LOOK TO THE LORD

MONDAY 06 DECEMBER 2021

To look to the Lord is to direct our gaze toward Him in a fixed manner. It is to improve our knowledge level of God as we spend time in His presence. The more time we invest in His presence, the more we are condensed with His eternal and infinite love in our lifetime. That means every moment and aspect of the day we invest in divine fellowship can programme us to emerge with immense significance.

Reference: 1 Chronicles 16:11 New International Version (NIV) "Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always."

When you look to God and His strength and convert that decision and action to a daily habit, which means "regularly", it will keep you sustained and moving upward in your Christian walk like a soaring rocket. On a daily basis, instead of waiting to feel good in a certain way before you engage His presence, you just bow in fellowship.

In God's presence is the revelation of His glorious character, the communion of His perfect will and the supply of His wonderful benefits. A wonderful psalm reads, "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16:11 NIV). What is this path of life? It is His specific and perfect plan for your life. You have a unique path and process and as you seek His presence day and night, He reveals more details of your peculiar destiny, as His chosen one or people.

Beloved, to seek God's face continually is to desire to fellowship in His presence always. When we learn to sit down in God's presence and spend quality time with Him, we are filled with heavenly wisdom. The principle of constant fellowship with the Lord, who is the Spirit, is the foundation on which the faith and hope of the righteous are built. It is in His presence, that God communicates the mysteries of our faith and the accurate knowledge of His will to us on a personal level, thereby providing us with an enduring witness to His eternal purpose in Christ. And so we must be concerned to hold fast to the practice consistently.

Today and always, look to the Lord and His strength because He looks upon His righteous ones with favour, mercy and affection. Although He is our strength according to Psalm 28:8 (NIV), being thus constantly saturated with His presence will reveal His strength in us and gird us with it. In other words, unusual strength will rise up in you whenever you wait upon the Lord and spend time in His presence. Why do we need to look to God and in addition, His strength? The Bible says, "It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5 NLT). Indeed, we are not adequate in ourselves to consider doing anything in own strength, because our adequacy is from God. And if this is the case, we must deliberately acknowledge the Lord and His strength by engaging His presence at all times.

Isaiah 26:3 (AMP) says, "You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character] Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]." What is the Psalmist saying? Its simple! God is very much concerned about the habit of our minds. This is why He offers us perfect and constant peace, which tells us that someone can have an imperfect and unstable peace of mind, which is not God's will. Jesus brought the real perfect peace to those who believe in Him. He said, "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid" (John 14:27 NLT). This is awesome!

The attitude of your mind matters to God. God is fully committed to setting your mind at rest if that mind is constantly focused on Him. No two ways about it. He will always furnish you with His peace and that peace becomes your strength and confidence at all times. Therefore do well never to take His presence for granted on a daily basis. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Proverbs 5:1-2; Acts 17:28; Hebrews 12:2; Colossians 3:1-2; Hebrews 3:1.

Guided Prayer: Heavenly Father, I bless you today for your holy presence that sets me apart as your righteous one. Spending time in fellowship and growing in your knowledge are not a religious practice or experience, but a divine experience, which inspires and propels me to move forward and upward in Christ. I don't look for strength and assurance because I have an assurance which your daily presence delivers to me on a platter, thereby positioning me to continually fulfil my glorious destiny in Christ in Jesus' Name, Amen!