Verse of the day: Psalm 119:37 Turn away my eyes from
looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.
Interestingly, King David writes
this portion of Scripture asking the LORD to keep him from focusing on that
which is of no worth in his relationship with God. If there was anyone who
would know the consequences of focusing his/her eyes on something that will
lead them away from God, King David would surely know. In 2 Samuel 11, we read
the story of the beginning of King David’s slippery slide downhill as he
chooses to stay behind in Jerusalem, rather than go out to battle with his
troops. He finds himself on the roof of his house where he observes Bathsheba
bathing. She is described as a beautiful woman, and King David obviously took
notice, as this was what enticed him into the adulterous affair with her, when
he chose not to look away. I hear so many excuses today, by born again
believers, who justify why they watch some of the garbage that is on television
and the movies. I have seen relationships, and lives, destroyed because
Christians have not restrained their eyes when it comes to the wickedness that
can be viewed on the internet; husbands, and even wives, who today get involved
in watching porn on the internet, resulting in marriages falling apart because
of false expectations, and even affairs. The truth of the matter is that what
we focus on with our eyes can certainly affect our spiritual life, whether we
want to admit it or not. Too many born again believers have bought into Satan’s
lie that we can look at whatever we want and not be affected by it. As a matter
of fact, it is quite interesting to know that the quickest way to become
physically compromised by infection or disease is via the eyes or the ears. Can
I say that this is also the easiest way to become sick spiritually? Sadly, too
many Christians today would argue that this is an old fashioned way of
thinking. What I say to that is that God’s Word transcends time, and what was
true during the time of King David is still true today, because God’s Word is
unchanging, and His truths are everlasting. When we focus on the things that
belong to the world, we begin to covet those things. When we put our eyes on
what we do not have, we begin to desire those things, even if they are not good
for us or do not really need them, and become ungrateful for all that the Lord
has already blessed us with. In Genesis 13:12, Lot, Abraham’s nephew, pitched
his tent toward Sodom, which was a wicked place. Eventually, as we continue
reading, we find Lot in Sodom. Whatever we focus our eyes on will draw us
nearer and nearer. Why does this happen? It happens because we are drawn away
by our own desires. James 1:14-15 tells us, But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own
desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to
sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. We must be
vigilant to guard our sight, and take the utmost care to keep our eyes focused
on the Lord, and the things of God. When we fail to do this, and allow a breach
of our eyes, it hinders our relationship with Christ, and keeps us from moving
forward in our walk with Him. This is what King David was asking of the LORD,
that He keep him from hindering his walk, and obstructing his ability to move
forward in his relationship and walk with God. Sin in our lives, covetousness,
and ungrateful heart, a lack of prayer and study of God’s Word, can all keep us
stunted in our spiritual growth. All these things cause us to backslide and
slip into ungodly behavior that brings absolutely no honor to God. It causes us
to bring shame to our testimony, and make us seem as hypocrites to the unsaved
world, thereby hindering our ability to lead others to Jesus. This is exactly
what our enemies, the devils, want. Lot, when God was about to destroy Sodom
and Gomorrah, tried to warn others. The Scriptures tell us that when he tried
to convince his sons-in-law, they did not take him seriously and treated him as
if he was joking (Gen 19:14). Man’s fall came when Adam refused to stop his
wife Eve from eating the fruit of the tree that God told them not to eat from.
When Eve focused her eyes on that fruit, it was the beginning of the end for
them, and us, as sin and death entered the world (Gen 3:6). Like Job, in Job
31:1, let us make a covenant with our eyes to not look upon that which would
entice us to sin against God and others. Let us put our eyes on Jesus, and the
journey set before us by God. Let us take care not to allow the enemy, and the
world, distract us with all that seems attractive to the eyes, and desirous to
the flesh, so that our spiritual progress is not hindered.
No comments:
Post a Comment