The Daily Grace - Fix Your Eyes

Over and over again, my driver's education instructor said these two words: "Drive ahead". This was his way of telling me to focus on the horizon, not just on my immediate surroundings. Drivers who continually look to the right or to the left may well go into the ditch. 

Satan is good at causing "roadside distractions" that tempt us to look at him rather than at Jesus. If he can get our attention, he may be able to get us off track and delay our spiritual progress. He even tried this with Jesus Himself! After Jesus was baptized, Satan tried to deter Him by suggesting "better" ways to accomplish His work. Satan told Jesus that He could prove He was the Son of God by throwing Himself from the temple (Luke 4:9-11). But Jesus knew that proving He was God's Son would come by submitting Himself to the cross, not by flinging Himself from a high building. He responded, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God" (v. 12). Jesus had His eyes on our redemption, and He knew He couldn't accomplish it by taking a detour around the cross.

The way to stay out of spiritual ditches is to fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2) and refuse to even glance at Satan's distractions. The only way to overcome temptations that we face is to be focused on the Lord, who strengthens by His grace. Satan ought not be in our line of vision, but behind us. Don't let the enemy trick you, fix your eyes on Jesus.