Women of Warren Vlog – 1, 2, 3, Eyes On Me

Good morning and happy Monday. I don't know if you can think back to a time of disobedience or a time when the Lord was prompting you to do something and you didn't step out on faith and do it. Unfortunately, I have experienced this in my own life just within the past week and the Lord has really been disciplining me over this and I've been inviting him to show me. Show me why I disobeyed. Show me why I didn't step out in what you are asking me to do. And he's been exposing some things in my heart that I wonder if you might identify with. The first is that I was seeking my own comfort in the moment. I did not want to step forward in obedience because it was uncomfortable. and then also I was looking at my own inadequacies that I wasn't enough for what he was asking me to step forward and do. I was reminded of one of my little boy's sweet preschool teachers from years ago who in the middle of chaotic moments in the little preschool classroom would say one, two, three, eyes on me. And that phrase has just been on repeat in my heart this past week and almost hearing that invitation from the Lord, Him inviting me to keep my eyes locked on Him. The story of Peter walking on water has been brought to my mind this week as I have prayerfully reflected on that recent disobedience. And so in Matthew 14, beginning in verse 22, it says, immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. It's a ghost, they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, take courage, it is I. Don't be afraid. Lord, if it's you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water. Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said, why did you doubt? And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him saying, truly you are the son of God. So in verse 26, Peter sees this figure. And then in verse 29, he knows that it is Jesus. He identifies and sees Jesus. But then in verse 30, instead of fixing his eyes, instead of locking in on Jesus, one, two, three, eyes on me, he got overwhelmed by the storm that was surrounding him. He took his eyes off Jesus and he focused instead on the circumstances around him. Instead of remembering that he was initially gazing at the one who allowed the storm and the one who had authority over the storm, he diverted his eyes and got overwhelmed. by what was surrounding him. Hebrews 12 verses 1 through 2 tell us to fix our eyes. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Running the race, keeping our eyes fixed, not being overwhelmed by the circumstances around us, not taking our eyes off of Jesus. And in my recent situation, I put my eyes on myself. I put my eyes on my own comfort, on my own inadequacies, what I was not or did not feel like I was capable of doing. And I was forgetting the truth of Colossians 1 29 for this I toil struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me I was forgetting who was at work within me what power lived inside of me and like Peter I took my eyes off of the author and perfecter of my faith. In John 14 verses 15 through 24, it's repeated multiple times this concept that love motivates obedience. Jesus says over and over again, if you love me, you will obey what I have commanded. Again, whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one that loves me. And again, a third time in verse 23 of John 14, if anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. So the Lord's also shown me that my lack of obedience, the fact that I didn't step forward on what he was calling me to do, and this is a hard truth I've wrestled with, but that do I, do I love him? Maybe I've overestimated my commitment to my Savior, but what a beautiful opportunity to invite him to grow my love, that I would love him with my whole heart, my whole soul, and all of my strength, and that that love for him would motivate my obedience to what he has called me to do. In Hebrews 10, it talks about spurring one another on towards love and good deeds. The disobedience that I had last week, I had a brother in Christ right next to me who would have been so willing to step up and encourage me and encourage me to step forward on what God had called me to do in that moment. But I didn't share it with him until later. So who is around you who can spur you on towards love and good deeds? Who is around you who can encourage you to fix your eyes on your Savior, to respond to his sweet invitation? One, two, three. Eyes on me. We need each other. We need the body of Christ, but we also have to be vulnerable and authentic about what's going on in our heart and what we might be wrestling out with the Lord. So I don't know what storm is around you this week beckoning you to take your gaze off of your savior and instead get overwhelmed by the circumstances of life. I don't know what step of obedience the Lord might be asking you to take or that step of faith, someone to reach out to or a phone call to make or something to lay down at his feet. But whatever it is, let us hear the sweet invitation from our Savior to fix our eyes. One, two, three. Eyes on me. I'll see you soon. I hope you have a great week.

Originally published at warren.church.