What are YOU looking at?

“Oh, be careful little eyes what you see…”

Although it seems impossible to live a trouble-free life, since the unexpected crops up from time to time, there are some troubles we can and must avoid. 

It takes is a heart for God, vigilance, and diligence in controlling what we allow our eyes to focus on.

Scripture records the first time trouble entered mankind’s world. 

“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:5 – 3:6 ESV)

“…a delight to the eyes…” doesn’t necessarily make something evil. But when God says to leave something alone, we’d best heed His instruction. 

The things we keep before our eyes will be the things we ultimately gravitate towards. 

Good or bad. 

So what are you looking at? Where is your focus?

Instead of giving you a long list of things NOT to look at, here are a dozen things God’s word tells us TO focus on.

1. Look to the remedy God has prescribed for total cleansing and forgiveness. “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.” (Numbers 21:8 – 21:9 NASB) See also John 3:14-16

2. Look to the Lord for your Source of safety, strength, and salvation. “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever. (Psalm 121:1 – 121:8 NASB)

3. Look continually to God’s Word for direction, comparing your path with His. Make corrections as needed. “My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” (Proverbs 4:20 – 4:27 ESV)

4. Look to the Lord by faith when praying. Expect Him to hear and answer. “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. (Micah 7:7 ESV) See also 1 John 5:14,15

5. Look at God’s prophetic nation, Israel. “And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Luke 21:29 – 21:33 ESV)

6. Look to yourselves; self-examination. “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” (Luke 21:34 ESV)

7. Look beyond the “right now”, the temporal. Look to the eternal for true perspective. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 – 4:18 ESV)

8. Look continuously for the Blessed Hope. “…looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:13 – 2:14 NASB) See also 2 Peter 3:12

9. Look to the Founder and Perfecter of your faith. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1 – 12:2 ESV)

10. Look after one another. “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” (Hebrews 12:15 NLT)

11. Look continuously into the mirror of God’s word; the perfect law of liberty. “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” (James 1:22 – 1:25 NLT)

12. Look for the mercy of God. For yourselves and others. “…keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 1:21 NKJV)

It is a proven fact...if we spend our time looking at the things we should look at, we won’t have time for our eyes to focus on things we shouldn’t. 

So be careful, pay attention; don’t live a sloppy life letting your eyes lead you around. YOU take control of YOUR eyes.

And you can believe God will help you, if you’ll only ask. 

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV)