FIX
YOUR FOCUS
BREAD
1 Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured
the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God. 3 Consider
him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow
weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
(NIV)
1 Since,
then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where
Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things
above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ
in God. 4 When
Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)
14 The Lord confides in those who fear him; he
makes his covenant known to them. 15 My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Psalms 25:14-15 (NIV)
12 “O our
God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that
is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 (NIV)
1 I lift
up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? 2 My help
comes from the Lord, the Maker of
heaven and earth. 3 He
will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he
who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you-- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by
day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm-- he
will watch over your life; 8 the Lord
will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalms 121:1-8 (NIV)
8 But my
eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge--do not give me over to death. Psalms 141:8 (NIV)
3 You
will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in
you. 4 Trust
in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)
12 “For
the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their
prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12 (NIV)
9 For
the eyes of the Lord range
throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to
him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Stop resisting
Him. Stop resenting Him. Stop complaining. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop demanding what you want. Stop focusing on the outer wrappings of
yourself and your circumstances. Adjust
your attitude. Change your mind about
things, about yourself, about others and about Him. Relax in total trust. He knows what He’s doing. Unwrap the package! Let go and look up! Let Him open the eyes of your heart. Open your eyes!” Anne Graham Lotz
“Oh that
I may be roused out of my slumber, and be watchful and ready against the coming
of my Bridegroom...Even the wise virgins fell asleep. Let this be a warning to me, O Lord. Set thou a guard before my eyes, ears, and
other faculties, lest the world again should enter through these avenues of the
heart; if the spark be not speedily extinguished, it will soon break out into a
flame: thus sin is of a progressive
nature, and its venom spreads very quickly and very wide, unless it be stopped
and opposed in time. Watch, therefore,
over this unsteady heart of mine, O Thou Keeper of Israel; that as soon as it
begins to wander from Thee, I may be alarmed to flee from sin as from a
serpent. Give me grace to look upon
every hour as my last; so that being ever wisely upon my guard I may meet Thee with
joy when my time is run out, whenever it shall please Thee to call me hence.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
“The whole message of the Gospel is this:
Become like Jesus. We have his self-portrait. When we keep that in front of our
eyes, we will soon learn what it means to follow Jesus and become like him.” Henri
Nouwen
“We
should always keep Christ before our eyes.
The devil continually tempts us to abandon Christ and seek the Father,
saying to ourselves, ‘This or that will please him’. Meanwhile we ignore Christ—the One the Father
sent—so that we might listen to Him alone.
We respond as the Pharisees did and reject Christ. We wonder, ‘Where is the Father?’ That is the question that world asks. This is the greatest temptation to your
faith. You must devote yourself to the
Word of Christ and train yourself to hold on to it so that you never lose sight
Jesus.” Martin
Luther
“It's a promise that whatever you might be experiencing today is
just one chapter in a story that He is writing, and that story isn't over
yet....extract the precious from the worthless (Jeremiah 15)..Life has far more sticky
situations than miraculous moments. As you encounter challenges, difficulties,
and setbacks, train your eyes to ‘extract the precious.’ Train your ears to
hear the promise. And train your heart to pursue relentless hope.” Beth Guckenberger
“Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously
into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not
see clearly what is required of me now.” Elisabeth
Elliot
“Let
us see that we keep God before our eyes; that we walk in His ways and seek to
please and glorify Him in everything, great and small. Depend upon it, God’s work, done in God’s
way, will never lack God’s supplies.”
Hudson Taylor
“One thing that Jesus brings to our attention is the importance of
living in this world with our eyes fixed upon what is above. A follower of the
Lord experiences eternal realities while he lives in a temporal world--he sees
things that others do not see; he hears things that others do not hear; he know
things that others do not know. A follower of the Lord walks with his
feet upon the ground, while his eyes are fixed upon heaven. He knows that all
the things around him are passing away, and that all that is before him will
last forever.” Roy Lessin
“A
Christian, being only a traveler through the world, must expect a traveller’s
fare; bad roads sometimes, bad weather, and bad accommodations; but since his
journey’s end and city are in heaven, all his actions, sufferings, prayers,
trade, and conversation turn that way. O
Lord, grant that mine eyes may always be fixed upon this mark, so as to
regulate all my designs and doings accordingly; asking myself in everything,
whether it be fit for heaven, and agreeable to the mind of the heavenly
Bridegroom, and to the manners of the heavenly citizens.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
“Would you follow Christ? Then follow Him in self-denial, in humility, in patience, and in readiness for every good work. Follow Him with a daily cross upon your back, and look to His cross to make your burden light. Follow Him as your Guide and Guard, and learn to see with His eyes, and to trust in His arm for defense. Follow Him as the Friend of sinners, who healeth the broken in heart, and giveth rest to the weary souls, and casteth out none that come unto Him. Follow Him with faith, resting your whole acceptance with God, and your title to heaven, on His meritorious blood and righteousness. Lastly, follow Him with much prayer. For, though He is full of compassion, He loves to be much entreated; and when He is determined to give a blessing, you must yet wrestle with Him for it. Thus follow Jesus, and He will lead you to glory.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
HEART
SAVOR
· I am to walk
with the earth under my feet and my eyes fixed on Jesus.
· God is never
out of control, off His throne or taken by surprise. He Who makes known the end from the beginning
is exceedingly, abundantly able to take care of little old me.
· Anxiety and
confusion are the result of placing my eyes on my circumstances instead of my
Lord.
