Nwsltr-062710-The Eyes of the LORD Run To and Fro in the Earth
“As the Eyes of the LORD run to and fro in the earth is one scripture among others that form this latest Watchman newsletter. These are few of my favorite scriptures to stand on and to walk in.”
By the Watchman Dana G Smith
Keywords: LORD, earth, Eyes, disciple, believer, follow, faith, Yeshua, Jesus Christ
2 Chronicles 16:9a For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
As I write this the sun beats down from a blue sky. The days of rain are a memory but the high water still exists as the river runs the highest in decades. The lakes are full today, some dams running over as the drought of yesterday is now over. I took time to check the garden out and it is growing and doing very nicely. But even as I say this, on our news show, we cover heart and gut wrenching events that surely put the worry in many. As the world turns and tosses in its end time madness, I thank God for his goodness to me and my family. I praise him for his provision and protection. I see so much trouble and heartache as a Watchman I both feel it and am troubled by it, but to add to this, I also intercede on the behalf of those who need help. It is impossible not to be affected in some way by these events. These times are stressful to many and for these it will only get even more so. There is absolutely no way to step from where we are today to the time of the arrival of our Messiah Yeshua [Jesus Christ] with faith and hope in the Lord. That is why I write this today, as the sun hits the desk on which I write, the trees gently sway in the breeze. Life goes on, but in the end, all life is subject to the LORD. It is peaceful, but peace in life is not the same as peace in the soul.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Moreover, that peace, which the LORD has given to me, is unique, one of a kind. It is a peace that flows out of the inner sanctum where the LORD has placed his Spirit. This stream of life quenches the thoughts, events, and stressful times with a supernatural rest and peace that only those who have it can understand. It takes the man or the woman who is caught up in today’s world and says, “Look, the LORD has everything under control, and what’s even more important, His Eyes are upon you!” The LORD’s Eyes run to and fro in the entire earth and gives quarter only to those whose heart is perfect towards him! Those whose heart, is perfect, true, following him in Spirit and in Truth. Keeping his Word, walking in his ways, and seeking his face. These are those who don’t claim to be perfect, but know who is! They seek him, but more than just that, they Trust in the LORD with all their heart. This trust in the Only LORD God who has delivered them through his only begotten son Yeshua Ha Massiach, Jesus Christ keeps them from leaning to their own understanding. They are to walk by faith, in the LORD Period. He will direct! If these who call themselves his disciples really do trust him, then they will acknowledge him in all their ways. In this, the LORD will direct their steps. These verses found in Proverbs are followed by three warnings. The first is “be not wise in thine own eyes”, the LORD is our wisdom, his word is our guide, and his Spirit will lead us. The second is “fear the LORD”, this is the beginning of wisdom. A healthy ‘fear’ of this God, as Paul says, “knowing the terror of the LORD we persuade men.” Today, this fear is and should be that fuel to persuade us to keep our end of the agreement with the LORD. We believe, follow, and keep trusting Him, He becomes our LORD and takes cares of us as his Son’s and daughters. The final warning is “depart from evil”, stay away from it, don’t flirt with danger, stay away from the hot flames of it. You will get burned if you do not do so. Many Christians today have ignored this and in the process end up being on the receiving end of correction by the LORD. They end up walking in rebellion and stubbornness, refusing to heed what God is telling them to correct in their life. So they spend years in the rod of discipline.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 ¶Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
I find it a solid promise and comforting to know the LORD’s Eyes are running to and fro in the earth looking for those whose heart is perfect towards him! If I do what I am supposed to do, stay away from evil, obey his word, seek his face, then I won’t be walking alone, his Eyes will be on me and his hand there to keep me. Now I know to some this is simplified, but I rest in the fact that God is in charge, no matter what. I also rest in this knowledge that the God who has brought me out of sin not only has kept me thus far, but he shall continue to keep me in the future. I have seen him time and again bring me forth out of trouble. I have sought his face in prayer and he has answered me. I know the God who has done this, will keep my family and I in him, as we travel the road before us. Even though, many people in the days to come may “walk in the valley of the shadow of death”, we are not alone!
Psalms 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
It is in this, that is the time to come, in which, the ‘death’ and its ‘valley’ may seem large. For this is the time of judgment and shaking, wars, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and much more. The believer is called to be wise, as the gospel of Matthew records in chapter seven and verse twenty four and five saying “therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock, And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” The wisdom here is to not only read the Word of God, but do it! It is that doing, with faith, that will bring you to this promise. The wise in Christ Jesus will build their house on a rock, hearing and doing what the Word of the Lord says to do! Make no mistake about it, the end time snare upon all the world is a filter. It sifts out them that do and them that don’t! Don’t what? Don’t listen to the LORD, nor follow what he says. As John says to the believers, if you say you abide in the LORD, then you need to be walking as Jesus Christ himself walked!
1 John 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Many today will come to this understanding. However, alternatively, ‘Loose grace and loose morals, along with the proud do it your own way’ Christian will find out the hard way during these times, that it is Gods way, not their own way! David Wilkerson in his latest devotional quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I have read Bonhoeffer’s story and book on his life. During Hitler’s reign, he stood up against the dictator and his ways. He stood for truth when most of the church went along with Hitler. In the end he was martyred for what he believed in. What he believed in was Jesus Christ, his truth, and Hitler did not. For his faith, he died shortly before liberation by the allies. Dietrich Bonhoeffer as Wilkerson points out said that the “Christian is like someone trying to cross a sea of floating pieces of ice. He cannot rest anywhere but must keep moving and stepping or he will sink. The Christian can only allow that his faith in his God will see him through.” The journey though hard, can still find the weary traveler at peace. This road has a place for the Christian to find rest in the LORD, if they will wait upon him!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian, pictured the Christian like someone trying to cross a sea of floating pieces of ice. The Christian cannot rest anywhere while crossing, except in his faith that God will see him through. He cannot stand anywhere too long, otherwise he sinks. After taking a step, he must watch out for the next. Beneath him is the abyss and before him is uncertainty—but always ahead is the Lord—firm and sure! He doesn’t see the land yet, but it is there—a promise in his heart. So the Christian traveler keeps his eyes fixed upon his final place! [Wilkerson devotions-www.worldchallenge.org/en/devotions/2010/wilderness-journey]
Now by this time you have seen a number of scriptures. To give you a hint as today’s newsletter, it is a ‘prose’ written in the form of my favorite scriptures. Now this is not all of them, but just a few. As with you, I have favorite gospel hymns and scriptures. Both of these are inspirational, give truth, but the scripture, the Word of God is truly eternal as our Lord said of the words he spoke. He said, these words “I speak unto you are ‘spirit and are life.’”
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
There are many words written in the world. But there is only one written, one spoken, and one that has ‘eternal’ value with ‘life’. It is a ‘word’ that when spoken and sent out, will not return unless and until God has determined it has fulfilled its course and destiny. The word is an eternal source of power and one that when it comes, will try those to whom it is sent, the example here is Joseph. Joseph was not released from prison and bondage until the word had tried him to its fullest course. When that was finished, Joseph was released, raised up in power, and saw Gods hand fulfilled towards him. It was finished trying Joseph!
Psalms 105:17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
Just like Joseph, Christians today will have the word try them as well. God’s word tries, tests, and moves in the believers lives. It is alive and will do that which God sends it to do.
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
As you read the word, walk in it, and believe. Your walk as a Christian will find the word trying you! For God is working in you to do of his good pleasure. To bring you into the likeness and image of his Son, Jesus Christ. Again, the LORD’s Eyes run to and fro in the earth! Is it not comforting to know this? He works in you, he has predestinated you to be conformed or made like or in the express image of his Son! There is hope, God is alive, awake, and watching. You are not alone, have faith therefore, trust, and believe this!
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Romans 8:29 ¶For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
In conclusion this would not be complete without what I consider the ‘hall of fame’ of ‘bottom line faith’ scripture. Habakkuk knew trouble and chaos where he lived. He would also come to know the invading forces and all the evil they would bring with them. However, in one of the ‘apocalyptic’ faith statements, I say this because the nations will be shaken unlike at any time. Our worlds will be shaken as was Habakkuk’s. Our faith must be resolute as was his. His faith saw the LORD as the “God of my salvation”, Habakkuk proceeded that with “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD”. He would rejoice even though life as he saw it came to a horrific climax of trouble. For he speaks of the ‘fig tree not blossoming’, no ‘fruit shall be on the vines’, ‘the olive shall fail’, the ‘fields yield no meat’, the ‘flocks are cut off’, and there are ‘no herd in the stalls’. In short, these describe the olive oil, the wine, the fruit trees, the crops, the flocks are dead, and no herd in the stalls. This paints a picture of the end of all things, nothing to eat, starvation, and destitution. The apocalypse to say it another way! Today we in the world will face the ‘apocalypse of the end times’. But this is not the end of the matter. For where ‘faith’ is, and the “LORD” who is watching, then there is hope! Habakkuk saw this, envisioned this, and in his heart knew who the God of his salvation was. No matter what occurred, no matter how bad, he knew the LORD would take care of him!
Habakkuk 3:17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The prophet also remembered the Lord told had him that many in society were as scripture records “his soul is not upright in him.” But also, the LORD said that the “just shall live by his faith.” As Habakkuk had to do this, so do we. The prophet knew what the writer of Hebrews says, which is “without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Further we would also have to understand another key point here which is the ‘just living today must live by his or her faith’. That faith must be in the LORD! But if any of the just draw back from that faith and become unbelieving, then as Hebrews says, “my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
My friends I hope and pray this finds you well and seeking him. There are many obstacles, but the Lord is surely watching out. His eye is on the sparrow, his eye and heart are on you as well. For you are of more value than the sparrow! So look up, have faith, and trust in him. Be obedient to his word and do not turn back. The path is ahead, troubles may come at you, but in the end, heaven is before you and so is the LORD of Glory!
This is your goal: Be an Overcomer in Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
1 John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
