Fast Forward

God warned them in the beginning. "If you just pay attention to the Laws. If you just focus. Don't let anything else capture or grab your attention. "

2) Psalm 119:35-37

You fast forward. David, 2nd king in their history. David, who wrote much of the content of the Psalms, including the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. Verses 35-37, notice his prayer. This would be a great prayer for us.

Psalm 119:35-37 - "Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word."

Turn my eyes from worthless things! How much pain could have been avoided had we lived by that verse. If we had turned our eyes, our attention, our affection from worthless things to God, how different we would have lived.

That which has my attention determines my direction, my direction determines my destination, where I am headed. Do you see? The reason this is so important is that people arrive, they are going places. They arrive in their life at some destination and they are dumbfounded. "Well, I don't know what happened. How come this happened to me? I'm a good person." How come I became an alcoholic, how did I get here. How in the world did I cheat on my spouse? How did I get to this point of spiritual apathy?

Well, you have been perfectly designed and suited and directed to arrive at the destination that you are at. That is tough to hear in that moment, but it's true. There is a direction. That's where you're headed. Wherever you are at FAST FORWARD your thinking. What is on this path? What could be around the corner? What is the best thing that could happen on this path? What is the worst thing that could happen? What is the best thing that could happen if I change paths? What is the worst thing? Fast forward!

3) Proverbs 3:23-27

Solomon, David's son, he became king. He gave us this passage, Proverbs 4:23-27. This is especially important for men, who struggle with lust. Ok, for all men. Or women, who struggle with shopping.

Proverbs 4:23-27 - (MSG) "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust."

Fix, focus your eyes on what is before you. Like the horses with blinders on. It's saying, "set your eyes. Know exactly what you want in life. Know exactly what you're for." Sometimes people may say things like "I don't really know what God's will for my life is." What that usually means is that they are at a crossroads, whether it is a career choice, or educational choice, and they don't know. Here is what I would say to them: "Do what you do know." Morally, what do you know? What does the Bible tell you? There is a way to live. Set your eyes there. God, He is your Shepherd. You do know that. So, set your eyes there. "God, You are my Shepherd, so I am not going to look for anything or anyone else to lead me, You are MY Shepherd." Set your eyes there. There are hundreds of things that you CAN do even when you don't know, ultimately where to go! Set your eyes, Solomon said, fix your gaze straight ahead. Do not swerve to the right or the left. Keep your foot from evil! Such wisdom, right?