Where Is Your Gaze Fixed – What Are You Preoccupied With?

     “We all with unveiled faces are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord Who is the Spirit” (2Corinthians 3:18). The desire of God for us is to continue to gaze at His face daily. This is not as much as a physical thing but spiritual; meaning a daily preoccupation with God Almighty. As we do this, we are transformed into the same image we behold. This shows us that whatever we gaze at continually, we begin to spiritually transform into. 

      On each day, as humans, we are preoccupied with one thing or the other and our hearts set on a particular goal even if most times some of us can’t articulate what it is. Everything we do is geared towards advancing towards that which we hold dear in our hearts. No wonder David by the Holy Spirit declared: “I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire; to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple” (Psalm 27:4). This talks about the heart of David and his desire to be daily preoccupied with the thoughts of God! Beloved, if Jesus Christ is our daily focus, then as we gaze at Him constantly and consistently through His Word, we not only begin to look like Him, but every other thing fades away. However, when we are preoccupied with the rat-race of making money or getting more money, getting more fame, greatness etc, we begin to take on the image of these things even though we profess Christ. For instance, when Naaman, the commander of the Syrian Army came to see Prophet Elisha for prayers of healing and deliverance from his leprosy, all Gehazi, the servant of Prophet Elisha saw was the gifts (wealth) he could gain from him. To Gehazi, Naaman was a walking and talking ‘money’, and he missed the important message of hope and miracle that God was passing across at the time. 

      This glory being talked about now is not a physical one as so many erroneously believe! Sadly, today God’s glory on a man is equated with how deep his pockets are and the influence he carries! When Jesus walked the earth as man, the demons recognized Him as the Son of God, not His bodily form mind you, but the glory He carried! No wonder, Apostle John in his first epistle, by the Holy Spirit declared “Beloved, we are [even here and] now God’s children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as God’s children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is” (1John 3:2, AMP). The Bible says about Jesus Christ, He is Light, and in Him there is no darkness: “Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:4-5). He went on to tell us that we are the light of the world, meaning, as a true child of God, the glory can be seen by demons (Matthew 5:16). At this point, He wasn’t talking to the multitude, but He was talking to as many as chose to follow Him (Disciples) up the mountain to sit at His feet and learn (Matthew 5:1). 

        Beloved, whatever we gaze at, if we are honest with ourselves, we become preoccupied with. If we continually gaze at it, all our waking and even sleeping moments will be preoccupied with it. Being preoccupied with a thing means the thing tactically dominates our minds to the exclusion of other thoughts. Now, when this happens, the thing we are preoccupied with begins to influence other areas of our lives. Thus, when the Bible says “unveiled faces” in 2Corinthians 3:18, it means a face (heart) that is totally preoccupied by the glory he is seeing (Remember Moses?). “Seeing”, because such continues, without wavering to gaze at the image set before him. What is set before you, Beloved, is it fear, feelings of insecurity, money, fame, ungodly ambitions or inordinate passions? Whatever it may be, it will begin to affect your reasoning and every aspect of your life! 

       Finally, Beloved, if the object of your gaze is other than Jesus Christ, don’t make any excuses, but return your gaze to Him. These other things, you may have for awhile, but are not permanent to see you through to the end of the ages. Why not gaze on Him Who is All in All – all that you desire are encompassed in Him and will come into your life as He has promised and purposed: “All things are done according to God’s plan and decision; and God chose us to be His own people in union with Christ because of His own purpose, based on what He had decided from the very beginning. Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God’s glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12, GNB)! Hallelujah! God bless you as you fix your gaze on Him and are preoccupied with His thought!