Draw Nearer

I am learning to draw nearer to the Lord. It is a lifelong path. After almost fifty years of serving Him, I am not where I want to be. But I am getting closer.

One day last week, during my morning quiet time with the Lord, a song written one hundred years ago flowed from my heart. I sang the chorus to “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Do you know it?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

When we look upon Jesus with our whole heart, our problems no longer seem as large. Our troubles seem to fade when we consider the sacrifice He made for us and focus on the hope He gives. He died so we can live eternally with Him if we know Him as our Savior and Lord.

I read YouVersion’s Verse of the Day each morning and journal the verse along with the Guided Prayer. The app offers background music, too, which helps me to focus on a quiet and personal time with the Lord. The verse on the day I sang, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” was Isaiah 26:3.  

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (NLT)

This verse spoke to my heart and aligned with the song that I had sung. If I fix my thoughts on Jesus, and I trust in Him, I can turn my eyes upon Him and see not only the light of His glory and grace, but perfect love and peace.

Because I could not remember the verses to “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” I googled the song. Here is verse one.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

When our troubles seem to overwhelm us and we don’t know what to do, we can look to Christ. In Him, we find light, life, and freedom. And because of the freedom He has given us, we can draw nearer to Him.

What do you see when you turn your eyes upon Jesus?

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Lemmel, Helen Howarth. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Hymnary. Accessed July 3, 2023. Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus | Hymnary.org.

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Freedom

Other than the Bible, the book that has had the most impact on my walk with Christ is The Bondage Breaker by Dr. Neil T. Anderson. He founded Freedom in Christ Ministries. As I read and study the book again with a friend, I hope she finds it as liberating for her as it was for me.

John 8:32 says, Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Jesus wants us to walk in His truth, the truth of His Word. God’s Word brings us freedom, not bondage.

What are you struggling with today? Guilt, depression, insecurity, bitterness? To be free and become a fruitful Christian, you need to know who you are in Christ and win the spiritual battle for your mind.

Many years ago, thoughts from the deceiver bombarded my mind. They were thoughts of condemnation (I’ll never be good enough), hopelessness (I can’t live up to the expectations of others), and rejection (will the Lord give up on me too?).  

Satan loves for us to believe his disgusting lies so we will walk in defeat. We cannot walk in freedom if we continue to believe his deception.

But we can walk in truth! When I believed the truth that I am accepted, secure, and significant in Christ, I received freedom.

Below are truths that taught me who I am in Christ. If you have accepted Jesus into your life, these truths are yours too.

I am a child of God and I belong to Him (John 1:12).

I am free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2).

I do not have a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).

There is a battle for our minds. If the devil can make us ineffective, he has us where he wants us. How do we overcome this?

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

What should we focus our minds on instead?

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things (Philippians 4:8).

When I recognize my thoughts as those not from the Lord, I take them captive and remember to focus upon whatever is pure, right, and true. I am not condemned, hopeless, or rejected. I am God’s chosen, and I am to live as a believer who is free. Because I AM free!

For more information please visit Freedom in Christ Ministries at www.ficm.org.

Adapted from my blog post at www.beyondfirst.org. Used by permission.