As a new year and a new decade begin, it is great to reflect on what lies ahead for us. Did you make New Year’s resolutions or goals? Do you plan to make any positive changes in your life? Do you know what you are focusing on?  Is it on the past or on some regrets you haven’t dealt with? Or, are you looking ahead and visualizing great opportunities for this year?

Having 20/20 vision is important as you walk through life. Without 20/20 vision you’d be bumping into things or missing out.  Life would be blurry and confusing. We should also want 20/20 vision for our spiritual life. What might that look like? For me, it is keeping my eyes focused on Jesus.

Peter gives us a great example of what it was like to have his eyes focused on Jesus and then what happened when he took his eyes off of Him. In Matthew 14:22 – 33 we read the story of Jesus walking on the water during a storm. The disciples are frightened and think they are seeing a ghost. When they cried out in fear, Jesus spoke to them saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” When Peter heard this, he asked Jesus to command him to come. In verse 29, Jesus commands Peter to “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Verse 30 shows us that once Peter saw that the wind was boisterous (wild or stormy), he began to sink and cried out to Jesus for help. Jesus immediately stretched out His hand to save Peter and then said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  Peter was walking on the water. We don’t know how many steps he took but, as far as we know, there are only two people in this world who have walked on water—Peter and Jesus!

Peter stepped out of the boat on top of the water and walked toward Jesus. When his eyes stayed focused on Jesus, he was able to stand on top of this body of water. Once he got distracted by the wind and his eyes left Jesus, his attention moved to his own situation and he begin to sink. This is what happens to us when we are reading scripture, worshipping in church or listening to a message—our eyes are focused on Jesus. Then when the wind comes, such as sickness, pain, stress, anxiety or trouble, we get distracted and begin to sink and fall into trouble.

Pain and sickness are major distractions for believers. It is hard to focus our attention on Jesus because the pain or sickness is screaming louder than anything else. This is where doubt and unbelief come in. We can be in faith to believe for healing and at the same time have doubt and unbelief. When we take our eyes off of Jesus, it is easy to fall into doubt and unbelief which is the opposite of faith.

How do we fight against doubt and unbelief and keep our eyes focused on Jesus? By knowing God’s Word and His Will. Romans 10:17 tells us how: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” You might be praying for healing today and saying all the right words, even quoting healing scriptures; however, internally you are thinking, why hasn’t God healed me yet?  This thinking slips you into unbelief because God’s promise is “By His stripes you are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

If you are still waiting for God to heal you, it means you are looking at your situation (the wind and storm) versus Jesus who has already taken your sickness on the cross. Believe what God’s Word says rather than your symptoms and situation.

 Jesus is saying to us “Come and keep your eyes on Me!”

~Donna Jones