A carpenter hammers hundreds of nails most days, so gets lots and lots of practice. He soon learns that the most important thing is to keep one’s eye on the nail—not on the thumb or fingers holding the nail. It is a fact that we will always be prone to hit what we watch.
Driving instructors give the same advice, telling us we should not watch the car coming towards us, but keep our focus on the road.
Hebrew 12:1-2
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
LOOKING UNTO JESUS
the Author and Finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The NASB renders this “FIXING our eyes on Jesus”
while others say “KEEPING our eyes on Jesus”
Paul here and elsewhere likens living the Christian life to ‘running a race’ and we all know the absolute necessity of any serious athlete to keep their eyes on the goal.
I am reminded again of Australian JOHN LANDY, the second person, after Roger Bannister, to break the one minute mile. https://meetingintheclouds.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/lost-focus-john-landy-looks-back/
The two fastest runners in the world met for an historic race at the British Empire Games in Vancouver, dubbed “The Race of the Century”. As they turned for the last lap Landy was ahead and looked certain to win, but as he neared the finishing line he was plagued in his mind as to Bannister’s position. He made the fatal mistake of looking back over his shoulder. His stride faltered and Bannister passed him in the last second.
Landy said
“I would have won had I not looked back:
if I hadn’t taken my eyes off the goal”
Just as Landy took his eyes off the goal and faltered, so can/do we.
When we take our eyes off Jesus, we falter and we fail.
The apostle PETER was another who learned this lesson. Peter was the ONLY person (apart from Jesus Himself) to have ever walked on water – UNTIL he took his eyes off the Lord. When his attention was given to the danger of the wind and the waves, he faltered and began to sink, but his cry and return of focus to the Master enabled him to rise again to victory, and they walked back to the boat together.
When we maintain our focus on Jesus, on walking in His will, on obeying His direction, we will know victory – victory over our enemies – the world, the flesh and the devil. These enemies continually try to distract our attention from our goal, but praise God we are empowered and when we maintain our focus on Jesus, He enables us and gives us the victory.
Romans 8:37
“We are more than conquerors through Him”
If CHRIST is your “spiritual nail”
what are the “nails” you keep hitting?
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MEETING IN THE CLOUDS 
Hi! I particularly enjoyed reading your personal story, but wasn’t quite clear who you married in the end, and how you met. Was it Steve from your story? I am a father of five, very happily married, and am a chiropractor. I have gone a good seven years next month from my diagnosis with a ‘terminal, inoperable, but treatable’ brain tumour, glioblastoma multiforme grade IV/IV, otherwise known as ‘the brain cancer death sentence’, and my health is excellent. 98% of sufferers are dead within 3 months, and 100% by 3 years, so I am off the database. I wouldn’t have had a show without a bible to read all the time, and without constantly being thankful for all things, and without being able to discipline my thinking into a ‘no-fear’ attitude. Fear as you know does not come from the Holy Spirit, but is anti-Christ engendered. I call it ‘False Evidence Appearing Real’. Very often in my long recovery, I have had attacks of doubt, or feelings that could be symptomatic of my tumour taking off again, but always I look for ‘elephants in the room’, from mild sinus congestion to dehydration and low blood sugar, to a common inner ear balance problem readily helped by my colleagues. Whenever a major worry comes up, I know that it’s just another ‘attack’ on my faith, so I just take it for granted that Satan is extremely worried about my survival, and is trying his darndest to shake me up. Through all this time, we lost a huge amount of asset base and capital, but were never bankrupted, and now I am starting to re-emerge into the workplace again, and I feel maybe the Lord will restore me like he did with Job. The one fruit of the Holy Spirit I have had to acquire in all this is Patience, and I feel I have just been disciplined into a better future. Anyhow, I am an athletics coach and running writer too, so thought I’d suggest that if John Landy was the second man to run the ‘one-minute mile’, this must’ve been a sub-conscious ‘blip’ or ‘typo’: not even a cheetah can run 60 miles an hour for a mile! Thank you so much for posting all this encouragement.
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Firstly, an apology. As in the original post about John Landy, he was the second person to break the FOUR minute mile. I’ll correct that mistake.
Yes, I married “Steve” though his name is really Myles. I wrote my life story a number of years ago, when my mother and others involved were still alive and I didn’t want to cause them grief, so I changed a few names.
Thanks for sharing your testimony here. We serve an incredibly amazing God.
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My dear sweet sister Angela…
Thank you for once again “speaking the truth”. Reminds me of Peter walking on the water—UNTIL he took his eyes off of Jesus and then he started to sinking the deep, dark raging sea.
I love you my dear and I am so filled with joy that you are back. I pray your is comfortable. But, His will be done!!
Starting to write again and the Windows 7 transitioning.
Stephanie
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Thanks Stephanie.
While I wouldn’t say my ankle is comfortable, it is improving slowly. I’m told it could take 6-12 months to get movement, but I surprise them – thanks to the Lord and His enabling.
I remember having to change to Windows 7 and how frustrating it was. I sincerely hope I never have to change to Windows 8!!!!!
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Reblogged this on My Delight and My Counsellors.
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Thanks for the reblog
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It is just as you say, Angela. The only hope of victory over the powers of darkness is to look to the Lord. This applies to us as individuals, our families, our churches and our governments. Why are there so many who are spiritually failing in the world today? They have taken their eyes off the Lord and His desires for them.
Lord bless you, Thanks for the much needed message for each one of us!
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The world, the flesh and the devil will have victory over us whenever we lose our focus and fail to submit to His control. Praise God the reverse is true – we will have victory over the world, the flesh and the devil whenever we DO maintain our focus, submitting to our omnipotent God and resisting the devil. Lord, keep our focus on You every moment of every day.
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Even when we lose our focus, we can cry out to the Lord Jesus and he is there to help us. Love it that Peter first got out of the boat and centered his attention on Jesus, Peter walked on water, got distracted and then refocused with the Lord’s help. Walked back to the boat together! Sometimes we give up to soon rather than refocusing on Jesus and getting up!
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Thank you for adding that fact. While we sometimes fail to keep our focus on Him, He ALWAYS draws us back to Him and His help is present and sufficient. What incentive to return to His embrace and providence!
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Amen!
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Oh, this so good, Mentor Angela. I have a friend whose “word” for the year is to look unto Him. This just deepens what that means and how important it is. Thank you and God bless you!
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Debbie, keeping our focus on Him could be our most important exercise. Can you imagine NEVER taking our focus from Him, and ALWAYS following His every DESIRE? One day – soon – we will know that joy. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
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