Look

Psalm 14:² “The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.”

Remember Joseph? Out of jealousy, his brothers threw him into a pit. You may look at your life right now and what best describes it is the word pit because of the ‘stench’ around you. Or perhaps there is a lot of confusion around you or even dirt. The same God who never lost Joseph’s location will find you. What God is saying concerning you today is, you are the treasure in the trash and He Himself will locate you (say Amen). So, the first thing in climbing up and going on higher ground, in experiencing and preparing for God, is to look back and remember God’s faithfulness. The second thing is to look ahead and celebrate your future.

#3. LOOK AROUND – Commit With The COMMUNITY. Exodus 19:⁸ “Then all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the Lord has said,” and Moses reported this to the Lord.” (GNT). What is happening in your community of faith? Is it fasting, praying, pressing into more of God, and seeking God’s face? Look around you and commit with the community in prayer, fasting, pressing into God, and seeking His face. Commit with the community and plug in. The church family is more than just a collection of individual Christians who happen to worship together. We are a community. We are a family. We are a church. We are the Body of Christ.

#4. LOOK IN – Prepare Yourself SPIRITUALLY. Exodus 19:¹⁰ “Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing.” (emphasis added). You have to look inwards and prepare and you do this by doing three things. The first is to Set aside TIME. Have a quiet time where you consistently look inward and focus on God. The Israelites were as busy as we are. They had jobs, responsibilities, and families to take care of. Yet God expected and demanded that they set aside time. You need to set aside time—set aside time for prayers, praise, studying the Bible, and vigils.

The second thing is to Take INVENTORY. Look inward and take inventory. The question you need to ask yourself is, where am I in my relationship with the Lord right now? Unto yourself be true. When everybody else has gone, and you are alone in your room, ask yourself, where am I with God? And like David, many of us need to say like he did in Psalm 51:¹⁰ “Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again” (NCV). Many of us need to get realigned spiritually.

Prayer (hymn): Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (x2). Cast me not away from Thy presence; take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and renew a right spirit within me. Amen!