EYES WIDE SHUT

Eyes Wide Shut
Date: Sunday, July 17, 2005By: Bishop T. D. Jakes, Special to BlackAmericaWeb.com

Have you ever done something that you knew didn’t make sense but you did it anyway? You know, dumb stuff like going three days without taking your insulin…spending all your money before paying your bills or getting into a relationship with a person who you knew was bad news, but he or she was so fine, you just couldn’t pass up the opportunity?

There are always warning signs, but many times we ignore them. People tell you that entering the relationship will only lead to disappointment. The doctor tells you that taking your medicine consistently is crucial. You know that it will take you three months of robbing Peter to pay Paul to get your bills back on track if you overspend. And yet, we fall into the same traps time and time again, rather learning from previous mistakes and making wiser choices. In other words, we go into situations with our eyes wide open.

God gives us options to choose from every day. He allows us to decide whether we will follow Him or go the opposite direction. He’s given us the free will to create the life we want. Often we think we know better than He does the things we should or should not do and we ignore the warning signs.

We’re like moths attracted to light. When a moth sees a fire, he is automatically drawn to it. He dances around the fire trying to figure out how he can get into the light without getting burned by the fire. Likewise, we try to outsmart the situation to get the things we want but it is impossible to do.

When you’re on the path to destiny, the devil will always send something or someone to distract and ultimately destroy you. That’s what happened to Samson. The enemy sent an attractive, seductive woman, Delilah, to distract Samson and uncover his secret of strength. What amazes me is that Samson knew he was being set up by his enemy!

He kept playing with fire until he was eventually burned by it. He became vulnerable, fell in love with Delilah and against his better judgement told her his secret. He went into the situation with his eyes wide open. Without knowing it he lost his strength and eventually his sight. Then his eyes became wide shut. When he tried to muster up the strength he once had he couldn’t do it.

Sometimes God disappoints us by refusing to immediately respond when we get in trouble. He doesn’t enjoy being the spare tire we just take out for emergency purposes. He wants us to adhere to the warning signs He places in front of us when our eyes are open. When we fall into situations that we know we should walk away from, we choose to walk in with our eyes wide shut.

Spending time with God daily in prayer positions us to overcome the temptations we encounter. He reveals things to us and as a result we become more sensitive to His direction. Decide today that you will choose God’s way. The Bible says we show that we love Him when we are obedient. Make good choices today. Pay attention to the warning signs and choose the path God has set for you!

“Eyes Wide Shut” is an excerpt from the series entitled Secret Place.
Author Bishop T.D. Jakes

Submitted by: Shelle