My brother, my sister, where are your eyes set right now?
Most people take the Word of God for granted, because we have lived in the time of grace, as if when we sin against the principles of God, the only fact that we confess our sins is enough. My brother, my sister, repentance and confession of sin is enough ONLY in regards to our salvation! Yet, we sometimes have to face the consequences of our sins. Imagine someone asking God to forgive him/her after stealing and facing jail. Do you think that God will necessarily avoid them jail? No, He will accept that person’s confession, forgive that person and forget about what they did. But the earthly consequences will continue their due course, because in sinning against God, we sometimes also hurt or disown people, an institution, a government, etc. And this is happening because our eyes are turned on things on the earth more than on things above.
You see, our eyes are a gateway that Satan can ultimately use to gain access to our souls to enslave use. The Bible clearly defines the lust of the eyes as such: “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16). Yes, many bondages placed upon us started because we committed ourselves to looking at something to the point that the temptation of that became a desire, then the desire became an obsession that we had to have, and the obsession was not going to be satisfied until we possessed that which we first saw… we can become bound because of what we first saw! So, where do you lift your eyes to?
That is the reason why, the Bible tells us “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). In other words, unless you leave the bad habits of the world and accept to renew your mind with things above, you will not be able to test and perceive God’s will in your life. Why? Because God does not mingle with mud, and things of the world are deceiving, untrue, and leading to destruction. The Bible reminds us that “God is in heaven and you are on earth” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). The best example to explain this is King David: David fell to the tricks of the devil one day when he looked and saw Bathsheba and his flesh lusted after her (2 Samuel 11). He conspired against Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, and caused his death. Later, when he realised how the devil attacked him, David wrote this: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalms 121:1-2) Yes, David realised that if he continued to keep his eyes on the Lord, he would be able to fight the enemy spiritually and be victorious in the end.
My friend, if your help comes from God, then your eyes should be set on Him alone. Most people quote this verse as quickly as they confess their sins, but their actions show the opposite. Where are your eyes set right now? On your financial difficulties? On your family issues? On a person? As long as you do not lift up your eyes to the Lord with faith and confidence, nothing will change… For, true “help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth”. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.