DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE UNDER SURVEILLANCE?

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

MEDITATION:
Whenever you do something that you know is wrong, do you ever think
    “I hope nobody sees me, or will see me”?
What happens when we get caught doing something wrong? We want to
make excuses or blame someone else, don’t we?

In fact, we can invent all kinds of reasons that what we did is not our fault.
The society we live in today is one that encourages us to feel we are victims
and therefore, are not responsible for our thoughts, emotions, character and
actions. The truth us, we are victims, but we are victims of our own weaknesses
and our own failures to be obedient to the laws of the land, and the laws of the
Lord.

There is a story about a little boy who was told by his mom,
    “Stay out of the cookies!”
However, later when his mom was out of the room, he buried his
hand in the cookie jar. At the same moment, his mother walked
in the room and yelled,
    “Tommy, what did I say about those cookies?”
Tommy replied,
    “Mom if you hadn’t left the jar where I could reach it,
      I wouldn’t be grabbing a cookie. It’s all your fault!”
Isn’t that a good illustration of how we respond when we are caught
doing what we know is wrong?

But what about the times when we commit sinful acts and nobody sees us?
If we got away with it, then why do we feel guilty? It’s because we know
that God saw us, right? The scriptures are clear – “He sees our every step”.
We may fool our friends and family for a while, but we can’t fool the Lord.

When we have sincerely changed and committed our lives to the Lord, we
will have a new nature and find that it’s comforting to know God watches
our every step.
    When we are down and discouraged, He sees us.
    When we are fighting an illness, He sees us.
    When others treat us unfairly, He sees us.
    When nobody encourages us when we are serving Him, He sees us.
    When we do things for Him that few are aware of, He sees us.
    When we are encouraging others, He sees us.
    When we are having emotional pain, He sees us.
    When we are praying through our tears, He sees us.
    When we are praying intercessory prayers for others, He sees us.
    When we are showing acts of kindness, He sees us.
    When we are using the spiritual gift He has given us, He sees us.
    When we are obeying His command to tithe, He sees us.

We could list many more instances when others may not notice what we
are doing for the Lord, but He sees our actions. He sees us when we are
bad, He sees us when we are experiencing hard times, but He also sees us
when we are serving Him.

Others may not notice when we are quietly and privately serving the
Lord, but God sees us, and isn’t it enough for us to know that we are
pleasing Him? When ‘things’ seem over our head, they are still under
His feet. God is still in control, and we can find solace in knowing He is
observing all that we are doing for His kingdom, even when others don’t
see or care.

When we are followers of Jesus, our desire for the Lord to see what we are
doing will be greater than our desire to be seen and applauded by mankind.
Why? Because when we receive His salvation, He begins a sanctification
process that transforms us into new people who are humble and no longer
seek the approval of man.

Our focus has been shifted to pleasing the Lord, and as He sanctifies us,
He replaces unrighteousness with righteousness so we will be transformed
into the person He wants us to be.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – How do I feel about the Lord seeing my every step?
    – Are I glad He is watching,
      or would I be happier if He wasn’t watching me?
      My answer to this question is probably a good indication
      of whether I have been truly saved and have a new nature.

If we still have the same habits, thoughts and attitudes we did before
we claimed to have submitted our life to His control, then more than
likely He has never entered our heart and taken control of our life,
which includes sending the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You are omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent
(everywhere), and omnipotent (all powerful). Thank You for watching
my steps. I know that when I realize You are watching me, I will be
less likely to disappoint You. I also know You are always there to help
me during my times of need. Thank You Father for loving and caring
for me that much! Teach me to show my appreciation to You daily for
all You have done, all You are doing, and all You will do for me.”

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