“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.” Psalms 119:37

Where are you turning your eyes to these days?

There is a lot you can turn your eyes to during this pandemic. One of the quickest paths to fear is to watch the news. I confess I have watched it only twice during this pandemic, and I found myself moving toward fear and despair both times. Especially, with the invention of 24 hour news channels, there are lots of worthless things being reported on. (Now, I know what some of you are saying, “How do you stay informed?” It’s not as hard as you think, and there is enough on my plate to deal with every day.)

There is much more that we can turn our eyes to that is not very helpful. The internet is filled with things that distract us and can steal life from us. Pornography is only a click away and can slowly, and sometimes instantly, rob you of joy and lead you down a path of destruction. Social media may seem innocent, but as many of you know, it can lead you into jealousy and insecurity. Television and all the streaming apps can not only be a huge waste of time but can also steal life from you.

Now I am very aware that some of these things have helpful information and can be uplifting, but we need to be careful how we take those things in and how much of it we consume.

If we really want the life we truly desire then we need to turn our eyes to the One who created life. Who else knows better how to give life and how to make it work best?

There is only one source that can consistently bring you life. God’s word is “living and active,” “flawless,” “right and true.” “It will not return void” like some of the news being reported, so you can trust in it.

If you are struggling with where you are turning your eyes, make sure you hold God’s word near to your heart. Psalm 119:37 is a perfect verse to memorize to help you navigate what you should or should not turn your eyes to. Is the thing I’m turning my eyes to bringing me life or is it worthless?

Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to reveal where you have turned your eyes towards worthless things. Confess these things to Him and repent (turn your eyes away from them). Conscrate your eyes to Him. Set your sights on things above.

“…You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 MSG

Do you feel like you are a light to others?

Maybe you feel more like you are a burden. Or maybe you are hiding in your home using this quarantine to justify not sharing your faith with others or even being active with your faith. Has sin darkened your light? Maybe religion and tradition have tarnished your light over time. What else is keeping your light from shining?

Spend some time asking the Lord what is blocking your light from shining. Confess everything to him and repent of your sin. Ask Him to help you remember who you are.

You are redeemed children of God. Your sins have been washed away. You have been raised to new life. Your hope is secure.

“For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” Ephesians 5:8 NLT

“Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 MSG

Do you feel as if God has forgotten you? Do you feel as though God doesn’t love you anymore?

When you became a Christian, it did not mean that you would be exempt from troubles, though it does assure you divine assistance in the midst of them. The trials God allows you to go through are meant to refine you. They are there to bring about the glorious life that God has for you. 

No, God hasn’t forgotten you, that would go against His nature, and He isn’t mad at you, He loves you with an everlasting love. 

Learn to trust the Lord in the midst of hard times remembering they are both temporary and they are there to make you into the person God designed you to be. 

Spend some time consecrating yourself to the Lord. Give all of yourself over to Him. No, really, gave to Him all the things you are struggling with. Ask Him to help you trust in His goodness and His love for you. Now sluff off the sadness you’ve been carrying around and go offer hope to someone else who is struggling.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9

We believe in things we cannot see. Like the wind, you can’t see it but you can see and feel its effects. Our faith in Christ is the same. Though you can’t see Him, you have experienced His unexplainable peace.

Faith does have eyes. It sees the truth in the midst of lies. It sees the love of God through others. It sees the hope of one day when all sadness and suffering shall cease. It sees purpose and direction. It sees change in our lives for the better. 

The problem for most of us is that we forget to look.

Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to open your eyes to see Him working in your life: in your family, in your work, and even in the mundane. There is an old worship song that can be helpful to you to remember to look called, “Open the Eyes of My Heart.” https://youtu.be/idQ1n3cdgfo

Maybe it will get stuck in your head to help you to remember to look.

"Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart.
I want to see You
I want to see you.
To see you high and lifted up
Shining in the light of your glory
Pour out your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy"

Romans 12:10
“Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.” (Message)

“Live in true devotion to one another, loving each other as sisters and brothers. Be first to honor others by putting them first.” (The Voice)

“Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves.” (NIV)

Three translations. One verse.

Love each other.

This has been something that may have been missed in this time of quarantine. Being stuck in your own home is the way a lot of us live normally with our own selfishness. Although we would rarely admit it, everything is about us.

But life was never about you. It’s about giving your life away.

How can you love others during this time? Maybe sacrifice a Netflix show to zoom call a friend. Drop off some treats to your neighbor or friend. Cook a meal to a friend who can’t cook.

Spend some time confessing your selfishness to the Lord. Ask Him to help you learn how to be unselfish with your time and put others first.

Now go love.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Have you ever tried to understand the Lord?  Wondered why He lets certain things happen? Wondered why He doesn’t give you everything you want? Ever tried to comprehend the vastness of the stars and that we are but one planet in a galaxy among billions of galaxies (at least the ones we know of)? God is not bound by space or time. Neither is He limited to our finite minds. How might this change your view of Him and His ways?

It’s too easy to confine the Lord’s abilities and his infinite ways to our finite minds. We project our earthly father’s love, or lack thereof, onto our Heavenly Father. We limit what we believe God can do to what we can see with our eyes or what we have experienced in life.

The fact is that God is wholly other than we are. That should cause both fear and awe on one hand and give you great comfort in another.

For us, as believers in Christ, sons and daughters of the living God, we should be experiencing things that we can’t explain. The God of the universe lives in you, and so life shouldn’t be normal anymore. You should be experiencing a peace “that surpasses all understanding.” You should be “filled with and inexpressible and glorious joy.”

The problem is that we are too stuck on what we know and what we have experienced. Most of us really don’t expect much of God. Instead, we try to fit God into our mold, making His ways and purposes conform to ours. I suppose this is why Jesus always told us to die to ourselves. We need to work towards conforming to His ways and purposes, letting Him mold us into the person He created us to be. But in order to do that we’ve got to get out of the way and out of our heads.

Spend some time confessing to the Lord how you have confined Him in your mind. Remember Jesus’ words, “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself and take up His cross and follow me.” Ask Him to open you up to His ways. Now go forth and expect the One who is wholly other to do things in you and around you that are just that.

“How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation…” Isaiah 52:7

One of the biggest misconceptions about being a Christian is that it is all about you becoming a better person (i.e. sinning less, doing good things). Neither of those things are bad. In fact they’re great but to make that the focus is making you the focus.

Let me burst your bubble – it’s not all about you. 

It is about God and how He does great things through you and for you. You were meant to be an ambassador for God. To be His joy and peace and strength and gentleness and beauty to a world desperate for Him. So sinning less is not about you being a better person, but about you being a better conduit of God’s love and grace. 

Whatever you know about God’s character, be that for somebody today. Share with someone who is struggling with not being enough, that they don’t have to be because God is enough. That is good news!

“Don’t panic. I’m with you.
There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.
I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” Isaiah 41:10 MSG

There is something spreading way faster than Covid-19 in the world, and you might have guessed it by the title, it is fear. I have never seen, in my lifetime, the world more gripped in fear than I have with this crisis.

What’s the big deal with fear? It’s a normal emotion, right? Certainly there are healthy fears that keep you safe. For instance, a healthy fear of fire will keep you from getting burned. A healthy fear of cars will cause you to look both ways before you cross a street so you don’t get hit.

There is also a healthy fear of God, which the Bible mentions quite a bit, with reverence and awe and maybe even trembling that gives you a proper perspective on God.

But then there is the fear that cripples us and causes us to do irrational things. Irrational things like the silly rush for toilet paper or something more serious like taking ones own life. Fear can be powerful. It can literally alter our bodies causing it to change, shutting down certain functions like our digestive system and it can even weaken our immune system. It robs us of hope and confidence. It overrides things that are true, imagining the worst of all possible outcomes.

So how can we fight against fear? The answer is simple but the execution of it takes some work. The Bible says that “God is love” and that “perfect love drives out fear.” The world flips it around and says that “love is God” and “all you need is love” but that kind of love won’t protect you from fear. The work we need to do is to trust in the One who is love. When the storms of life come we need to shelter in the One who holds all things together.

But it doesn’t stop there. There is more work for us to do. Resting securely in His love we now should be compelled to share that love with others. Are you sharing the love of God you find shelter in? You can’t say you love someone else if you are not sharing with them the source of your love. There is no better time than now to mobilize your faith.

Spend some time asking the Lord to bring up any fears that are gripping you right now. Renounce and repent of those fears. Ask Him to forgive you and then forgive yourself. Place your trust fully in His Love. Now, ask the Lord to bring to mind a few people who need to experience His love. Now go show them.

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control” 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. ” Jeremiah 33:3

Isn’t it crazy that the God of the universe answers you when you call to Him? He certainly doesn’t have to. He doesn’t have to care. But He does.

We have a relationship with the Eternal, the One who created the heavens and the earth, perfect in every way, not bound by time. But surely He doesn’t know great and unsearchable things that we don’t. Really? Of course He does! And you have access to that. We get so bogged down by what we see. Yet if we just turn to Him we are opened up to a world that is beyond what we see. Who can fathom the possibilities?

Call to Him today. Ask Him to open your eyes. 

John 12:46
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

Jesus came to expose the things that weigh us down, the things that lead us towards destruction. Much of life can seem confusing and even meaningless mostly because we live stuck in our sin and many times don’t even realize it. We are very crafty and can hide our hurts and secret sins very well from others. The problem is many times we forget that we hid them and they tend to creep up on us unknowingly over time. Unfortunately, when you get really good at this, never really dealing with your problems or facing your sins, you stop feeling and you become numb. 

Jesus light exposes our darkness so as to keep it from destroying us. He wants to bring it out in the open to set you free from it. 

Light exposes darkness but also illuminates the truth. Jesus light also brings forth the truth of who we are and what we were made to be. No more confusion or life without meaning, you were made for a purpose. 

What is it about you that you are hiding from others or God or maybe even yourself?

Pray and ask the Lord to shine His light in and expose the ugly things, the embarrassing things, and the shameful things that have been hidden. Then allow Him heal you of that and remove it from you so you can be free of it.
The truth will set you free but you have to be willing to face the truth first and let Jesus deal with it. 

Live free.