We all go through horrific times. They are inevitable. Devastating events, difficult people, and stressful situations are a part of life. I have two choices when life is hard.
CHOICE #1
First, I can gaze at the problems and glance at God, which brings four negative results.
1: I will live in denial and refuse to deal with the problems.
2: I will get stuck in the past and lose vision.
3: I will rely on myself and develop a little “g” god complex.
4: I will experience spiritual atrophy.
Who wants those results to culminate in their lives? Not me! Not you! No one!
CHOICE #2
Second, I can gaze at God and glance at the problems which brings four positive results.
1: I will not live in denial but live in truth and deal with the problems.
2: I will get unstuck, live in the present, and gain His vision.
3: I will eliminate my little “g” god complex, rely on God, and develop a peaceful mindset.
4: I will reject atrophy and experience spiritual growth.
Everyone wants those results!
Unfortunately, we tend to gaze at the problems and glance at God. It’s true. Think about it: if we had someone track every moment of our lives, we would all be disappointed. We probably would find that we gaze at our problems more than fifty percent of the time.
But all is not lost. Hebrews 12:2a says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (NIV1984)
God wants us to spend time with Him, focusing on Him because when we do our problems get smaller. They don’t disappear, but they aren’t so overwhelming.
FOUR COMMITMENTS
When our youngest daughter passed away in April of 2022, I was gazing at her loss ninety percent of the time. I was going down and dark road. I knew that if I continued down this rabbit hole of despair, I would be good for no one. So, I made four commitments that helped me gaze at God more. I called them the Gaze/Glance Commitments. I wrote them down on a card and kept it in front of me in my church and home offices.
1: I commit to know God.
2: I commit to obey the word of God.
3: I commit to find my identity in God.
4: I commit to be thankful for God.
I spent time daily on each of the four commitments and began changing the gaze/glance percentages around. Over a two-year period, I can confidently say that most days, I gaze at God seventy percent of the time. A big improvement!
In 2024, we made The Gaze/Glance Principle the focal point at The Harbor Church in Odessa, FL—every sermon centered on the four commitments. Many experienced big changes in their gazing percentages. You can also.
If you would like to know more, go to The Harbor Church’s YouTube page and watch our 2024 sermon series.
