The "Eyes" Have It - #214

Would you like to know how to escape the trap Satan has set for you and effectively say “No!” to any and every temptation you will ever face? Do you desire to avoid the snare altogether and stop giving in to King Me—choosing daily to live a blessed life that is completely, unreservedly sold-out for God? God shows you how.

Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at  http://www.thepuritycoach.com

Transcript

Would you like to know how to escape the trap Satan has set for you and effectively say “No!” to any and every temptation you will ever face? Do you desire to avoid the snare altogether and stop giving in to King Me—choosing daily to live a blessed life that is completely, unreservedly sold-out for God? God shows you how.

Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. A powerful weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity and godliness. I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #214 entitled “The Eyes Have It”.

“My eyes are continually toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.” (Psalm 25:15)

To live a life of godliness and integrity, to daily (moment-by-moment) submit your heart and life to God, standing rock-solid in the faith and successfully, consistently resisting the enemy; to effectively say “No” to the sinful desires of King Me, you must choose to daily open your Bible and let the truth and wisdom of God’s Word penetrate and saturate your heart and mind. And then you must continuously choose to walk in obedience to it.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

2 Timothy 3:16-17 declares, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

And Jesus said, “When the [Holy Spirit] comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard.” (John 16:13)

What Jesus is saying is that as you read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you into an understanding of all of God’s truth found within the pages of Scripture. As He does, your spiritual eyes will be opened, and you will see what you need to do, where you need to go, and how to accomplish it. However, for that to happen, you must be focused. Your eyes must ever be “toward the Lord, for he will pluck your feet out of the snare” of the enemy (Psalm 25:15).

This is why the Psalmist exclaims, “My eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge.” (Psalm 141:8a)

And in Psalm 123 he says, “To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God.” (Psalm 123:1-2)

So I ask: where is your focus? God promises that through His Word He “guides you in the way of wisdom and leads you along straight paths” (Proverbs 4:11). The way of true, godly wisdom is found only in Scripture. Every time you invest time opening your Bible and studying God’s Word, the verses you read act as “a lamp to [your] feet and a light to [your] path” (Psalm 119:105). The Bible is like a massive floodlight pouring God’s pure white light into the oppressive darkness of your life, saying, “This is the way to victory; walk in it.” God’s Word will give you perfect vision.

David specifically declares, “My eyes are ever toward the Lord” (Psalm 25:15). Why do you think he put such an emphasis upon his eyes? Let me explain it this way: It is vital that you are very careful about what you allow your eyes to see. Why? Because What you see influences what you think, and what you think impacts what you do. Jesus said, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light” (Matthew 6:22).

Think about it this way: when you go for a walk, whether it is from one room to the next or through the grocery store or even taking a hike through the woods, you are dependent upon your senses to help you navigate the terrain. One major sense you rely heavily upon is sight. Unless you are physically blind, what you see strongly influences what you do. If you see an obstacle in front of you, more than likely you are going to go around it or over it rather than walk into it. It would be foolish to look to the right yet walk to the left, or to look straight ahead but walk backward. Not to go where your eyes are looking is to invite problems, pain, and possibly even death.

Every day you and I are faced with choices about what you we’re going to permit ourselves to see. Are you going to choose to see only those things that encourage you to a godly life, or will you focus on those things that persuade you to indulge in the sinful desires of the flesh? If you want your life to consistently glorify God, the Bible is clear that what you saturate your mind and heart with make all the difference in the world. When you fill your mind with ungodly things and yet try to live a godly life, you are going to be frustratingly unstable in all your ways (see James 1:8).

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)

I share this verse with you because God does have a will for you in what you should see and what you shouldn’t, and He wants you to understand what that will is. Now let me clarify. You will not find anywhere within the pages of Scripture a detailed listing that says “Thou shalt look at these things and thou shalt not look at those,” at least not in the way you might assume.

Watch this now: Our Heavenly Father expects us to exercise godly wisdom and discernment—which He gives to us through His Word. The way we discover God’s will for what we should or should not allow our eyes to see is to daily become a student of God’s Word. As you grow intimately familiar with the Author of Scripture, it will become easier for you to discern between things that are going to help you grow spiritually and those that have the potential of drawing you away from God, and thus weakening your faith (read Proverbs 2).

Our eyes must always be “toward the Lord.” We are instructed in Philippians 4:8 that our minds are to be thoroughly occupied with things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Since what we see has a direct impact on what we think, then it stands to reason that the things we see should also be true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable to the glory of God.

Yes, we are living in the age of Grace, and as Christians we have great freedom; but keep in mind that “You were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh” (Galatians 5:13). We must be ever careful about what we allow our eyes to see and our ears to hear, as they have a powerful influence upon what we think—which in turn strongly impacts the things we say and do.

This is why David cries out, “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless [vile] things.” (Psalm 119:37) and the Psalmist also exclaims, “I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.” (Psalm 101:2b-3a)

A “vile and vulgar” thing refers to that which is good for nothing, unprofitable, and can lead to destruction. When you choose to look at that which is vile and vulgar, you are also exposing your mind to those things. When exposed long enough, your mind becomes accustomed to what you are seeing, and your thinking process is distorted. This in turn alters your behavior, and King Me has once again stepped into the enemy’s trap.

This is why David writes, “My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies” (Psalm 25:15). What you see impacts what you think, and what you think strongly influences what you say and do. What are you choosing to look at? What are you choosing to expose your mind and heart to? What are you seeing and what are you hearing? Every image and every word has an impact on every thought.

David said, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes” (Psalm 101:7). Are you letting those who practice deceit and speak falsely stand in your presence? Are you letting your eyes see that which is exposing your mind to things that are harmful to it, things that are subtly influencing your thoughts, pulling you away from a closer walk with God and a life that honors and glorifies your Creator, Savior, and heavenly Father? 

OK, we’re going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode. I realize we are ending today’s episode on a bit of a heavy note, and this is intentional on my part. I want to challenge you to re-listen to this episode and let its message penetrate your heart and mind. Let it speak to your soul. Ask God what He wants you to learn from this and how He expects you to apply it. Then join me next week for the continuation of this message and its powerful application.

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry (what we do to help men across the globe find freedom and victory over sexual sin), be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com

One of these powerful resources we are making available to you is my book entitled “The Point of Purity Workbook.” You see, the struggle with lust and pornography is real. Boundaries have become blurred. Most men (and a growing number of women) are battling the beast of sexual impurity, feeling like they’re fighting a losing battle. We desire to be free, but we don’t know how to stop. Truth be told, many of us aren’t even sure we want to. It’s time we took a different approach.

 “The Point of Purity Workbook” is a 12-week journey through God’s Word to help you discover the point of purity. It helps you answer the question “Why should I be pure? What’s wrong with a little forbidden pleasure from time to time?” Throughout this 12-week workbook, you will also learn how to get to the point of purity – living daily in freedom from and victory over temptation – all temptation. 

You see, the problem we struggle with is not lust, porn, or any form of temptation for that matter. Those are the byproduct of the real issue. The real problem every one of us struggle with is a worship disorder. Who is sitting on the throne of your heart. Whom are you choosing to worship and why? This 12-week study called “The Point of Purity Workbook” will help you answer this all-important question and guide you into discovering how to dethrone King Me, allowing God to be Lord and leader of every part of your life. So, let me encourage you to head on over to Amazon.com and purchase your copy of “The Point of Purity Workbook” today.

And if you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!

So, until next time this is Steve Etner author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.