We Have To Pray With Our Eyes On God…

…not on the difficulties.

Do you pray with your eyes on God, or like me, do you sometimes pray with your eyes on your difficulties?

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

Life can be overwhelming and at times, it may be hard to look beyond our difficulties and focus on God. We might not even know how to pray when we are suffering.

Perhaps you’re dealing with the loss of a loved one, a financial crisis, an illness or another type of difficulty right now.

We can lose sight of the greatness of God when we focus on the greatness of our difficulties.

We need faith to pray with our eyes on God. Hebrews 11:1 says,

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (NIV)

We may not understand all the reasons for our difficulties but, we can know that our help comes from Him.

Praying with our eyes on God can be as simple as repeating one sentence prayers throughout the day:

• “Thank you Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

• “You are guiding me Lord.” (Psalm 23:3)

• “I trust You Lord.” (Proverbs 3:5)

• “You are good Lord.” (Psalm 34:8)

• “You are faithful.” (Psalm 119:90)

In addition, the Bible encourages us to keep our eyes on God.

Psalm 16:8 says, “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (NIV)

Psalm 25:15 says, “My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.”(NIV)

We must fix our eyes on the unseen, eternal God.

2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (NIV)

It can help to know that these painful difficulties are temporary.

Do you struggle to pray with your eyes on God? Do you have trouble praying when you face difficulties?

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Seven Ways to Pray When Suffering

• How to be Smarter About Failure in Life 

• Podcast: How should I pray when suffering?

• 7 Biblical Christian Mantras I Find Helpful

• How to Overcome the Agony of Discouragement and Find Hope Again

• How to Grow Through a Season of Loss 

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

All Our Fret And Worry Is Caused By…

calculating without God.

This quote about fret and worry contains timeless and relevant truth. It seems like with each passing day and news headline there is more to fret and worry about than ever before.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

But we’re not the first. People struggled with fret and worry during Biblical times.

Jesus Himself said: “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34 NIV)

When we fret and worry, we are calculating without God and leaving Him out of the equation.

We may be concerned about all the “what if’s” and forget that God is in control and that He promises to be with us.

We may be tempted to play out the worst case scenario in our minds for each worry. So, what can we do?

As Christians we have access to God through Jesus Christ. We are free to come into the very presence of God.

Hebrews 4:16 says: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (NIV)

We can present our requests to God with thanksgiving and receive His peace that passes all understanding.

Philippians 4:6-7 says:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

Do you fret and worry? Would you like to have God’s peace?

Begin by bringing God into the equation. First, thank Him for many blessings. Let your thankfulness overwhelm your fretting.

Then, calculate with God. How? Remember that “With God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Next, remember that what others mean for evil, God means for good (Genesis 50:20). Then remember that only one thing is truly important: pleasing Jesus (Galatians 1:10).

Calculating with God begins by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin and Lord of your life–click here to learn how to do so.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• 4 Ways to Find Contentment Now

• How to Renew Your Mind and Think More Positively

• 5 Ways to Deal with Regret and Move On Today

• Five Ways to Conquer Complaining and Find Happiness Now

• Why Thanking Prayers Are So Important

• Thanksgiving, a Most Important Attitude

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

Failures, Repeated Failures, Are Finger Posts On The Road To Achievement.

One fails forward toward success.

Failure, even repeated failures, can serve as finger posts on the road to achievement. One can fail forward toward success as C. S. Lewis states in this quote. Failure is NOT our aim, but if it comes, we must count it as a “finger post” on the road to success.

This post is co-written by Mark Alan Williams and Beth Harris. Beth is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

What is a “finger post?” Google says it is “a post at a road junction from which signs project in the direction of the place or route indicated.”

When we experience a failure, we know the direction NOT to head in! So, we go the other way. Hopefully it is the way of success.

Sometimes it is only after we have experienced failure and repeated failures that we achieve success.

We may think, if only I could have, should have, or would have done things differently. I could have avoided a lot of pain and suffering. That might be true and it may be difficult to see anything positive in our failures. But at least they showed us which direction not to head in.

You might ask, “But, how would C. S. Lewis know anything about repeated failures?”

I (Mark) was astounded to learn that Lewis was admitted to Oxford University only because of a shortage of students after WWI. He was unable to pass the entrance tests in science and mathematics.[1] The tragedy of the war resulted in an open door at Oxford.

So, Lewis did know about failure from personal experience. In fact, everyone does. The difference between us is if we use repeated failures to point us on the right direction, the direction of success.

Failure means that we took a risk and tried something new. We stepped outside of our comfort zone.

Recently, I (Beth) was lamenting to a friend over a past decision that I had made. But, she helped me to see the experience and wisdom that I had gained as a result. As disappointing and painful as my failure was, I realized that I was grateful for all the growth.

Sometimes it’s only by viewing our failures in hindsight that we see the blessings.

It is wonderful when God shows us how He has used every misstep, wrong turn and error to prepare and shape us for the next achievement and success.

Remember, God promises to bring good even out of the most terrible failures. Romans 8:28 says,“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NIV)

Failure and growth are painful, but they can help us on the road to achievement.

When we keep getting up after we fall and allow our failures to teach us, then we are failing forward.

The important thing to remember is to keep trying and don’t give up!

Have you experienced any failures and what did you learn from them?

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How to be Smarter About Failure in Life

• How to Be Successful in Life When You Have Failed

• 5 Reasons God’s Definition of Success is Wonderful

• 5 Simple Techniques to Become an Extraordinary Achiever

• How to Medal in Every Event in Life

• Video vlog: Feeling Low?

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

[1] Janet and Geoff Benge, C. S. Lewis Master Storyteller, (Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 2007), 69.