FIX YOUR EYES ON AND OFF
[7-minute read]
IT’S HARD TO FOCUS when we have difficulty keeping still. We’re not talking about personalities here but about our attitude – the ability to keep our anxieties in check in order to find God in times of uncertainty. To be sure, modern technology and smart devices today have become both a boon and a bane: while they allow us to access information at our fingertips, they also condition us with an unhealthy fear of missing out (FOMO) that underlie an obsession with the need for certainty.
People who lose the ability to be still lose the ability to develop a clearer wide-angle outlook where God remains in control. (Remember, nothing happens without God’s knowledge!) Whatever positions they hold in church and in society, those who constantly cannot sit still - flitting from one idea to another, from one project to another, from one indulgence to another – are people who lack the spiritual discipline and maturity to catch God’s perspective in their thinking.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB) are two verses to commit to a lifelong study - “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” In describing Jesus as the ‘author’, He is emphasized as the One who leads us on our faith journey. And as the ‘perfecter’ of our faith, He is the One who brings our spiritual growth to fulfilment.
As you watch life plays out for yourself and your loved ones, who and what you focus on is important in determining where you will end up.
FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS. FIX OUR EYES OFF SELF.
If you find it increasingly hard to keep your faith on course and stay focused, it is a sign that you are already beaten down by all that you are allowing to clutter your focus. Each of us has a race marked out for us – designed and set up by God Himself. This is a race that requires us to constantly retrain our focus, and not let FOMO distract us. At the same time, we must be careful not to covet someone else’s race, or get caught up with what others are doing. God, the author and finisher of our faith, will bring everything in our individual journey to completion for His own glory and honour.
HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO FIX OUR EYES ON THE AUTHOR OF OUR FAITH?
Moses’ response to God in Exodus 3-4 offers a good illustration for how we normally respond to God when our focus is zoomed in on ourselves.
Scripture says in Exodus 3:7, 10, “The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
Look, God was not recruiting a volunteer to run a humanitarian rescue mission: He was giving Moses a very specific calling!
But listen to Moses’ response:
He protested with ‘Who am I’ statements. Many Christians unwittingly use this tactic which is nothing more than fake humility because it diverts the focus from ‘mission’ to ‘me’. Moses certainly didn’t endear himself to God when he said, “Who am I to appear before Pharoah? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” In all honesty, God could have replied, ‘You are a nobody and a person with a prideful past. But it’s not about you, it’s about Me and My mission for you.’
He rationalized with speculations about outcomes. “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” If we consistently let logical thinking win the day, we will always be stuck in argument traps when we face oppositions and adversities but never experience God’s breakthrough for ourselves.
He pleaded to get out of a tricky assignment and almost removed himself out of the best story in human history simply. Why? Because God didn’t let him know anything but God Himself. Would it make a difference if God told Moses that he would be famous forever, that he would play a significant part of a riveting Bible story, that the story would be retold in a movie that would become an instant box-office success (The Ten Commandments, 1956), that people would mimic his posture with the outstretched arms over the Red Sea, or that he would see God’s power in ways he never would have believed possible?
In truth, the story of Moses is one that is perennially relatable because we are all similarly susceptible to diverting our attention from God’s mission to ourselves.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FIX YOUR EYES ON SELF?
Zooming in our focus on self will inevitably result in three outcomes:
Pride will set in. Pride doesn’t want us to experience failure. It makes us feel uneasy about not being ‘ready’ for God’s task so we excuse ourselves to avoid being seen as not up to task later. It saves us from possible embarrassment and humiliation. Prides says ‘I don’t think so’ (about a job situation, medical treatment, changing negative habits, etc.) and insists on having the final say over God. Pride lets the enemy of our soul deceive us with endless options (why not try this or that?) to lure us away from trusting God and standing on His Word alone.
Pride draws our attention to deception. Fears and uncertainties that grip us with doubts and what-ifs will take centrestage. In fact, Moses paid so much attention on himself that he forgot that it was God who called and appointed him. While it was true that he lacked credibility with people, and he was clearly not as eloquent as his brother, Aaron, he did not have to let these personal deficiencies become more important than what God said He would do.
Today, we can recalibrate our focus by meditating on Psalm 119:37 and Psalm 141:8.
YOU MAY MISS THE BOAT.
One can be actively involved in church programmes, know everything about everyone in Christian circles, be blame-free and carefully avoid controversies just to stay informed, play it safe and nothing more. Yet when God presents challenges in our everyday life, we can totally miss Him in active ministry – many times over – and not even know it.
How do we spot God in action in our challenges? It is an exercise like finding the distinctive red-and-white-striped character in Where’s Wally. God is in the picture full of people, chaos and movement. All it takes is a little training in focus to find His presence and grace.
Read this depiction in Isaiah 43:19: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” It is a picture of wilderness and wasteland. But that’s not all that is in the picture. God is doing a new thing – it is right there.
FIX YOUR EYES OFF SELF and FIX YOUR EYES ON GOD!
You will see God’s purpose for your life. Moses was only able to follow God’s instructions and find his God-given purpose when he took his focus off himself. It’s the same for you.
You will see God’s power manifested through your life. Moses witnessed God performing epic miracles - the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, God’s provision of food and water for forty years in the wilderness. He experienced God’s power that overshadowed every human failing and inadequacy in himself.
Therefore, do not under-estimate God’s power in you to achieve His purpose. This power is not just for your self-preservation and benefits. We activate God’s power in us when we are present for someone who seems troubled; when we take the initiative to reach out to a long-time friend before it is too late; when we share with others about Jesus and not just His benefits; the options are endless.
You will see God’s all sufficiency in your life. Moses led the children of Israel through the dessert for forty years. There was no sophisticated logistic management and supply chain in place but they lacked nothing in terms of food, water, clothing and even footwear that never wore out. Doesn’t this show us how amazing God is?
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 10 December 2022.
