Fix Eyes On God

Guard sight, thoughts to maintain ‘perfect peace’

Eternal peace is the birthright of every believer, but we all recognize peace can escape us. Fear, anxiety and worry move back into our lives like an unwelcome army of ants. We must wage peace against the ants that threaten to carry off our inheritance little by little.

Peace is possible. Eternal peace is the condition of our heart that allows our souls to rest in the finished work of the cross. It is possible because it's already been purchased. The cross is the focal point of those who live with eternal peace. Their religion is not about them; it's about him. His strength and success, not their, have become the focus. This is simple but not easy, so let me explain.

We know peace comes from heart-level knowledge not mind-level knowledge, but how do we consistently help our knowledge of God travel 12 inches from our mind to our heart? The heart's condition is directly due to the gaze of your mind's eye. In other words your heart is like a reflector of your focus. What you focus on long enough will eventually grip your heart. What you choose to look at over and over really does matter. Glances are like a floodlight and, although significant, they rarely do much damage. However, focus is like a laser beam that can cut through steel. The Bible teaches us to fix our thoughts on Jesus because we trust in Him. A life he-centered vs. me-centered is a life filled with eternal peace because he has already defeated sin, death and hell. Waging eternal peace comes from focus on his eternal victory.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! -- Isaiah 26:3

Focus is powerful and has the ability to determine our emotional state of being. How do you guard your heart? You guard your eyes and thoughts.

Each one of us has a bent towards fuzzy focus and, unfortunately, it's our human default. Fuzzy focus yields lower motivational levels and leaves us feeling unsure about decisions. For me it's that morning fog that makes tasks feel heavier than they really are and decisions more difficult.

Clarity is a word that revolves around the idea of focus, and many leadership experts are saying the old paradigm of "leadership is influence" is being exchanged for an upgraded 2.0 version that says "leadership is clarity." People can live without certainty, but they can't live without clarity. Clarity is the key to taking confident steps forward.

In my college days, I attended an amazing athletic ministry called Arkansas Athletes Outreach led by Brad and Debbie Friess. Brad, a former athlete, understood the power of focus. He taught us God wanted to be on the field with us, not left on the sidelines. A technique he used to teach us was what he called "the focal point." He advised us before a game or practice begins, we should find a focal point somewhere in our line of sight. It could be a scripture written on our hands, an object that looks like a cross hanging near our field or anything that reminds us of our audience of one. If it was about me and my performance, nerves were abundant and failure was usually inevitable. However, if my sport was about God and his glory, then no matter if we lost or won, we would be able to stay in "perfect peace" because our eyes were fixed on Him.

NAN Religion on 07/12/2014

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