New HorizonsSample

[IMAGE CONTENT] # Living Ready We are in a season of harvest. I genuinely believe we are on the cusp of a great awakening and revival on a scale we can't even fathom. We need to hunger and thirst for a move of God. We have to live in the tension of being thankful for all that God has done and is doing, while not being satisfied with what we have seen. Why do we hunger for revival? Because the result of revival is reformation, restoration, and transformation. If we want to see revival, it needs to first take place in us personally. If we want to see transformation, we need first to be transformed. I love the quote by Smith Wigglesworth, "It is better to live ready than to get ready." I believe we can live ready by keeping our conscience clear, our hearts pure, and our gaze set on Christ. We do this by monitoring what goes in through our eyes and our ears. Matthew 6:22-23 says, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, 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 in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” We rarely connect the seemingly harmless things that we look at to light or darkness in our lives. But our eyes are filters. We need to be vigilant with what we watch. How long will we be entertained by the things Christ paid the price for us to free from? If we are watching sexually oriented entertainment, we invite lust and perversion to sneak up on us. If we are binge-watching psychological thrillers, then we shouldn't be shocked when fear grips us. If we sit scrolling our phone for hours, then we shouldn't be surprised when discouragement creeps in or heaviness lands on us. If we are filling ourselves with vanity and dysfunction, we can't be shocked when anxiety and comparison start plaguing our relationships and social life. We have this understanding that clean, nourishing food produces health in our bodies. But when it comes to our souls, we feast on things that do not produce life. These aren't rules. We are not under the law, we are led by the Spirit and empowered by grace, and our conscience bears witness. Paul says all things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial. If what you are allowing your eyes to see, your ears to hear, and your mind to read is not sitting right, don't push through or sear your conscience. It's not worth it. A moment of entertainment is not worth clouding your heart and mind. When we are careless about what we look at, we become an easy target. The enemy knows if he can keep our eyes on the things of the world, our hearts will be compromised. Pray With Me God, today I commit my eyes to You. Thank You that You are light, and Your Spirit guides me in what I look at today. Help me to fix my gaze on You, and to guard my heart, “my innermost self,” so that what I say and do looks like You. Amen. Written by Joel Ramsey, Location Pastor, Citipointe Church Nashville