Keep Your Eyes On Him

  Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him; I will surely defend my ways to His face (Job 13:15)."      Most people have heard of Job, a man acquainted with suffering who had a book in the Bible written about his life. He spent many years going through tribulations that caused much heartache. He cries out to the Lord throughout much of this book....He doesn't understand why so many devastating things have happened to him.       He lost his children, he lost his livestock and he lost his servants all within the course of one day. He was later afflicted with horrible skin sores. His wife even encourages him to curse God, give up and die (Job 2:9). I cannot even begin to imagine the grief and heartache he felt. I don't know for sure, but he may have thought that God had abandoned him. At one point Job even cursed the day he was born (Job 3:1).       However, throughout all of the tragedy he endured, he continued to bless th...

     As long as we live on this earth, we will experience joy and gladness, but we will also experience trials and troubles. None of us are immune to tough times and disappointment. If however, you will turn to the Lord in the day of trouble, He will use the very thing that causes you pain or suffering to grow you in Him, give you peace unexplainable and comfort you with the comfort that only He can give. Keep in mind that the trial you may be going through right now is only temporary. God will bring you through to the other side. Until then, know and believe that God will work it all together for your greater good and His glory. "And we know  that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)."      David who was a "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22), experienced great heartache and suffering. However, David chose to keep his eyes on the Lord instead of his circumstance...

   "O our God, will You not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You (2 Chronicles 20:12)."      Life can be hard at times and we may feel overwhelmed by situations that are beyond our control. None of us are immune to trials and difficulties. We are in one of three situations: currently in a trial, just coming out of a trial or getting ready to go through a trial. While this may sound a bit pessimistic, Jesus Himself said "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33)." The key is to keep your eyes on Him and not your circumstances.       In the above verse from 2 Chronicles, Jehoshaphat and his people were facing an impossible situation. A great multitude of the people from Moab and Ammons were coming against them to battle. I imagine he felt fear as he knew (in his own strength) he wa...

     "Then the Lord said to satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason (Job 2:3)."      The Lord is on His throne and in complete control. Every single thing you go through, must first pass through His loving hands. satan is not the opposite of God, he is a created being. Though the world is "under the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19), satan must ask permission from the Lord before he can do anything . His plans are always to cause division in families, friendships or partnerships, cause doubt, and damage your testimony. "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundatly (John 10:10)." It is important to remember that satan is our enemy, not man.       You may be asking som...

     "I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: The Lord's right hand has done mighty things! The Lord's right hand is lifted high; the Lord's right hand has done mighty things! I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done (Psalm 118:13-17)."     If anyone knew about troubles and living with sin, it was David. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and got her pregnant. But instead of confessing his sin to the Lord, he took matters into his own hands and ended up having her husband killed. Now, he not only committed adultery, he committed murder and lied to cover it up as well and yet, God called him a "man after His own heart (Acts 13:22)."       How, in spite of all that David had done, be considered a man after God's own heart? While David was far from perfect, he eventua...