Every day things happen. Things that are designed to distract us and take us off course. Things that are meant to shift our focus from where God wants it to be - on Him.
A simple example from our lives, in the last two weeks leading up to a Healing meeting at our church, we have had bikes stolen, a 'faulty' hotwater system, and the air conditioning in my car suddenly stop. These things were all meant to a create an environment of chaos, confusion and frustration. They were to serve as a distraction to shift our focus from Jesus, The Healer. We had to make a choice to keep our focus fixed on Jesus, not on these distractions (two of which God has since turned into blessings for us). It has been an interesting couple of weeks!
And it has reminded me of the importance of having our heart and eyes fixed on the right things.
Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. Proverbs 4:25 AMP
Or as The Message Bible says,
Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Proverbs 4:25 The Message
We always have a choice of what we fix our heart to. Let's declare our choice out loud, replacing all the he, his, I with our name. For example,
Wendy shall not be afraid of evil tidings; Wendy's heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord. Psalm 112:7 AMP
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! Psalm 91:1-2 AMP
In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit. Ephesians 2:22 AMP
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident! I will sing and make melody. Psalm 57:7 AMP
And if you need to, declare it again, and again until faith rises in your heart and you know, that you know, that you know your heart is fixed on God. Because He is for you and He has a plan for you, a purpose for you in this world that He created. Let's ask Him to help us to keep ourselves get aligned with His purposes, and not get distracted.
That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the Christians, I couldn't stop thanking God for you - every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more that thank. I ask - ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory - to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him - endless energy, boundless strength! Ephesians 1:15-19 The Message
No comments:
Post a Comment