I’m not going to beat around the bush. Let’s strike right to the heart.
The best way to counteract today’s culture of materialism, sexual immorality, and self centeredness is…worship.
There’s no better medicine for our hearts than the act of consistent gazing upon the glory of Jesus.
I know, today’s post title seems epic, dramatic even. But when you consider what is after our attention on a daily basis, I don’t believe that it is.
Life is a battleground – a war over your heart, your worship. And thousands of lovers are pining for yours.
If I’m honest, my life is visibly broken when I trade my worship habit for anything less. The more I see Him, the more I want to see. The more I see the more I change. The more I change, the more the kingdom of God breaks out around me rather than the kingdom of self.
And this is the only way to live. It’s the best preparation for eternity. The stakes are high enough that we need to fight. Passivity is your enemy. Apathy is not your friend.
It’s time to wield the weapon of worship in your daily life.
The Importance of Your Eyes in the Pursuit of God
Consider Matthew 6:22-23:
“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”
The eye has the power to fill your life with darkness or light.
You become what you behold.
My heart is filled with the fires of what I consistently lay my eyes on.
I was made to see Him. I was made to behold the glory of Almighty God. I was made to to meditate on the glories of Christ.
Anything less sets my life on a path of disappointment, compromise, and an imitation of the real thing.
Sexual temptation is all around us. It destroys the hearts of God’s warriors every day. Materialism pulls at us (and our wallets) all day, every day. Our response needs to be offensive rather than defensive.
We can’t fight this battle simply by resolving and refusing to look upon another with lust or committing to not love anything in the world. We can’t war from a negative vantage point: “I won’t do this…I won’t buy that…I won’t look upon this…I won’t watch that.”
You need to behold something greater. If you become what you behold, there’s only one viable response: fixing your gaze, setting your eyes, focusing your heart upon Jesus Christ.
As Bob Sorge says in his book A Covenant With My Eyes,
“Whatever the eye permits determines the nature of the traffic in the heart. Love doesn’t ask, ‘How far can I go in lust before I lose His presence?’ Rather, love wants to know, ‘How far from lust will God’s grace empower me to walk?'”
Love will stop at nothing but seeing Jesus.
The Power of Seeing Jesus
As we talked about in podcast 44, there is power in seeing Jesus.
When I gaze upon Him, I realize how small I am compared to the infinite grandeur of His glory. I have nothing to fear, nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
When I gaze upon Jesus, I realize how small and unsatisfying the things of this world truly are. They’re not just strangely dim. They can’t even be seen in the light of His glory and grace.
When I gaze upon Jesus, I realize how little I can boast about anything. Salvation is a gift. Coming to Christ is a gift. He opens my eyes to see. Without the moving of the Holy Spirit, my heart would be enveloped by the earthly. Every day, every breath is a “Thank You, Jesus.”
When I gaze upon Jesus, I begin to see and relate to the world like He does. There’s a new compassion in my eyes. There’s a broken-hearted humility in my step. I think about what I can do for others rather than what I can gain. Because the Son of Man came to serve and not be served, that becomes my standard.
When I gaze upon Jesus, I know that I am victorious. The battle was won at the cross. Today’s struggles, trials, and pains are a light and momentary affliction, working perseverance in my soul.
When I gaze upon Jesus, I see that He is infinitely worthy. My greatest sacrifice is the least I can do. And I do it willingly, with joy.
When I gaze upon Jesus, my heart longs for Heaven. To be with Jesus forever – continuing to see more of His glory for all eternity – is the furthest thing from boredom and fills my heart with longing.
When I gaze upon Jesus, my life has meaning. I’ve found the story where my life makes sense. I have a part to play. I have a purpose to pursue.
This is the power of seeing, the beauty of beholding. This is the power of worship. Sure, worship doesn’t end with seeing. I can’t just observe the grand canyon to enjoy its full beauty.
I Instagram it. I Tweet it. I talk about it. I praise it.
I share Him. I talk about Him. I praise Him.
Keep beholding. Keep seeing. Even when nothing stands out – when the view seems veiled. Even when you feel your worship is dry. It’s never unproductive. There’s no greater responsibility.
What about you? How do you use worship in the fight against sin? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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Thank you! I really really needed to read this today. I have instapapered it, so I can read it again and again. Thank you, it made a difference. The one I was looking for.
Good to hear, Doug! Blessings to you.
Thank you David! This is defiantly encouraging and something we always need to be reminded of!
Thank you for writing this. It’s something I’ve been struggling with for a long time and I’m glad I came across this post. Keep it up, man. This stuff is powerful.