As 2021 is beginning to wind down, I am reminded of what Second Chronicles 16:9 says, For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. Notice that God doesn’t limit His strength to a certain location—He is searching for the man or woman whose heart is loyal to Him. Let me ask you something…what does it mean to have a heart that is loyal to Him, and is your heart loyal to Him?
For most Christians, the automatic answer is, “Of course my heart is loyal to Him! I’ve been born again and am on my way to Heaven. My heart isn’t committed to anyone but Him.” While the experience of being born again is wonderful and glorious, there is far more to having a heart loyal to Him than just being born again. There is a relationship with Him that develops into absolute trust and loyalty by fellowshipping with Him through His Word.
God and His Word are one and the same; you cannot separate God from His Word. Let’s take a close look at a familiar passage of Scripture in James 1:22-24
But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Notice in this passage that the Word of God is referred to as a glass, or a mirror. Have you ever noticed that when someone tells a lady that she has something on her face, maybe a lipstick smear or smudge, the first thing she does is pull out a mirror to see what they’re talking about?
Imagine this scenario playing out…a lady is told she has something on her face. She then pulls her mirror out to see what they’re talking about. Then, after seeing what they’re talking about, she closes the mirror up and puts it back in her purse without addressing whatever is on her face. In reality, that’s not at all what would happen! If a lady is told something is on her face, she gets her mirror out, locates the problem, fixes the problem immediately, and THEN puts the mirror up.
Here’s another scenario…one of the first things a person does when they get out of bed in the morning is to look in a mirror. Most people will do something, whether it’s combing their hair or washing their face, to make themselves just a little more presentable. What if when you looked in the mirror in the morning, you thought to yourself, “I just can’t look at that right now.” Would it help you to have that thought without following it up with any action? NO! It’s not going to fix a thing for you to just think that. It’s going to take doing something about it once you look in the mirror!
When we look into the Word of God, we should treat it as though we are looking into a mirror. And if what we see doesn’t line up with what the Word says, then it is up to us to make the necessary changes so that our lives mirror the Word of God! The wonderful thing about God’s mirror is that it is a supernatural mirror—it shows you what you can look like and what you’re supposed to look like. Then it gives you the steps to take you there.
The devil doesn’t have a mirror. All he has are old photographs, and he thrives on showing you your worst photos consisting of past failures and mistakes. Not only does he want you dwelling on your past mistakes but your past good days too! His mission is to get you thinking and talking about your past instead of what God says concerning your future.
If someone told you that you had a smudge of some kind on your face, you’re not going to go into your phone and look at a picture of yourself on your phone. It won’t do you any good to look at a past photo to fix a problem. It’s going to take an actual mirror to get it fixed.
James 1:25, But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
The Holy Ghost through James is saying, “keep looking, keep looking, and do what it says; then you’ll look the way you’re supposed to look.”
Friend, we’re living in days where what used to be no big deal is suddenly a big deal to our spiritual well-being. For example, if you’re not careful, the news will suck the life right out of you. Look to the Word to form opinions, not news organizations. Phyllis and I decided a long time ago that if the Word says it, that settles it for us, and regardless of any circumstance, we’ll not back away from looking to the Word for our answers.
Next time you wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror, remember this illustration and use that mirror to right the wrongs, receive corrections, and alter any wrong thinking.