“Lord, Turn My Eyes From Looking At Vanities!”

“Lord, Turn My Eyes From Looking At Vanities!”
Job was passing through a “near death” moment of his life when his friends added more pain to his injuries by insisting thst he should confess his sins. They told him that he was being punished for his sins.
Job insisted that he had done nothing wrong. Amongst the things he said in self-defense was that he made a covenant with his eyes “not to look lustfully at a girl.” He also argued that he had never walked in falsehood or hurried after deceit (Job 31:1-8).
These are sins of the heart. It is the opposite of the common adage, “What the eyes does not admire, the heart does not desire.” When you look, what do you see? Job says the heart determines what you see. It is the lustful desire of the heart that causes one to “look lustfully.” This means it is what the heart desires that the eyes admire. As such even a physically blind person can still look lustfully.
Maybe it is for the same reason that in later days Jesus told those who asked for miraculous signs from him, “Your eye is the lamp to your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness…”(Lk.11:33-36). In order words, we need more discernment to understand clearly. That is why when you have understood a point well you appreciate with the words, “I see…” Even a physically blind person when he understands a point clearly also says, “I see…”, meaning “I now understand.”
In the same way, cheating emanates from the heart. If your feet takes you to where you cheat, you cannot blame your feet for the sin. You had the desire to cheat.
Paul advises, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them…everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible…”(Eph.5:11-14).
We take advantage of darkness to do what would not have been done in daylight. However, for the child of God there should be no darkness. For the believer, everywhere and every time is light. Evil deeds are not done only in the dark, but evil deeds are the works of darkness. In the same way good deeds are not done only in daylight, but good deeds are a reflection of light.
Therefore always watch out on what your heart desires, for that is what you would admire. We should ask the Holy Spirit to help us to be the light that we have been called to be.
Sunday prayer: Holy Spirit turn my eyes away from vanity and fill my heart with good intentions that would lead me to right actions. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!