Eyes Fixed On Him Hebrews 12:1-3 Psalms 25:12-15 2 Chronicles 20:12 Psalms 123:1-2 Psalms 27:7-9 1 Chronicles 16:11 Proverbs 8:17-19 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 Psalms 105:1-4 Colossians 3:1-4 03.20.19

EYES FIXED ON HIM

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)

¹² Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. ¹³ He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. 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.   Psalm 25:12-15 (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 you, to you whose throne is in heaven. ² As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.   Psalm 123:1-2 (NIV)

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. ⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. ⁹ Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.   Psalm 27:7-9 (NIV)

¹¹ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11 (NIV)

¹⁷ I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. ¹⁸ With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. ¹⁹ My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.   Proverbs 8:17-19 (NIV)

¹³ “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, ¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”   2 Chronicles 7:13-15 (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. ² Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. ³ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ⁴ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.   Psalm 105:1-4 (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)

BUTTER

“If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, ‘which is my problem, my issues, my pain.’  But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.”   Rick Warren

“It is important to understand that fruitfulness and growth are the results of focusing on Christ and desiring to honor Him.  When growth and change are our primary goals, we tend to be preoccupied with ourselves instead of with Christ.  ‘Am I growing?  Am I getting any better? Am I more like Christ today?  What am I learning?’   This inordinate preoccupation with self-improvement parallels our culture’s self-help and personal enhancement movement in many ways.  Personal development is certainly not wrong, but it is misleading—and it can be very disappointing—to make it our preeminent goal.  If it is our goal at all, it should be secondary.  As we grasp the unconditional love, grace, and power of God, then honoring Christ will increasingly be our consuming passion…The only One worthy of our preoccupation is Christ, our sovereign Lord, who told Paul, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness’”.   Robert McGee

“Focus on the Father, not your flaws. Look to the Savior, not the self. The Messiah, not the mirror.”   Ann Voskamp

“Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.”   Matthew Henry

“Praise is powerful because it removes our focus from the circumstances and turns us toward God. Instead of seeing a desperate situation, we see an opportunity for God to reveal His glory to everyone involved.”   Michael Youssef

“But in the Kingdom of God there is no shortcut to freedom.  There is no resurrection without the cross.  There is no life without dying to self.  But this is true life we’re talking about, true freedom we are after, and the self-help gospel cannot provide it.  The only one who can grant it is the one who actually possesses it, so we must wrench our focus off of self, and fix our eyes, unflinchingly, on Him.”  Sharon Hodde Miller

“I have not given you the spirit of fear but of a sound mind. Therefore today I call you Fearless, the way I called Gideon a valiant warrior when he was afraid to fight. I am the same God who gave Gideon the strength to win his battle with the enemy, and I am your God. The only time something will overtake your heart is if you take your eyes off Me. I don’t want you bound up in terror.  As long as you are walking in My power and Truth, you have nothing to be afraid of, and no matter what it looks like now, Victory will always be yours. So fear not, my beloved; I will never leave your side--day and night I am fighting for you.  Love,  Your King who removes all fear.”   Sheri Rose Shepherd  

“We spend a lot of time focusing on what we need, but if we prioritize His Presence, what we need won’t be an issue.  If He goes with us, it doesn’t matter which problems arise.  He is there to take care of them.  And we can rest.”  Chris Tiegreen

“Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord.”   Robert J. Morgan

“We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.  If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by ‘looking unto Jesus’.  Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him.  Oh!  Let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.”     C. H. Spurgeon

“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, Faith Alone.

“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

HEART SAVOR

• ·         Our eyes are to be fixed on Him – not on our circumstances.  It is He Who makes our paths straight.
• ·         Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on our own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.
• ·         When in doubt – don’t.