What You Lookin' At?
Have you ever looked around and thought, "Where's the peace that God promised? Where's my joy? Where's the hope of better things to come?"
//Kenneth W. Hagin
If you've seen the movie It's a Wonderful Life, you probably remember the scene where George Bailey's guardian angel asks his angel superior about George. "Is he sick?" he questioned. His superior answered, "No, worse. He's discouraged."
We laugh at this, but discouragement comes to all of us. Why does it come? It's because we've been looking at the wrong thing!
'Worser and Worser'
Focusing on our situations and problems is not going to solve anything. In fact, doing this will only cause us to be more depressed and down! As one little boy said, things will just get "worser and worser."
You see, discouragement causes us to look at everything the wrong way. When we're discouraged and in despair, we think everybody's against us.
We must stop looking at our problems, situations, and difficulties, and get our eyes on the right thing. God has given us something to look at—His Word. But it's up to us to focus on His promises.
"Whatever you're facing today — whatever you're going through — it's not permanent!
In Psalm 121:1–2 (NIV 1984), the psalmist said, "I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."
In other words, the psalmist was saying, "I'm not looking around me; I'm looking upward. I've lifted my eyes and found out that my help doesn't come from the natural. My help comes from the supernatural."
Let's look at more of Psalm 121 from The Living Bible.
PSALM 121:1–8 (TLB)
1 Shall I look to the mountain gods for help?
2 No! My help is from Jehovah who made the mountains! And the heavens too!
3–4 He will never let me stumble, slip or fall. For he is always watching, never sleeping.
5 Jehovah himself is caring for you! He is your defender.
6 He protects you day and night.
7 He keeps you from all evil, and preserves your life.
8 He keeps his eye upon you as you come and go, and always guards you.
Our help comes from Jehovah! He is ever present and full of compassion. When it seems as if all hell is breaking loose in our lives, He brings comfort, hope, and victory!
David understood this. He wrote many of the psalms and he had a lot of problems. Saul chased him all over the countryside trying to kill him. His own son tried to take the throne away from him. Plus, all kinds of other things happened to him. Yet look at what David said in Psalm 3:
Psalm 3:1–3 (NIV)
1 Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him."
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
In spite of all his circumstances, David said, "Lord, You lift me up!"
Like David, we need to lift up our eyes and understand that God is there for us—all the time, every time—in every situation. No problem can come our way that our Heavenly Father hasn't already taken care of in His Word.
The prophet Isaiah said it this way: "No weapon formed against [me] shall prosper" (Isa. 54:17 NKJV). Paul said, "I've not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). In Philippians 4:19, Paul also said, "My God will supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory." Instead of looking at the problem, we must look at the answer!
Begin to Speak!
In my own life, I could easily get bogged down with all the things that cross my desk every day—the phone calls, memos, emails, and text messages. I'm responsible for Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Rhema Bible Training College, our television and radio programs, and all of our books that we put out all over the world.
When all of this starts pouring in on top of me, I could cry, "Lord, what am I going to do?" Instead, I begin to say, "I've not been given a spirit of fear!" "No weapon formed against me will prosper!"
You see, other people can talk to us and pray for us. But ultimately, it's up to us to get ourselves out of discouragement. Situations do exist; we can't deny that. But armed with the greater facts of God's Word, we can begin to speak!
We need to lift up our eyes and understand that God is there for us — all the time, every time — in every situation.
Trials are not permanent, but the Word of God is! Second Corinthians 4:17–18 (NKJV) says, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Whatever you're facing today—whatever you're going through—it's not permanent! The Apostle Paul was left for dead, beaten, and jailed on numerous occasions. But he said, "I thank my God that I always triumph in Christ Jesus" (2 Cor. 2:14).
Praise the Lord! It's time to lift your eyes from the problems and defeat that surround you and look to the power of God that's inside you. Because of Jesus, victory is yours!
Faith in Action
Staying Focused
The devil is always trying to shift our focus away from God and His Word—especially in the midst of adversity. Here are some important keys that will help you stand strong and keep your focus where it should be. Remember, whatever you're going through today, it's not permanent! God is faithful to perform His Word in your life.
- Remember that God is with you and wants to help you out of your trouble. // Ps. 91:15; Rom. 8:31
- Resist fear. // 2 Tim. 1:7; Rom. 8:15
- Realize that God always has a way out. // 1 Cor. 10:13
- Always maintain a good attitude. // James 1:2
- Walk in love. // 1 Cor. 13:4–7; John 13:34
- Use your faith. // Mark 11:23–24
- Maintain the proper confession. // Heb. 10:23