Guiding Our Gaze: The Power of Focus in Faith
Gen 19:17 Look not behind thee…
Your heart will always follow your eyes! This is the reason behind the sharp warning given to Lot and his family as they fled their hometown before the Lord destroyed it. Jesus said, 'No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.' (See Luke 9:62). The eyes are a gate to the soul, revealing its innermost desires. Jesus also said, 'The light of the body is the eye...' (Matt 6:22a). Do you remember what it was that took Lot down to 'Sin City' to start with? It was his eyes! Gen 13:10a 'And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere...' What we see here is the Lord ever so graciously giving Lot a chance to repent, or to get back ON where he got off! God will always require that which is past (Ecc 3:15)! He will always take you back to the place where you left Him before you can be completely restored back into full fellowship with Him! This was Lot’s chance to be delivered from the vexation of his righteous soul (see 2 Pet 2:8). The true test was this: would he look back? The Lord literally had to 'drag' Lot and his family out of there because of the attachment they had to this world’s system (see Gen 19:16)! However, even then, the Lord ultimately gave Lot a choice: would he look back, or would he 'forget those things which are behind' (see Php 3:14)? The sad thing is that even though he passed the test temporarily, his heart really never left Sodom and Gomorrah. Let this be a lesson for all of us...Our eyes AND our heart MUST be towards Christ TOGETHER in order for there to be true repentance not to be repented of (see 2 Cor 7:10)! Dear reader, have your eyes veered off the path of righteousness and led you down to 'sin city'? Then fix your eyes on Jesus today, so that He may fix your heart on Him as well! You CAN get back to where you were with Him, IF you will allow your heart to follow your eyes back to Him! See also Ps 101:3 and Pro 4:25.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
Your heart will always follow your eyes! This is the reason behind the sharp warning given to Lot and his family as they fled their hometown before the Lord destroyed it. Jesus said, 'No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.' (See Luke 9:62). The eyes are a gate to the soul, revealing its innermost desires. Jesus also said, 'The light of the body is the eye...' (Matt 6:22a). Do you remember what it was that took Lot down to 'Sin City' to start with? It was his eyes! Gen 13:10a 'And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere...' What we see here is the Lord ever so graciously giving Lot a chance to repent, or to get back ON where he got off! God will always require that which is past (Ecc 3:15)! He will always take you back to the place where you left Him before you can be completely restored back into full fellowship with Him! This was Lot’s chance to be delivered from the vexation of his righteous soul (see 2 Pet 2:8). The true test was this: would he look back? The Lord literally had to 'drag' Lot and his family out of there because of the attachment they had to this world’s system (see Gen 19:16)! However, even then, the Lord ultimately gave Lot a choice: would he look back, or would he 'forget those things which are behind' (see Php 3:14)? The sad thing is that even though he passed the test temporarily, his heart really never left Sodom and Gomorrah. Let this be a lesson for all of us...Our eyes AND our heart MUST be towards Christ TOGETHER in order for there to be true repentance not to be repented of (see 2 Cor 7:10)! Dear reader, have your eyes veered off the path of righteousness and led you down to 'sin city'? Then fix your eyes on Jesus today, so that He may fix your heart on Him as well! You CAN get back to where you were with Him, IF you will allow your heart to follow your eyes back to Him! See also Ps 101:3 and Pro 4:25.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill