Eyes Fixed: The Watch Letter

This is a longer post today, because it includes testimonies, but I urge you to read it in its entirety. Even as I write this I feel the Lord urging during this critical time.

I have a niece who died and was resurrected.

Her breath left her body. She was no longer breathing. But my pastor always taught us that if it's not the Lord's will to decree "not so" and to call on the name of Jesus. Her father took that teaching and in the hospital room called on the name of Jesus and would not take the devil's no for an answer. ... And breath returned to her body (all along, my pastor, Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn, and his companion, Apostle Felicia Gunn (her grandparents) were also calling on the name of the Lord with faith that he would heal her and make her whole).

I have often told my niece: God gave you breath again. He blew his breath back into her body. So, I remind her to ensure she is using that breath for the glory of God. I pray she is reading this because I do not want her to waste the breath of life in her. Not only did he give her new physical life but he gave her a chance at a new spiritual life. She could have died unsaved. Yes, children can die and go to hell, too. We all have an age of accountability where we know the importance of being saved and what right and wrong is.

Her testimony reminds me of the many testimonies we have read in the Bible. Jesus always started his invitation to salvation with an encounter in someone's hour of need. What he did for Peter, Paul, Matthew, Lazarus, Mary Magdalene, the woman at the well, the man at the pool, and the woman with the issue of blood, he will do for you. The Bible is alive and experiencing God's power in your life is not a fairy tale it's real and it happened to me.

I too died and was resurrected. I was spiritually dead. I had gone to church my whole life. I praised danced. I recited scriptures. I did Bible brain bowls and went to Sunday School (even taught Sunday School). I got baptized. Spoke messages, you name it. But, I was still dead to Christ and alive in the world, sinning, self-righteous, and rebellious every step of the way --- all the way until after I graduated from college. I was not surrendered. I had not really accepted the invitation of salvation even though I had heard it and felt it many times. I had many encounters with Christ but ignored them. But I thank God for his grace. I was in at least three car accidents and was always the one who never got hurt - that was Him sparing me for a chance to walk with him and yet and still I walked without him, and was on my way to a burning hell. Again, I thank God for his grace. I had physical weapons drawn against me to threaten my life, I had encountered deadly life conditions throughout college. I had determined to become someone who blended with the crowds of life because I had no confidence in who I was made to be, and yet and still he kept me.

But one day I had an encounter with God and his servant, Chief Apostle Gunn, and I went on to become alive in him and dead to the world. Some of you have heard my testimony before, but I must tell it again.

For a while in my early 20s, my eyes kept swelling shut. They had cuts in them and it looked as though around my eye sockets and lids were full of blood and inflammation. The doctors thought I was in an abusive relationship and that someone was punching me in the face with heavy fists and rings on. They could not explain what was happening to me and neither could I. Who knows…. any day, or moment, I could have gone blind. I had what they call corneal abrasions, lacerations, and other issues but there was no cause and no true definition of the full condition. They didn't know what to do to fix it.

But then one day I met a man, who is now my pastor. He immediately loved and cared for me and saw my need, and he knew that in addition to not being able to see properly out of my eyes, I was not seeing life properly either. I was not yet blind physically, but I was surely blind spiritually. He laid hands on me and prayed for me and continued to follow up with me. And then one day, I was healed (both my eyes and my life). My doctors wanted to know: Who did the surgery? Who did the stitching? How had my eyes been healed? They were amazed. These were some of the best doctors in town and God did what they could not do. He showed his power in the moment of my need and moved on the prayers and faith of my pastor. Jesus knew how to get my attention.

And from that moment on, my life was changed. As my eyes began to change for the better, my heart, my mind, my outlook also did and, eventually, I gave my life to Christ and have been running since. Yes, I have failed many times and had hurdles to jump, but I am still on the track and running with joy and I shall finish strong.

Psalm 119:37: "Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way."

And just like I have been telling my niece to ensure she uses the breath God gave her again for the kingdom, I am telling myself to use the eyesight and vision God has given me for the kingdom.

Recently, my pastor mentioned to me a question: What/who are you watching?

In other words, what/who has your undivided attention? Where are your eyes fixed? I want to use my eyes to be watching God. I want him to have my undivided attention. If he can save my life and my sight, the least I can do is watch him in prayer and in waiting, watch his power work in creation, watch him by faith, and watch him as his spirit moves.

Matthew 6:22: "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."

I owe him my watch. If I take my eyes off of him, then I will be blind and live life with my eyes wide shut again. Yes, my eyes may physically still work, but the eyes of my spirit will be clouded and closed. I will miss the mark.

Mark 14:37 says: "And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?”

This is such a sobering scripture. Can I not take at least an hour of my day to watch in the spirit and wait before God? Can I not watch for my brother or sister in the spirit for at least an hour? I have no excuse not to watch. I have eyes that have been touched by the Lord and new eyes in him through my salvation. I owe him my watch!

Acts 26:18: "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

We must do an inventory and find out what/who we have given our watch to? Whatever and whoever we are watching more than God is an idol. I know there have been things I have watched more than God.

2 Corinthians 4:18: "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

What was your encounter with God? What is the one thing he gave you or changed for you that drew you closer to him? And now that he has healed you, made you whole, helped you, or answered you, what are you doing with that change to advance his kingdom and to pursue God?

Ezekiel 16:6: "And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live."

1 Thessalonians 5:6: "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."

When Jesus spoke life into the woman at the well and gave her a life healing she used it to go run and tell everybody. She helped to spread the good news that Jesus had arrived.

When Jesus delivered Paul from a life of false religion, he spent the rest of his life teaching people the true way of Jesus.

When Jesus delivered Matthew from his lavish life of compromise as a tax collector, he instead used his skills to record the gospel and account for and collect the testimonies of Christ.

When Jesus delivered Mary Magdalene from a life of sexual sin, abuse, and demon possession, she used her passion and experience with all walks of people to support his ministry.

When Jesus healed the man at the pool and he could walk again, he used his legs to go about town witnessing the power that was in Jesus to heal.

What have you done with your encounter with Jesus? Everyone in the world has a chance to know Jesus, because he always introduces himself and he usually uses a thing we think is too hard or hurts too much to overcome to demonstrate his power and his love.

After all the people I mentioned in the Bible were impacted by Jesus, they kept their eyes fixed on him. Even when they failed they repented and got back on track and keep following him. That is why we have the New Testament because his followers, his disciples, his apostles kept their eyes fixed on him and were able to work together to document his ministry. Despite the persecution they faced, despite the things and people they had to leave behind - they kept their eyes fixed.

And truly that is the only way to finish this race. If you want to go to heaven, if you want to be with the Lord in his kingdom when it returns to earth -- you must keep watching him. You must have your eyes, your mind, your heart, your desire stayed on him in order to be ready to go with him.

The world is full of lust. It has nothing for us. No, lust is not what you think. It is not just about sexual sin.

"So, I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust; and they would (have) none of me." - Psalm 81:12

Some of the original definitions of lust are actually rebellion, and as we see in Psalm 81, failing to accept the Lord because you desire something more than him.

Lust can also talk about eagerness to possess, enjoy, gain, and evil propensity and depraved or inordinate affections and desires. And these are things that keep us from accepting our invitation to be transformed by Jesus. There is always something or someone else that we want more than him or we want to do more than being saved or spending time with him. There is always something or someone else that is the apple of our eye. It is crazy to think that that we consider the only man who gave his life for us the lowest priority of our life. But that is fallen human nature. The people who love us and sacrifice for us the most are the ones we usually treat the worse. Think about it: Eve and Adam listened to the serpent in more detail than they did the Lord God!

But when we accept Jesus sincerely we begin to take on the nature of God and God's nature knows how to prioritize what matters most. Will today be the day that we change that? Time is winding down and this decision is critical!

Matthew 26:41: "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Listen to today's and last week's FORREAL RADIO Broadcast message with Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn "I Don't Want to Go to Heaven Today!"

Part I: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=4544062527700855&wix-music-comp-id=comp-kjfzbgmx

Part II: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=1868051099872522&wix-music-comp-id=comp-kjfzbgmx