Fixing Your Eyes on Jesus

By A. Gene Veal

"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."-Matthew 14. 28-31

There is a bumper sticker that reads: “I am not ashamed to be seen with God.” I like that, but the real issue is not how we are seen, but where we are focused. In your walk as a Christian the most important thing is what you are seeing. David didn’t “see” the giant. The three Hebrew children didn’t “see” the furnace. They avowed their sights were on the “living God of Israel.”

We are told, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.” We have God’s promise, “for God Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! "

Now we can put this Word into our minds, using our imaginations to “see” God, (Isa. 26:3) and know that He is with us. The Christian must be present to Him. It is not enough for the Christian to know that God will never leave him; to know Jesus promised “we (My Father and I) will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” No. The Christian MUST BE PRESENT TO GOD in all life’s circumstances. This is a matter of “setting the mind” (Romans 8:5-9; 12:2; Philippians 2:5; Colossians 3:2; Hebrews 12:2)

Do you remember when Peter walked on the water toward Jesus? "And Peter . . . walked on the water to go to Jesus.” What happened before Peter began to sink? “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid." Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and began to set his mind on the circumstances more than on Jesus.

The wind was actually boisterous, the waves were actually high, but Peter did not see them at first. He did not reckon with them, he simply recognized his Lord and stepped out in recognition of Him, and Peter walked on the water. I’ve never walked on the water. Have you? Then he began to reckon with the actual things, and down he went instantly. We can never afford to take our “eyes” (our imagination) off of Jesus. We must ALWAYS be present to Him.

We step right out on God over some things, then self-consideration enters in and down we go. If you are recognizing your Lord, it is not your business how and where He engineers your circumstances. As soon as you look at the “giant” to measure him, you are overwhelmed, you cannot recognize Jesus, and the rebuke comes: "Wherefore didst thou doubt?" Let actual circumstances be what they may, keep recognizing Jesus, stay present to Him, maintain complete reliance on Him.

If you debate for a second when God has spoken, it is all over. Down you go. Never begin to say - "Well, I wonder if He did speak?" Be reckless immediately; fling it all out on Him. You do not know when His voice will come, but whenever the realization of God comes in the faintest way imaginable, recklessly abandon yourself to Him. It is only by abandon that you recognize Him. You will only realize His voice more clearly by recklessness. Stop trying to see your RESPONSIBILITY in this life. Better to have a RESPONSE-TO-HIS-ABILITY in you. Get out of the boat immediately. Walk with your “eyes” on Him. Beware not to turn toward the “boisterous wind.” Fix your eyes on Jesus and remain present to Him.