Having The Right Spiritual Focus Requires You To Be Determined, Deliberate And Disciplined

My Utmost For His Highest

Where there is no revelation [or prophetic vision], the people cast off restraint… —Proverbs 29:18

{CHAMBERS} “A person’s own idea of God and His attributes may actually be used to justify and rationalize his deliberate neglect of his duty. […] Once we lose sight of God, we begin to be reckless. We cast off certain restraints from activities we know are wrong. We set prayer aside as well and cease having God’s vision in the little things of life. We simply begin to act on our own initiative. If we are eating only out of our own hand, and doing things solely on our own initiative without expecting God to come in, we are on a downward path. We have lost the vision. Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before? Is there a freshness and a vitality in our spiritual outlook?”

{ELGIN} The King James Version wording for Proverbs 29:18 is “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”  There are actually two parts to the verse … two “if-thens” if you will.  First – if you lose sight of God – if your relationship with Him diminishes, then you will struggle as you face life.  Second – if you stay in relationship with Him – if you walk by the Spirit and not the flesh – if you are obedient to the Word – then you will experience joy – a fruit of the Spirit.  Pretty simple idea … but like most “simple” Spiritual ideas … our flesh wants to go its own way making keeping the vision a challenge.  You must be determined – deliberate – disciplined in your new life in Christ.  It doesn’t just happen.  Exercising your will in favor of your relationship with God the Father through the Son by the Spirit and faith will be a challenge for us until we are with Jesus.  We will always need more of God than we have today or tomorrow.  Don’t be content with where you are spiritually.  God intends you to be like His Son. (Romans 8:29) “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” I, for one, have a long way to go.