LOOK UP
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. He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 121:1-4 (NIV)
A key to life is looking up. Our whole perspective and attitude change when we keep our eyes on Jesus. Looking up reminds us that our help comes from God alone. There will come a time in your life when you will be crushed without divine strength. What do you do? You look up! You get your eyes on Jesus. He is where your help and strength come from. Doesn’t matter if it’s lust, fear, anxiety, jealousy, bitterness, comparison or any other sin; they all originate in our eyes. When we linger, when we dwell on the wrong things, it starts to affect our heart and soul. Thus, God has called us to get our eyes on Him! To Look up and allow Him to change our whole way of thinking.
One of the things that has to die in us for our faith to thrive fully is our independence. Independence is a treasured trait in our culture but deadly in our faith. The way to overcome this is first to admit you can’t do it in your strength. We don’t overcome by our strength or our might but by the Spirit. Thus, we have to keep our eyes locked and fixed on Him. When I find myself falling prey to temptation or sin, I can always trace it back to what my eyes have been fixed on. If I keep looking at Jesus, if I keep drawing near, then He will transform me. The truth is sometimes we don’t want to draw near because we want to hold onto our habits, hurts or rights. Looking up can't be a weekly rhythm. It has to be a part of your daily rhythm. The things you are looking at will promise to fill you up or satisfy you, but that is a lie from the enemy. The only way to have lasting joy and fulfillment is by looking at the Spirit. Remember this so you can be unwavering in killing the sins of the flesh. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
APPLICATION: Get your eyes fixed on the right thing today.
PRAYER: Ask the Spirit to guide and direct you. Ask Him to help you look up at Him and see the value and worth of Jesus. Jesus at the center of our lives is the only thing that brings lasting life joy. Give whatever you are holding onto to Him!
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?