What's the Focus of Your Eye? by Ann Stewart

I awoke the other day with a start and heard the words: "Look not to the right, nor to the left." I saw myself with blinds on either side of my eyes, like a horse that is being directed by its rider. Pondering as to what exactly the Lord was trying to convey to me, I was directed to: "The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." (Mat. 6: 22) Jesus had just taught his disciples how to pray, and was now elaborating on the importance of forgiveness and prayer being your private conversation with God. He explained that the Father sees the secret desires of your heart and will reward you openly. If your focus is on worldly treasures, like men's approval or physical possessions, you may risk living in fear of losing them all. However, if God is your main focus, and you live your life to please Him, then you'll be laying up treasures in heaven. In other words, your reward will be coming from God, who wants to be your sole Provider! If you treasure what God has in store for your life, then your whole heart will be dedicated to doing His Will! (Mat. 6: 9-21) Furthermore, God promises: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." (Ps. 32: 8) That's a beautiful description of a caring God! As you endeavor each day to put on your 'blinds' so as not to be lured to the right or the left, you can rest assured that His eyes are on you! A horse, although it can see frontward, needs to be led by a bridle. God is not pulling on any reins! One quick glance at a parent's face will reveal instant approval or displeasure to a child. So it is with your Father. The minute you find yourself doubting or doing things in your own strength, you know when you have displeased Him. But God has a solution! He is patient and quick to forgive your acts of disobedience. "Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy." (Ps. 33: 18) Your heavenly Father gives food for the birds and water for vegetation. No amount of worry and trying to do things your own way will improve your life. By seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness everything you need will be provided! (Mat. 6: 25-34) If Jesus Christ is Lord in your life, then you no longer need to act and worry as before your acknowledgement that He is the Way! His last words on the cross were: "It is finished." That means that He has not only redeemed you from sin, but has provided everything you will need to walk out His purpose for your life! Remember when you entrusted your whole life to Him? He is still the Faithful One. "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84: 11) Therefore: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Prov. 3: 5-6) Take one precious little step at a time. He will give you fresh revelation every day. "Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Mat. 6: 34) The more you learn to trust in His guidance, the greater God's Love will shine out from you! He is the Light of the World! The radiance that will emanate from you, despite adverse circumstances you may be experiencing, will draw others to you! (Mat. 6: 22) "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." Only "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." (Ps. 37: 7,3,4)





About the Author
Ann Stewart is author of With Wings As Eagles, an inspiring story of unwavering faith in God's Word and answered prayer: http://www.lifealteringwords.com/with-wings-as-eagles Looking for affirmation, encouragement and inspiration? The welcome door is wide open at Embracing All the Promises of God: http://www.lifealteringwords.com

Your Relationship with the Lord

I loved this article so much that I read portions of it out loud to my husband. It is so important for us to seek out a personal relationship with the Lord. It's what He wants!

Worship Through Relationship....Are You Seeking God's Face or His Hand? by Karen Wolff

Have you ever spent time with one of your kids where all you did was just "hang out?" If you have grown kids, and you ask them what they remember most about their childhood, I would bet they recall a time where you spent an afternoon participating in some fun activity.

As parents, it sometimes takes a while for us to discover that the thing our kids want most from us is our time. But oh, time always seems to be the thing we find in short supply.

I remember when my son was about 4 years old. He attended a local preschool, but it was only a few mornings a week so, very often, I had this four year old who wanted my time. Every day. All day.......

So I would play board games with him in the afternoons. I remember he and I would always claim to be "Champion of the World" when one of us would win. Of course, beating a 4 year old isn't exactly something to brag about on my resume, but nonetheless, I always made sure the title passed back and forth....sometimes.

My son and I both fondly recall those days as very special times when we built a relationship. And the truth is....I had a hard time saying no to my son after all that relationship building. I knew my son wasn't hanging out with me just for what he could get me to buy him, but the relationship we built meant that when he did ask for something, my heart was more than willing to consider it.

Why is it so difficult to see that as a parent, God is no different? There are some who see God as a giant Santa Claus. You simply submit your wish list and wake up one morning to find that all is well. They fail to realize that relationship is everything. It's the one thing God wants more than anything else. And it's when we take the time to seek God's face, which is simply that ongoing relationship with Him, that He extends His hand because His heart is open to hear all we have to say.

A few weeks ago I read an amazing book called, "Daily Inspirations for Finding Favor with the King", by Tommey Tenney. In this book it talked about the importance and relevence of Christian praise and worship in building a relationship with God. What impressed me was the author's insistence that praise and worship must be directed to God's face and NOT His hand. If your motive is to love God, to spend time with God, to truly want to be in God's presence, then your praise and worship will be met by God with open arms.

If, however, your motive is to try to earn a blessing, or to impress those around you, or even to fulfill some sense of obligation, you've missed the boat....Completely.

So how do you know if your relationship with God is centered around His face or simply His hand? What can you do to make sure your motive is pure as you praise and worship God?


Spend most of your time with God in praise and worship. Letting God know how much you love and appreciate Him never gets old to God. In fact, praise and worship is the key that opens God's heart.

Come to God just as you are with an open heart. Letting God see ALL that's in your heart, good or bad, lets God know that you value your relationship enough to let Him see it all and do whatever He needs to do.

Look for opportunities to offer God praise and worship in things around you. All you need to do is see a beautiful sunset or one of the many other wonders of nature to offer God praise and thanksgiving for that miraculous blessing. God appreciates a grateful heart.

Don't be afraid to show God how you truly feel as you worship Him. There are those who don't feel comfortable raising their hands or showing any emotion during worship services. Yet those same people can be found at sporting events or concerts whooping, clapping, and hollering as if it really mattered.
I'm not saying you have to jump up and down or shout, but simply standing with open hands shows God that your heart is open and you want to feel God's presence. And most importantly.....

Don't judge, look down on, or criticize someone else because they want to show emotions and energy as they worship. Just because you aren't in the same place in your spiritual walk as they are doesn't mean what they're doing is inappropriate or wrong. Concentrate on worshipping God yourself so your focus remains on building your own relationship with God.
Christian praise and worship can be one of the most powerful ways to help you build your relationship with God. There is nothing better than feeling the love, peace, and acceptance that you feel when God's presence is all around you.

But just remember, like a parent, God is looking for that ongoing relationship. When He sees your open heart and your desire to get to know Him for who He is, His heart opens to hear all you have to say.

What a concept......seeking God's face and then feeling the blessings from His hand.

For more help on this topic, go to "The Key to Unlocking God's Door"


About the Author
Karen Wolff is the founder of www.christian-books-for-women.com, a place where women will find info, tips, and help with issues like overcoming fear, jealousy, and building self esteem. Find book reviews, recommendations, and submit your favorite books so you can be a blessing to someone else.

Believe!

This article was screaming at me. It was saying, "Read me, you need to read me. This is you. You have done these things. Do you always seek God first in every situation?" Recently, we have been struggling with our budget and have come to the conclusion that I need to return to work by February. The first week, I did nothing but worry about it and fret over it. Then, a light went on. I knew I needed to trust that the Lord would provide and make something happen for me. Things are happening now that just might allow me to stay home with my son. Trust and Faith are all it takes.

Christians in America - An Unbelieving Generation?
In a lot of ways I'm pretty average. I may be a bit taller than some, and probably weigh more than I should, but there isn't really anything extraordinary about me. So when I read the stories in the Bible, and think about how the majority of the people who were there reacted, I assume that I would have done what everyone else was doing. One example is the story in Mark 9:14-29 about a father who brought his demon-possessed son to be healed. When the father came to the disciples, Jesus wasn't there. He was with Peter, James, and John and they were on their way back from the mountain where they had seen Jesus transfigured before their eyes. As they approached the other disciples they noticed that a large crowd had gathered, and that the teachers of the law were arguing with them. When Jesus asked what they were arguing about, the man whose son was demon-possessed came and explained to Him how his son was being tormented by the spirit, and that he had asked the disciples to cast it out, but they hadn't been able to. It's at this point that Jesus says, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." (Mark 9:19) Like I said, I'm pretty average. If I had been one of the disciples it's a good bet that I would have been in the middle of the crowd, arguing with the teachers, and trying to figure out why I hadn't been able to cast them demon out. And it's not like casting out demons was a foreign concept to them. When we look at Mark chapter 6 we see that Jesus sent them out, two by two, and gave them authority over demons. This was actually something that they had done before. But when I look at my life, I realize that even though there are things that I've done before, it doesn't mean that it will be easy for me to do it again. All I have to do is look at how I spent the last few days, or weeks, in my life and realize that Jesus could very well look at me and say, "O unbelieving Rob, how long will I have to stay with you? How long will I have to keep reminding you of all that I've already taught you?" I don't know about you, but when I'm faced with a new problem, or just an ongoing old one, I tend to forget all that God has already done for me. When struggling with financial issues I usually get discouraged and depressed. I focus too much on the problem, or what I don't have, and I forget that all things are possible with God. One of the scriptures that I battle with the most is in Matthew 6:28-34, especially verse 33 which says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." I find myself worrying about what I'll eat, or wear, or how I'll pay my mortgage this month. In other words, I worry about "all these things." This verse isn't hard for us because God is asking to do something that is impossible. We have difficulties with it because it's so unnatural. If we look around us we can see dozens, hundreds, maybe even millions of examples of people who worry about how they are going survive, let alone doing any better than that. The fact that we worry about it is normal in the sense that it's something everyone does. But I wonder if Jesus would look at us, those of us in America and other countries where the Word of God is readily available, and just shake His head in frustration. Would He look at us and say, "O unbelieving generation, when are you going to finally understand? When are you finally going to believe?" We are surrounded with God's word, it's being preached in our pulpits, over the airwaves, and at us in our daily email devotionals, but do we believe it? In all fairness it is a frightening thing, the prospect of really believing God's word, or really trusting Him. And it's not about us having to do anything that is really crazy, or risky, but just trusting Him with our daily battles. It's sad to think that Christians in America are just as likely to get divorced, struggle just as much as everyone else financially, and are just as unhappy with their lives as people who don't believe in God at all. But I know that taking a step to trust God, to begin to pray with the expectation that He will answer and do amazing things in our lives, won't be easy. Too often we end up like the disciples who watched helplessly as a demon-possessed boy fell to the ground and foamed at the mouth. We end up overwhelmed by our circumstances and unable to see how God can change things. Because I'm not particularly extraordinary, I'm just an average Christian; I have to realize that the same thing applies to me that applies to everyone else. I have to allow God to change me. I need to ask Him to open my eyes so that I can see beyond what's happening to me and finally see what's possible with God. I must let Him put my faith to the test so that He can remove my doubts. And even though that will be hard, the reward is that I will finally begin to truly have faith in God. About the Author Get two chapters from Rob Marshall's book, "Taking On Goliath - How To Unleash The David In All Of Us" when you sign up for his free weekly Faith-Full Life Newsletter. Visit: http://www.takingongoliath.com/