What Does It Mean To Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus?

It means to recognise the reality of our invisible God Father, Son and Holy Ghost and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When we look to Jesus in our daily circumstances, our failures and our victories, we acknowledge that we depend on Him, that we need Him and that we want Him to be the number one in our life. 

In this article I want to touch on three important points: 
A) How do we turn our eyes upon Jesus? 
B) What happens to us when we do it? 
C) What are we seeing? 

A) How do we turn our eyes upon Jesus in real life? 
How do we get from this spiritual term and the goose bumps it brings to every charismatic Christian, to a real application in our daily life? 

We turn our eyes to Jesus as we pray! 
Praying alone or in fellowship with other Christians will turn our focus on Jesus. 
As you acknowledge his Lordship in your live your eyes are turned to Him. 
As you discus matters of your live with him your focus is on Him and as you are listening to what he has to say to you concerning certain areas in your life - what you should do and what not. 


We focus on Jesus by having fellowship with other believer’s. 
When we meet in small groups and minister to each other, praying for and blessing one another, giving testimonies of the things God is doing in our lives – we together become focussed on Jesus. 


We turn our eyes to Jesus through the reading and hearing of the word. 
That is what every sermon and every bible reading must accomplish: Making Jesus bigger and bigger in our life. And that my dear readers is my purpose for writing the different articles: encouraging to make Jesus the number One in your life. 


We focus on Jesus when we praise and worship him. 
Every time I praise and worship the Lord on my own or by listening to some good worship music His presence increases in me. Clouds and darkness disappear in the light of His glory and grace. 


B) What happens when you turn your eyes upon Jesus? 
Who wants to be more like Jesus? Tried it? Did it work? Work harder at it! Go to church more often! Give more money! Preach on the streets! No! No! No! 

Just focus on Jesus and you will become more and more like him. You are being transferred into his image by the Spirit of God! 
2 Corinthians 3:18 states: 
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 
Many times we find it very hard to live a godly life. It seems like we never arrive. But the beauty of being a child of God is, that He doesn’t want us to struggle. 

Here is the secret of being a really godly person: Turn your eyes upon Jesus! By doing so, the Apostle Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:3: 
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence.” 
Spend time with Jesus, focus on Him! By doing that, He Himself will change you from the inside out. That’s living life God’s way. 


C) What do we see when we turn our eyes upon Jesus? 

We see the author of our faith. Hebrews 12:3 “...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...” 

“Author” here means: a leader, one, who makes the first step in a given situation and leads the way! 

Many Christians have no sense of direction in their spiritual life. They know allot about Jesus, but they do not know him as the Leader, the one that leads the way. They are governed by their senses, by what they see and focus on. But they never learned to lean on him, to look into his face. 

Are their decisions coming up in your life? Concentrate on Jesus. Get full of his word, have fellowship with Jesus, talk to him and worship him as the way the truth and the light – and he will direct your way of life. 

Every new step that you take in your spiritual journey, Jesus is going to do the first step to lead you into the right direction. That is His promise. 

And then we see him also as the finisher of our faith. 
Without Him pouring out his mercies every day anew, you will not make it into his presence, into heaven. 

He is keeping you so many times, when you are not even recognising it. In Jude it says, that he is keeping us from falling. So many times we would fall into sin - but he is keeping us from falling. 

If you put your life’s focus truly on Jesus – he will carry you through everything you are facing in your life. 

Trust Him as the finisher of your faith! He is able!!! 

Many times we tend to make the things of God so very complicated. We are so hard on ourselves. We need to understand that the Lord knows that on our own we are doomed to fail. But if we stay connected with and to Him we bring forth much fruit. The Bibles calls that abiding on the vine. 

So, my encouragement for you is this: Trust you Lord Jesus in every moment of your life. You are not the author and finisher of your faith – He is. And He is walking with you. He is also always one step ahead of you, so that you can follow Him. 

Enjoy your journey through life with Jesus- Keeping your eyes, your focus on Him

A Prayer: Smiling when your heart is weary

Dear Lord,

Help me to remember that on my darkest days, there is always someone who is experiencing something worse. Help me to smile even when my heart is weary, overburdened, and sick with worry. Lord help me smile to help brighten someone else’s day, encourage someone else’s heart, help lift another broken spirit. Help me to remember that the very thing I need and long for I must first give it away. In order for me to have sunnier days, I must learn to brighten someone else’s day. Lord help me to remember how a simple smile can change the chemical reaction in my own body and bring a natural form of healing to the inner most parts of my being. Lord help me smile when no one else is smiling around me, when the world is filled with sorrow, and even when I am not able to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the naked eye.

Lord remove the veil of darkness, and give me hope. Open my spiritually blinded eyes that I may discover he truth, that even when I’m not able to smile, you are still smiling down upon me and anointing everything I touch with my hands. Lord, your grace and mercy is sufficient and you continue to smile and laugh when our enemies mock us, accuse us, and plot against us, because you see that their day is arriving. Lord, you said for me to not let my heart be troubled or afraid. You promised to carry me through every storm, heartache, and everything that threatens the plans you have for me. For you are still in control. Lord, let your light be a reflection in the midst of a darkened path, and when I stumble my way through the darkness, cover me with your protection and give your angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart; be acceptable in your sight. Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew in me a right spirit, that in all of my ways I will acknowledge you and you promised to direct my path. Lord, fight every battle I am faced with, and help me to remember that You are the potter and I am only clay. While people may win battles, they never win the war with you on my side. Help me be still while you mold and shape me into the woman or man I am purposed to be, and bless everyone that crosses my path today, that they may be blessed with the beautiful smile you drew across my face with your own hands.

Help me to remember when my family and friends forsake me, that you will never leave my side, and in those moments when I’m feeling all alone, help me to remember that you are closer. You said that you are near to those who have a broken and a contrite spirit. Lord, tech me how to smile more. For we never realize the power in a smile, or what extending an encouraging word to a stranger, offering a compliment, or a performing a simple gesture could do to make someone else’s day brighter. We never know how the simple things in life could save life until this precious gift is suddenly snatched away from us. Lord, no matter what is going on around me…give me the strength to just smile.

Have You Heard His Whispers?

I remember listening to Bing Crosby sing "White Christmas" when I was a kid. I thought no one in the world had such a rich, baritone voice. Some of the greatest voices of all time belong to Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. Some may even try to put Elvis on that list. 

Ben Franklin wrote often about the great preacher, George Whitefield. Whitefield was a bit of a rebel in his day, choosing to preach in the open air rather than from an indoor pulpit. He would often position himself downwind so his voice would carry further. Up to 20,000 people would come to hear him preach and Ben Franklin observed that his voice could be heard up to a mile away. What a great voice! 

If men can possess such voices, how great must be the voice of God? Have you ever heard him speak? The Psalmist describes his voice beautifully: "The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon." (Psalm 29:3-4) 

Have you heard the voice of the Lord lately? God doesn't often use a loud voice. God doesn't choose to compete with the noisy ambiance that surrounds us. The Lofty Almighty One would never stoop to compete for our attention. He does not fret when we ignore his voice. He is polite, he is patient and he generally speaks to us in whispers rather than shouts. If you seldom or never hear his voice it may be because you can't hear his soft whispers above the blare of the television, i-pods and the cell phones that continuously demand your attention. 

Failure to hear the whispers of God in your life can leave a devastating affect. His whispers change lives. His whispers could change your destiny. If you are not attuned to the whispers of God you could miss his will. You could marry the wrong one. You could miss the right job. You could spend a good portion of your life on a rabbit trail God never intended you to be on. 

After that wonderful revelation of God at Mount Carmel, Ahab came home and told Jezebel what happened. The wicked shrew was enraged. She sent a messenger to Elijah to inform him that he was as good as dead. Elijah fled to the mountains in fright. He came to Mount Sinai where he had an encounter with God. 

This was the same mountain where God spoke to Moses and the people trembled at the voice and presence of God. Elijah began whining to God, "The people have rejected you. They have rebelled and point prophets to death and now I am the only man of God left and they are determined to kill me too." God told Elijah to climb the mountain and wait. 

When trouble comes into our lives, when we are desperately in need of direction, when confusion seems to overcome us it is wise to climb the mountain and wait. " Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him." (Psalm 105:4) 

Have you ever been frustrated trying to call someone and they just won't answer their phone. Caller id allows the receiver to identify the caller and a refusal to answer is sometimes taken as a personal affront. "I know they know it's me, why won't they talk to me?" 

God had caller id before the phone company; He knows when we call upon him and he never ignores the voices of his own children. 

Elijah climbed Mt. Sinai and waited for God to speak. "Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came the fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave." (1 Kings 19:11-12) 

God's voice whispered to Elijah, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 

"Lord, I'm the last prophet standing." 

God assured Elijah that there were 7,000 people in the northern kingdom who were still faithful to him. 

One moment, perhaps when you least expect it, the voice of God will whisper to your heart. It may happen today, it may be while you are driving to work or while you are doing house work or mowing the lawn. But it's most likely to happen when you are quiet.

When God Is With You

Jesus asked the question, “Where is your faith?” It is a fitting question for some have endured trials that have weakened their faith. They have endured the kind of trials that make the strong weak, that make the rich poor, that make the healthy sick, that make the bold fearful, that bring those brimming with hope for a particular thing close to hopelessness. This can happen when you have been tried for a long time without deliverance. When like Hannah you have been pregnant with desire for years but have no son. When like Joseph you are wrongfully imprisoned with no hope for freedom. When like Job one bad situation after another rains upon your existence leaving you shattered, broken, even sick, a mere shadow or your former self, wondering if God is punishing you for the sins of your youth. 

To your mind, it seems impossible for things to be the way they were before or even better. Who will replace what you have lost? Who will retrieve what has been stolen from you? Who will resurrect that which has died? Who will mend what has been broken? Who will dry your tears? Jesus can and will if you will only hold on and believe him. 

The Jews were in a similar situation after they came out of Babylonian captivity. When Cyrus sent them back to Jerusalem with an order to build the temple there was much happiness. They encountered opposition almost from the beginning but continued building during his reign. Eventually, however the kingdom changed hands and when the new king, Xerxes, received a letter from their opposition against the construction of the city, he sided with the opposition and commanded the stoppage of all building in Jerusalem. Thusly, work on the temple, stopped by force, was discontinued for about a decade. 

This killed the people’s faith such that in Haggai 1:2 we find them saying, “The time has not yet come for the rebuilding of the house of the Lord”. You can almost read their thoughts. “If the time for the rebuilding had come God would not have allowed the work to be stopped”. “Where will we get the materials to build the temple when we are hardly making it as it is?” “God’s hand must not be with us else he would not have allowed the work to be stopped”. “Are we still being punished for our sins?” “Darius will probably continue Xerxes policies.” All these and more they must have thought and discussed amongst themselves. 

When God showed them how he had stunted their financial progress because they did not resume the building of the temple they feared the Lord and began to do what he said so God sent the prophet Haggai to them again. Haggai 1:13-14 reads, “Then Haggai the Lord’s messenger gave this message to the people, “I am with you”, declares the Lord, so the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of people. The came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty their God”. 

God had to remind them that he was with them as he is reminding those of us who trust in him today. When God is with you he will silence those who oppose you. When God is with you he will send supernatural provision. When God is with you he will enable you by stirring up your spirit to faith. When God is with you there is no need to fear. You only have to be make sure that you have not neglected his will in your life and if you have correct it. 

The text said that God stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the spirit of Joshua and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. A people who did not have any faith now had the faith to do what God wanted. When God is with you a delay may occur but that does not mean that he will not stir what needs to be stirred in you and others so that his purposes and your desires may be achieved. The book of Ezra shows us how God stirred up king Darius to command the resumption of the building of the city of Jerusalem and the temple. Darius commanded the costs for the rebuilding of the temple to be paid by the royal treasury. He also commanded the death of anyone who interfered and more. God indeed had stirred up even Darius the king of Persia. 

Some have been under trial so long that they have forgotten that God can and will bring deliverance. Some have wondered what kept him from doing for them as he has for others. Now trust has waned but you must know and believe that God is still with you. I want you to remember Lazarus for a moment. He was dead for four days. No one believed Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead except Martha but her faith was weakened by the fact that Lazarus had been dead for four days. Jesus called him out from the tomb and he came forth wrapped in the grave clothes with no stench on him. Is there anything too hard for God? Is there anything impossible with him? If he could raise Lazarus from the dead, stir up Cyrus, Darius and the Jews to accomplish his purposes for the benefit of the Jews can he not stir up those that you need and you for your own benefit. Certainly he can! 

Remember God is with you. Pray for God to be with you. Believe that God is with you. Why should we pray for and believe that God is with us? Why should we desire for God to be with us? Ecclesiastes 3:14 states, “Whatever God does will last forever”. He is able to sustain what he gives. He is able to keep the ashes out of your life and maintain the beauty in it. He is able to keep you filled with the oil of gladness and heal your mourning heart. He is able to keep you in a garment of praise and take that spirit of heaviness from you forever. What God does will last forever, his salvation is forever, for his grace is built to last forever, his peace is forever, his joy is forever, his love is forever. God is eternal. Who else is like this and on whom else can you rely for these things? 

Since God can be relied upon let us pray that he will stir up the spirits of others in our behalf and not just that but that he will stir up our own spirits to continue in the faith, to do his will that we may inherit the eternal life he has promised. Let us watch and pray as he says that we may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that will come to pass and stand before the presence of the Son of Man. He said to pray this always. If we pray it he can and will do it. Expect this and expect your deliverance here in this earth also for when God is with you he will work all things together for your good. 

When Doubt Arises In Your Heart

The vagaries of life can cause tremendous doubts to arise in our hearts regarding God’s provision, protection and even our very salvation. These doubts came to the disciples after Jesus’ death. They could not understand how the one who had performed such miracles had faced such a bloody and gruesome death and had not escaped from it. When he met the two on the road to Emmaus they were in such doubt that they were not sure any more that Jesus was the promised Messiah nor did they believe the reports of the women that he had risen from the dead, the crucifixion having obliterated their faith. Later, when Jesus met with the disciples he asked them, “Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” 

The trials of this life cause us to doubt also. What do we do when this happens? We have to understand that doubt does not come from God. According to Ephesians 6 we wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. The doubt in our hearts may begin with us but it is increased exponentially by these forces. What, then, is God’s recipe for doubt? The answer is faith. 

It is easier said than done but the only way to deal with doubt is to pour the word of God into your heart. As the bible says faith comes by hearing the word of God. There are specific scriptures for doubt. Here are a few. 

• According to Mark 11:22a “Have faith in God.” Just reading this scripture can bring faith to you. It indicates that God will indeed honor his word and promises, that he will make a way where there seems to be no way. It implies that he will honor your prayer of faith regarding your situation no matter how long it takes. It gives the assurance that God will take you safely through your trial or bring you out of it. Verse 25 says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours”. However, you have to be sure that what you are praying for is in line with God’s will. If you need help with unbelief ask God for help. The man with the demon possessed son asked Jesus to help his unbelief and his son was healed. God is God and deserves your trust. Read Genesis chapters 12, 15, 16, 17, 18 and see that God was faithful to Abraham even though it took a long period of time. 

• Know that God is with you. Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged”. In the middle of fear and discouragement it is good to remember this scripture. In addition to this Philippians 1:28 warns us not to be frightened in any way of those who oppose us. We are not even to fear death itself. Psalm 23:4 states, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and staff comforts me”. Be comforted by the fact that God is with you, his presence goes before you and he will never leave you nor forsake you. He is the Lord that is always there. 


• Your hardship or trial does not mean that God does not love you or has forsaken you. Romans 8:35, 37-39 states, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. God has not forsaken you on the contrary he is with you helping you through each day even though you do not realize it. James writes in James 1:2, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything”. If nothing else this trial is increasing your spiritual maturity. God loves you just like he did the Apostles when they went through their situations. There were times that Paul described when he and those with him did not even know what to do. You are not alone lean heavily upon the Lord and when you get on the other side of your trial you will not understand how you got there. Trust in God’s goodness. 

• A long period of trial does not mean that your past sins are not forgiven. Job thought that God was repaying him for the sins of his youth in Job 13:26 but as you know that was not the case. Once you have been saved all your past sins are forgiven and God gives you the Holy Spirit as your assurance of salvation. Ephesians 1:13-14 states, “And you were also included in Christ when you heard the word of truth… having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession…”. A person may choose to turn away from God after this, but as the father welcomed the prodigal son back to him in Luke 15, God is waiting with open arms to welcome those who stray away from him. Luke 15 is filled with parables about this. Understand that with God there is no license to sin, after we are saved he expects us to sin as little as possible and certainly not as deliberately as we did while we were sinners. However, there is forgiveness for our sins when and if we sin. I John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. John continues in 2:1-2, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense─Jesus Christ, the Righteous one. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours but also for the sins of the whole world”. We must understand that we cannot continually sin deeply against God and think that we are his when we live like the world. A person steeped in such sin is in a backslidden condition. Galatians 5:24 states, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. If you have done this how can your trials mean that your sins are not forgiven? Trust in God for the salvation that you have received.

Watch and Pray

O God, strengthen my hands. (Nehemiah 6:9 KJV) 

Terrorism has been around for quite some time as evidenced by the Book of Nehemiah. A fascinating read, Nehemiah provides valuable lessons on how to handle resistance and hardship when serving God or trying to accomplish goals in life. One of the Bible’s greatest heroes, Nehemiah demonstrated courage, commitment, and an unwavering resolve to fulfill a great purpose in his life. 

When the Babylonians overthrew Jerusalem in 586 BC, they destroyed the temple, burned the city gates, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s story began more than a century later in 445 BC, while he served as cupbearer for King Artaxerxes of Persia. Nehemiah wept when he learned that the walls of Jerusalem and its gates had not been restored. The walls protected the people, serving as a means of defense for the once great city. He mourned and prayed and fasted for the people of Israel. God gave him favor in the sight of King Artaxerxes who granted Nehemiah’s request to rebuild the walls. The pagan king gave Nehemiah letters to authorize safe passage to Jerusalem and to obtain timber. Nehemiah was a man of faith who took action. With royal letters in hand, he made his way to Jerusalem. 

God’s people came together – priests, rulers, goldsmiths, and servants – and volunteered to help rebuild the walls. They worked with all their hearts from sunrise to sunset. Furious that the walls were being rebuilt, Sanballat and Tobiah, the enemies of God, were determined to stop the work. They mocked and ridiculed the workers and falsely accused Nehemiah of rebelling against the king. Despite the insults and accusations, Nehemiah and his men continued to work. Sanballat and Tobiah were persistent and were not going to give up without a fight. They plotted against Nehemiah and threatened to fight against Jerusalem. Nehemiah organized a round-the-clock defense against them and assigned half the people to build and the other half to stand guard. With swords girded at their sides, Nehemiah and his men kept working. An excellent leader, Nehemiah prayed before making decisions and was a master planner. He prayed constantly for God’s strength to deal with the enemies, yet he did not stop working. 

In the midst of rebuilding the walls, Nehemiah had to deal with problems among God’s people. When the walls reached half their height, the people were tired and fearful of a surprise attack from Sanballat. Nehemiah encouraged them not to be afraid and challenged them to fight for their families. Some people needed grain and had to borrow money from Jewish nobles. Conflict arose when the rich nobles took advantage of the poor by charging them high interest rates. Nehemiah rebuked the nobles and ordered them to return the interest. Nehemiah led by example and followed his own rules, for he himself was lending money to the poor and not charging interest. 

Despite much opposition, the walls were completed in an amazing 52 days. Sanballat and Tobiah were silenced and humiliated. Friends and enemies alike knew the work had been done with God’s help. Nehemiah teamed with Ezra, the priest, and together, they led the political and spiritual restoration of the people. 

The Book of Nehemiah reveals that you can expect resistance when serving God. The perfect role model, Nehemiah weathered the storm of resistance by praying, watching, and trusting God. If people say you cannot succeed, think of Nehemiah’s refusal to be intimidated by his enemies. When your goals and aspirations are challenged, remember Nehemiah’s fine example of perseverance. 

Father, thank you for the Book of Nehemiah and its valuable truths. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.