affliction or would they give us a 'No, thanks'?

The writer of Proverbs tells us, Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the Lord (Proverbs 20:12 NLT).

Prayer:

Father,
           Of all Your many blessings that You bestow on us, please, God, give us ears to hear and eyes to see. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

To See Clearly+

satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

2nd Corinthians 4:4 NLT

All of us - at one time or another - have been blinded by the sun or a camera flash or have gotten something in our eyes that temporarily caused us to not be able to see. Soap or conditioner or suntan oil - something that made it so our eyes were not able to focus or clearly see what was in front of our face. Something that should NOT be there. 

We know it. There are warnings all over the containers - "Do not use near eyes" - and then they print what to do if we DO get it in our eyes. Why? For the reason that they know many of us will not use the necessary precaution, or we will become complacent and forget to use caution because we've done it hundreds of times before. The remedy is nearly always the same: "wash thoroughly with water; see a physician" or "cover eyes and seek proper attention."

I was reminded this week that satan's tricks are just like that. He'll appear as an angel of light (see 2nd Corinthians 11:14) and so try to dazzle us with things that appeal to our worldly desires, or the oil from his snake oil sales routine as he tries to sell us a false bill of goods will splash onto us and get in our eyes and we can be temporarily blinded. Why? Because we have ignored the warnings, or we have become complacent about using the proper precaution. However, the remedy is nearly always the same - wash thoroughly with water  - the water of the Word - (see Psalm 51:2) and see the Great Physician. Or cover our eyes - stop looking at the world and what it has to offer - and seek proper attention. And when we do, God allows us to recognize the wiles of the enemy for exactly what they are...once we see clearly.

Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for washing our eyes so we can see...even if You have to use tears to do it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen