What Are You Looking At?

Devotional

Day 1: Eyes on You in the Storm

Jehoshaphat stood before Judah’s assembly, trembling as three armies advanced. Dust rose from Edom’s horizon. Instead of strategizing, he ripped his robes. “We have no power against this vast army,” he confessed. “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” His honesty pierced heaven’s throne room. [33:25]

Admitting helplessness isn’t weakness—it’s the threshold of miracles. Jehoshaphat’s raw prayer shifted the battle from Judah’s shoulders to God’s hands. When we stop pretending we’re in control, we clear space for divine intervention.

How often do you mask struggles with religious platitudes? Jesus isn’t impressed by polished prayers but shattered hearts. Today, name one overwhelming situation where you’ve tried to “fix it” alone. Will you echo Jehoshaphat’s cry instead?

“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
(2 Chronicles 20:12b, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one situation where you feel powerless. Ask God to shift your gaze from panic to His sovereignty.
Challenge: Write “OUR EYES ARE ON YOU” on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it during moments of anxiety.

Day 2: When Wind Outshouts the Word

Peter stepped onto raging waves, eyes locked on Jesus. Salt spray stung his face, but the Lord’s voice anchored him—until a gust howled. He glanced sideways. Water swallowed his knees. “Lord, save me!” he screamed. Jesus grabbed him mid-sink. “Why did you doubt?” [48:17]

Distractions don’t drown us—they reveal where we’ve misaligned our focus. Peter didn’t fall because the storm intensified, but because he let it hijack his attention. Every crisis tests whose voice we’ll amplify.

You’re in a boat today—maybe a failing marriage, a dying dream. What “wind” competes with Christ’s command to “come”? Identify one fear shouting louder than Scripture. Will you let His “I AM” drown it out?

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’”
(Matthew 14:31, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to silence every voice except His in your current storm.
Challenge: Text one friend: “Pray I fix my eyes on Christ today instead of ______.” Fill the blank with your struggle.

Day 3: Praise Before the Victory

Jehoshaphat’s army marched singing, not swinging swords. Levites led with cymbals, not spears. Their anthem—“Give thanks to the Lord, His love endures forever”—echoed across the desert. By the time they reached the battlefield, Ammonite and Moabite armies lay dead, having turned on each other. [53:03]

Praise isn’t post-victory celebration—it’s preemptive warfare. Judah’s worship declared God’s triumph before a single enemy fell. When we magnify Christ’s supremacy over our problems, principalities lose footing.

What “battlefield” makes praise feel irrational? Your song declares whose report you believe. Could your breakthrough begin the moment you hum a hymn instead of rehearsing worries?

“After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him… As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes.”
(2 Chronicles 20:21-22a, NIV)

Prayer: Sing one worship song aloud, even if through tears.
Challenge: Set a phone alarm labeled “PRAISE BREAK” to pause and thank God at your crisis hour today.

Day 4: Fixing Aphorao on the Pioneer

The Greek word “aphorao” means deliberately looking away—like a runner ignoring hecklers to fixate on the finish line. Hebrews 12 charges us to strip off every distraction, “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” Not a glance, but a gaze. Not a hobby, but a holy obsession. [42:27]

Every idol crumbles under the weight of Christ’s glory. When we aphorao—actively disregard lesser things—we align with heaven’s reality: Jesus already holds victory over every battle we face.

What keeps hijacking your spiritual peripheral vision? Social media? Resentments? Health scares? What one practice could help you “look away” daily to behold the Pioneer of your faith?

“Let us throw off everything that hinders… And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”
(Hebrews 12:1-2a, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to expose one distraction you need to “throw off” this week.
Challenge: Delete one app or mute one chat for 24 hours to create space for Scripture reading.

Day 5: Holy, Holy, Holy in the Mess

Isaiah saw the Lord enthroned amid seraphim crying “Holy!” Temple thresholds shook. The prophet fell, undone—until a coal touched his lips. Vision restored, he volunteered: “Send me!” The same glory that exposed his sin equipped him for service. [57:03]

God’s holiness doesn’t highlight our flaws to shame us, but to reshape us. Like Isaiah, when we truly behold Christ’s majesty, our problems shrink and our purpose clarifies.

What chaos needs repositioning under God’s holiness today? Could the mess you’re facing be the very throne room where He’s preparing you for greater assignment?

“I saw the Lord, high and exalted… ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’”
(Isaiah 6:1-3, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one area where you’ve minimized God’s holiness. Ask for fresh awe.
Challenge: Write “HOLY” on your palm. Each time you see it, whisper one attribute of God’s perfect character.

Sermon Summary

The attention economy insists that infinite information chases finite human attention; infinite ang information, finite ang human attention. Hebrews 2:1 presses the urgency: “pay the most careful attention… lest the church drift.” Hebrews 1 supplies the reason. The chapter enthrones Jesus as Creator, Sustainer, Owner, Ruler, and Redeemer, the final word of God. Therefore, the community’s most valuable asset is focus, and the most worthy object of focus is the supremacy of Christ. A spiritual law follows: what one looks at, one eventually moves toward; what one beholds, one becomes. Anxiety multiplies when sickness and storms receive the gaze; peace grows when Jesus receives it.

Second Chronicles 20 turns the doctrine concrete. A vast alliance advances on Judah. Alarm rises, yet Jehoshaphat resolves to seek the Lord and gathers the people to fast. The crisis does not dictate the horizon; it becomes a pivot to look at God. Hebrews 12:1-2 names the practice: fixing eyes on Jesus. The Greek sense is aphorao, to look away from everything else in order to see one thing clearly. Focus is both a no and a yes: turning from distraction, turning to Christ, the pioneer and perfecter who endured the cross and sat down.

From Jehoshaphat’s prayer emerges the first move: admit the problem. “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Real faith does not fake it or frantically fix it; it confesses powerlessness and clears space for God to move. Psalm 121 agrees: help does not come from the mountains but from the Maker of heaven and earth.

The second move adjusts perspective. Through Jahaziel, God reframes the battlefield: “Do not be afraid… the battle is not yours, but God’s.” The gaze determines the ground. Like a driver who keeps eyes on the road, God’s people stay safe by staying focused on the Victor. Peter’s walk makes the point: while he walked on Jesus’ word, the wind was present but not preeminent; when he “saw the wind,” he began to sink. Glance at the problem, gaze at God. The problem may be big; God is bigger.

The third move activates praise. Jehoshaphat appoints singers to lead with “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Worship is not a thank-you note; worship is a weapon. Isaiah’s vision of the Thrice-Holy God reorders the soul, and Judah’s song summons God’s ambush. As the people sing, the enemies turn on each other. The outcome was decided when their eyes turned to God. The only live question is the gaze: what is the church looking at, or better, who?

Key Takeaways

1. Attention shapes spiritual direction. What receives sustained attention sets the soul’s trajectory. Fear feeds on fixation; faith grows where Christ is beheld. The heart is formed by its gaze, so the eye must be guarded like treasure. Focus is stewardship, not accident. [11:18]
2. Admit the mess to meet God. Confession is not defeat; it is the door God walks through. “We do not know what to do” is the clearest path to “but our eyes are on you.” Honesty dethrones self-sufficiency and makes room for real help, not hollow control. [33:25]
3. Adjust perspective: battle belongs to God. Perspective is not denial; it is alignment. When God says, “The battle is not yours,” striving surrenders to trust and obedience. The fight shifts from frantic fixing to faithful focusing on the One who already reigns. [40:54]
4. Fix eyes on Jesus, not storms. The wind often stays, but the gaze decides whether sinking follows. Peter walked while the word governed his vision; he sank when the wind captured it. Glance at the waves, but let Christ hold the stare. [48:17]
5. Activate praise as fighting faith. Praise is not a postscript after victory; it is participation in God’s victory. Song lifts the eye, names God’s covenant love, and invites his ambush against the enemy. Worship places God at the center where fear once sat. [56:22]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:01] - The world wants your attention
[06:04] - Focus as the church’s greatest asset
[06:47] - Hebrews 2:1 and drifting
[08:03] - Hebrews 1: Jesus is supreme
[11:18] - What you behold, you become
[16:18] - Jehoshaphat’s breaking news
[24:58] - Fixing eyes on Jesus
[33:06] - Admit the problem: honest faith
[40:29] - Word through Jahaziel: God’s battle
[44:30] - Peter, wind, and the sinking gaze
[52:46] - Appointing singers ahead of soldiers
[56:22] - Worship is the weapon
[60:02] - God’s ambush and victory

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- 2 Chronicles 20:12 (ESV): “O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
- Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV): “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”
- Matthew 14:30-31 (ESV): “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him…”

Observation Questions

In 2 Chronicles 20:12, what did Jehoshaphat admit about Judah’s situation, and what did he resolve to do instead of relying on their own strength?
The Greek word aphorao (translated “fixing our eyes” in Hebrews 12:2) means “to look away from everything else.” How does this definition clarify what it means to focus on Jesus?
When Peter began to sink in Matthew 14:30-31, what specific action caused his fear? How does this contrast with his initial response to Jesus’ call?
What happened to Judah’s enemies in 2 Chronicles 20:22-24 when the people began to praise God?

Interpretation Questions

Why is admitting helplessness (“we do not know what to do”) a critical step in seeking God’s intervention, rather than a sign of weak faith?
How does the statement “the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15) redefine our role in facing overwhelming challenges?
Peter walked on water when focused on Jesus’ word but sank when he noticed the storm. What does this reveal about the relationship between our focus and our ability to endure difficulty?
Judah’s worship preceded their victory. How does praise act as a “weapon” in spiritual battles rather than just a response to victory?

Application Questions

What distractions or “storms” in your life (e.g., worries, responsibilities, or habits) most often compete for your focus? How could you intentionally “look away” from them to fix your eyes on Christ this week? [29:29]
Identify a situation where you’ve been tempted to “fake it” (pretend you’re fine) or “fix it” (rely on your own solutions). How might admitting “I don’t know what to do” create space for God to act? [33:25]
When facing a current challenge, how can you practically adjust your perspective to remember “the battle belongs to God”? What would it look like to surrender striving and choose trust instead? [40:54]
In what area of your life do you need to “activate praise” even before seeing resolution? Write down one specific way to incorporate worship (e.g., prayer, song, gratitude) into your daily routine this week. [56:22]
Reflect on your daily habits (e.g., media consumption, conversations, routines). What are you “beholding” regularly, and how might this be shaping your spiritual trajectory? What needs to change? [11:18]

Sermon Clips

48s

“``He taught us something. If you want a miracle, honesty is a prerequisite. God cannot deal with a heart that's trying to fix it and a heart that's faking it because he wants us to surrender. He want us to be genuine. He wants us to look at him. Kiya paalasabi na yin David sa Psalms 121 verse one to two no? He ni isha nag fix I lift up my eyes to the mountains.”

32s

“the moment they say, We don't know what to do but our eyes are on you. No moment na sinabi nilang our eyes are on you, panalo na Agad sila. And my question to you this afternoon, what are you looking at? Or should I say, who are you looking at?”

39s

“That when we worship in the middle of our struggle, we're not actually telling the enemy or we're telling the enemy that every time we worship the Lord, in the middle of the struggle, we're actually telling the enemy. I don't need to see the victory to know that my God has already won. Every time na sinasabi nila, give thanks to the Lord for his good and his love endures forever. Actually, kailangan makita kung manalu ba kami.”

51s

“You know, we often think that faith means pretending that we all have it together. Pero ang to toong faith, it yung real faith, it starts admit when you admit that you don't have it altogether. Imagine, kapag kamerong mga battles na dumarating sa atin. Pwedeng it's either we want to fix it or fake it. Di ba? We want to fix it or we wanna fake it.”

Ask a question about this sermon

JIA CMNV This sermon · AI assistant

What is the spiritual consequence of misplaced attention?

How should Christians respond when overwhelmed by fear?

Why is praise considered a spiritual weapon?

What Are You Looking At? | Jennie Prado