Open Our Eyes

             "And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, 'What do you want Me to do for you?'  

           They said to Him, 'Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.'  

             Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him."  Matthew 20:32-34

Oh, may that be our plea and desire.  

           Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.  And may regaining our sight result in fully following You.

          Open our eyes to see You for all that you are and all that You are willing and able to do in and through us.  Open our eyes to Your purposes in this present age and where You have called us to shine for Your glory.  Open our eyes to see the people You have placed us among as You see them, and may we be moved with Your compassion to love and act on their behalf. 

 Open our eyes to see Your perfect love, to SEE You, to see that You are with us, and to see that that changes EVERYTHING.  Lord, we invite you to change everything.

"...I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.........Woe is me, for I am ruined!........For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.........Here am I. Send me!.........."  Isaiah 6

Ruin us, Lord.  Open our eyes.  May we regain our sight and follow You.

Faith-filled Obedience

“…God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!..…Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’  So…” (And notice the time phrase that shows his immediate obedience)  “So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” 

        The book of Hebrews gives us even more insight into what was going on in Abraham’s mind saying, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son…He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.”  Hebrews 11:17,19

      Abraham followed through to the point of stretching out his hand and taking the knife, but the angel of the Lord stopped him, saying, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God (are a fearer of God), since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”  Genesis 22:12

      What a powerful example of a heart of faith-filled obedience.

Now, at this point, let us ask ourselves how much evidence do we give the world (and the angels and God) that we are a fearer of God (that we fear/reverence God)?  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.."  Psalm 111:10


   Abraham had a promise of descendants through Isaac, yet there were no descendants, so how could Isaac die?  Abraham had even suggested shortcuts to that promise, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” (Genesis 17:18,19- Abraham, like us at times, would have settled for another plan, one that was easier and required no waiting or faith) ‘But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”

      The scene continues, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.  In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”  v.16-18 

       We too need to know God’s promises; clinging to those promises and to faith in Who God is, will enable us to walk in confident obedience. Abraham, knowing the promise, immediately 
obeyed this illogical assignment, and because he did, he was allowed to be a part of blessing all the nations of the earth. 

“Because you have obeyed My voice.”

We have no way of knowing what our acts of obedience will bring about and who they will affect.  God has a great plan in asking for each act of obedience, and there ARE consequences to our obedience that bless us and many others and potentially many, many after us down the halls of time.

Abraham was even allowed to be a part of THE greatest plan:       “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith…….. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.  He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ.” Galatians 3:13,14,16

What promises do you need to cling to so that you may walk forward in confidence faith-filled obedience to all that He calls you to?

Consecration Part 2

“Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.  

I will not do anything that will master me.” 1 Corinthians 6:12  

       Lord, is there something that is mastering me?  Is there something in my life that You are not ruling (and that I am not even ruling, but it is ruling me)?

     As we ask God to show us areas where He would have us make changes to be set apart unto Him, the answers will probably look a little different.  Therefore as we implement changes that He may bring to our hearts, we will most likely run the risk of being looked upon as being self-righteous, as sheltering our kids, or even being maligned (see Matt. 10:25). 

Or we may run the risk of looking at others’ lives and what He allows them to do or not do and let the lines get blurry for our own lives.

      Let us, each one, entrust ourselves to Him, for His guidance and not look to others.  John 21:21-22  “So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, ‘Lord what about this man?’  Jesus said to him, ‘If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?  You follow Me!'”

Let us, each one, follow Him.
Let us, each one, consecrate ourselves.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”             2 Thessalonians 5:23,24

Consecration

     "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one (out of the power of evil).  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth."  John 17:14-19
  
        Both the words consecrate (or sanctify) in the Old Testament (Qadash) and sanctify in the New Testament (hagiazo) mean 'to place in a relation to God answering to His holiness'.  Neither word means merely “to set apart", but “to set apart for God”. 

       As you read through the Old Testament, God is forever telling His people to come out from among, to separate themselves, for the purpose of not being pulled into their evil practices.

       What if we all asked God:
What would You call me to separate myself from in this life that I am living? 
How would You have me make a strong stand for those in my sphere of influence (for instance, my kids, friends, small group, Bible study group, those I mentor, etc.) to be consecrated unto You and Your purposes for their lives?

Where would He say that I am of the world and not just in it?

Where would He say that I see sin and look upon it and my heart does not break like my Father’s heart breaks? 

If the instruction was given today to "...put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst" Ezekiel 9:4, would I get a mark?

Where are my thoughts or actions contrary to the Word of God and my heart does not grieve?

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

                        Try me and know my anxious thoughts, 

And see if there be any hurtful way in me 

And lead me in the everlasting way.” .....

Psalm 139:23,24

....to be set apart for You answering to Your holiness. 

Set a Guard, O Lord, Over My Mouth

 “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

   Keep watch over the door of my lips.

       Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,....” 

Psalm 141:3,4b             

          

              What a difference it is to ask the Lord to keep watch over the door of our lips, rather than to just be determined within ourselves to set a guard over our mouth.  How many times have we resolved, in our own strength, and failed to live by Ephesian 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear”?  

                Imagine if we truly invited our Lord to set a guard and to personally keep watch over the door of our lips and then truly believed that He answered that invitation. 

What would we then be convicted of and not be so comfortable with? 

What do we indulge our flesh with that we could not so easily do if we invited the conviction of the Holy Spirit… to guard and keep watch over what comes out of our lips AND what goes in? 

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”                                                                                        1 Corinthians 10:31 
             all to the glory of God

“Do not incline my heart to any evil thing”                   

all…and…any   

         Lord, we ask that You set a guard and keep watch and fill us with the real knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that we will walk in a manner worthy of You, to please you in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all power, according to Your glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to You, Who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light,Col. 1:19-12 giving glory to You in all that we do. 

Move Forward

“Oh Lord, You are my God;

I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;

For You have worked wonders,

Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” _{Isaiah 25:1}

Plans formed long ago, with My perfect faithfulness.

I AM.

May My name be exalted above all things of earth and heaven.

I AM God – alone.

And I will not give My glory to another.

Worked wonders………….plans formed long ago…………with perfect faithfulness.

Bow the knee to Me and to Me alone.

Do not bow (in weeping and fear) to the circumstances surrounding you.

Do not bow (in discouragement and fear) to the people around you.

Do not bow to fear.

I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and love and sound judgment.

Work out what has been entrusted unto you.

And do not bend the knee to any other.

Do not bend.

Do not let your hands fall limp.

Put your hand to the plow and

Move forward.

Face set, 
With a listening ear to hear My voice guiding you

On a mission of love, power, discipline

To give out to those around you.

To do good as you have opportunity.

I have chosen you to stand before Me, to minister to Me, and to be My minister.

Do not be negligent now.  _{2 Chron. 29:11}

You are My witness and My servant whom I have chosen,

 so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He.

   Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.

 I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me.

 It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,

so you are My witness, and I am God. 

Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand;

I act and who can reverse it?_{Isaiah 43:10-13}

I make a way….._{Isaiah 43:16}

In the World but Not of It

                     "I have given and delivered to them Your Word (message); and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world - do not belong to the world - [just] as I am not of the world.  I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil [one].  They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world), [just] as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them- purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy - by the Truth.  Your Word is Truth."  John 17:14-17 Amplified

        We are to be IN the world but not OF it.  We need Godly walls/boundaries to know the difference between being in the world and impacting it, and crossing that boundary and being of the world and it impacting us- our thought life, actions, attitudes, ideas, and standards.  

       If we are in the world and its influence, and ‘eating of its delicacies’, more than in the Word and its washing, we are bound to be pulled into its practices and thought patterns without even being aware of it.  

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

       Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds of wickedness
with men who do iniquity
And do not let me eat of their delicacies.” 

Psalm 141:3,4

        As a result of not setting up boundaries, are we, as the body of Christ, tainted by the world?  Have you made a covenant with your eyes, to guard you as to what you watch, (Job 31:1) and asked God to put a guard over your mouth, to keep watch over the door of your lips?  

Be cleansed by the Word of Truth.