SOMEONE IS WATCHING YOU!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step.”
(Job 34:21)

MEDITATION:
How does it make you feel when you think about God watching
everything you do? Chances are, if what you are doing pleases
the Lord, then you are glad He is watching. But, if you know
you are doing anything that displeases Him, then you are likely
to feel very uncomfortable to know that He is watching you.

Why would God even want to watch every individual?
Because He loves us and wants to help us in our areas
of weakness. When He watches us, He can see the areas
where we are struggling, and He knows where we need
His help and guidance. Look at His passion for the
people of Israel when He spoke to Ezekiel:
    Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign
    Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
    rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn!
    Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people
    of Israel?’
    (Ezekiel 33:11)

Some may wish that God was NOT watching their every move.
They may consider His ways unfair and too demanding. It can
be a challenge to be obedient when we want to be in control of
ourselves. But the blessings we receive when we obey God, will
far outweigh the benefits we think we can have when we follow
our own desires. Look at what God Himself says about His ways:
    “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’
    But it is their way that is not just. If a righteous person
    turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will
    die for it. And if a wicked person turns away from their
    wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live
    by doing so. Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord
    is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your
    own ways.”
    (Ezekiel 33:17-20)

How could God be any fairer than He is? He gives us two
options, and allows us to choose the one we prefer. We can
choose wickedness and die or do right in God’s eyes and live.

Remember how God expressed His desire for the people
of Israel in Ezekiel 33:11? His command to them wasn’t,
    “You MUST change from your wickedness!”

Instead it sounds more like He is begging them to turn
from their wickedness. Why? Because He
    “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked”.
God finds His pleasure in seeing the wicked
    “turn from their ways and live”.

Too many people get the idea that God is a firm judge who
is watching our every move so He can ‘zap’ us when we are
doing the wrong things. But is that what He said?

No, He said He wants us to change when we are going down the
wrong path. He watches us so He can help us live, as opposed to
standing idly by and watching us choose the path that leads to
death. God is our friend, and we need to embrace His friendship.

Unfortunately, there are many who claim to be Christians,
but they are living like the devil. Sure, they can fool many
of their friends and family, but they cannot fool God. Our
friends see only what we want them to see, but God sees
everything we do, and He reads the heart of man, so He
knows when we are sincere and when we are not.

We all have a human nature that wants to be in control of
our own lives. If we continue to obey our human nature and
fail to obey God’s commands, then our human nature has not
been changed, and that should cause us to wonder about our
salvation and the sincerity of our commitment to follow Jesus.

Let’s be honest, we live in a constant struggle between what
God wants. and how Satan wants to control us. Think of it
as a tug-of-war between God and Satan and we are in the
middle of the rope. Now, imagine the rope is being pulled
through a doorway. The challenge we have is to close the
door whenever God pulls us to His side. In fact, we have
to shut the door on Satan in order to live (that’s what we
are told in God’s Word).

There is an old story about a pig. The farmer brought the pig
into the house. He gave him a bath, polished his hooves, put
some perfume on him, put a ribbon around his neck, and put
him in the living room. The pig looked fine. He made a nice
and clean pet for a while. But as soon as the door was opened,
the pig left the living room and jumped into the first mud puddle
he could find. Why? Because he was still a pig at heart. His nature
had not been changed. He had been changed outwardly but not
inwardly.

ACTION:
Where is your allegiance right now? Are you going down your
own path, or have you chosen the path God has for you? Are
you only changed outwardly but not inwardly? Do your desires
supersede God’s desires for you? Do you feel that you have all
the answers and you don’t make mistakes?

When God judges you ‘according to your own ways’, will you live
or die? Are you going down a path right now that you KNOW is
wrong? Have you allowed some sin to become a habit in your life?
Are you feeding that habit or desperately trying to break the habit?

Have you sensed the Holy Spirit arousing your guilt for what you
are doing? Your life is not meant to be a constant struggle to suppress
your guilty feelings. It is much more serious than that. Your battle
is with the choices you make, and how your choices will determine
where you will spend eternity when you leave this world.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father I am thankful that You are watching
me because You do not want me to die. I am grateful that
You love me enough to keep Your eyes on me. You know
my weaknesses and the sincerity of my desire to change.
I want my ways to be Your ways in all that I do and say.
Forgive me for living according to my ways and help me
to follow Your will for my life. I want to enjoy knowing
that You are watching me and stop living in fear that
Your eyes see the things I have hidden from others.
Cleanse me and strengthen me so that my Christian
walk will be sincere and in obedience to Your ways
for me.”

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