January 14th, 2013

2 Corinthians 4:16
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seenare temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.


Do not lose heart, focus on the inside and not the outside. You see, if we are seeking Jesus Christ and living for Him the things we are battling and struggling with should not be our focal point. Instead, we should look at what the Word of God and our relationship with Jesus Christ is doing on the inside. Our focus should be on how we are being transformed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life. Jesus is powerful and true and He loves us through our afflictions as He molds and shapes us. What we go through today builds eternal glory. However, we must look and focus on the things which are not seen. Our focus can't be on the temporary things. We must spend our time and energy on eternal things. As children of God we cannot lose heart. But what does losing heart mean, what does it look like? Losing heart has many faces, but I believe it begins with negative "self talk." When we say things to ourselves like, "this is never going to work out," or we convince ourselves that no one cares, we lose sight of the spiritual work that Jesus is doing in and through us and thus lose heart.  When our thoughts are centered on circumstance and not on what Jesus can and will do, we are not focusing on the inward man. Negative thoughts require positive attention. Positive attention begins with prayer. Prayer builds the inner man and establishes a spiritual focus. We must grow spiritually. As this happens our circumstance just becomes another classroom where Jesus will teach us to walk worthy of His grace. We learn that the Hand of God is far greater than what we are facing. We learn that Jesus is always at work and He is preparing us each and every day to handle each and every day.    


Reaching for Him,


Brother Big Daddy