GO FORWARD – 15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” Exodus 14:15 NKJV
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of 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. Hebrews 12:2 NIV 1984
“Keep your eyes on the ball.” “Keep your eyes on the prize.” “Keep your eyes on the road.” Maybe you’ve even heard people say, “Keep your eyes on Jesus.” Where we are looking affects what we do! What we are focusing on dictates how we feel, how we act, the places we go, what we spend our money on, etc.
Today’s passage reminds us that we must fix our eyes on Jesus in order to keep going forward. We must stay focused on Him. When we get weak and weary, chances are it’s because we’ve shifted our focus. We’ve started looking at our circumstances and our questions, and we’ve let them dictate our actions. Like the old quote says, we’ve started telling God how big our problems are, instead of telling our problems how big our God is.
When we are struggling, He is the one who can help!
Jesus is the Author (also translated as Pioneer or Founder) and Perfecter (also translated as Finisher) of our faith. He birthed it in us to begin with. He is the one who works in us to fully perfect it. When we are struggling, He is the one who can help! He is the one who can strengthen and increase our faith. We must look to Him.
God sees before us, He comes behind us, and He goes beyond what we could ever ask or think! May we be like the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, like Noah saving his family in an ark, like Abraham who was enabled to become a father and have descendants “as numerous as the stars in the sky” (Heb. 11:12). May we have faith and go forward in the things of God! He has great things in store!
APPLICATION
– Spend some time praising the Lord that He is the Author and Perfecter of your faith. Meditate on all that those terms mean. Commit to focusing on who He is and all He’s promised, instead of on your circumstances.
– Pray that Liberty would look to Jesus as we obey what He has called us to do as a church. Pray for the new Connect Groups meeting this week and for the new Forward series that groups will be studying.
– Pray that many who do not know the Lord will attend a Liberty campus this morning. Pray that they will begin a relationship with Jesus today.