Job 31:1
I have made a covenant with my eyes. How, then, could I gaze at a virgin?
Psalm 119:37 ESV
Turn my eyes from seeing worthless things and give me life in your ways.
Matthew 6:22-23
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Our Eyes – Good or Bad?
Our eyes are part of God’s creation and intended for good, yet the fall has affected them. Therefore, with God’s help, we must steward them. The world is also fallen, and many things lure our eyes away. In The Lord of the Rings movie, do you remember how Gollum seemed irresistibly drawn to the ring, “my precious?” In the Bible, do you remember King David lingering and lusting after Bathsheba? There is nothing wrong with the ring or Bathsheba. However, something is wrong when one allows the eyes to take these desires into the heart, and the heart then twists the meaning and purpose. Do you see how the eyes are the entry point to the heart? We must steward our eyes.
Seeing Good and Evil
“But I see things, and I cannot stop that. I see both good and evil. How do I deal with this”? These are some things the men I counsel (my guys) often say. “Should I not go outside? Should I put blinders on? Or should I gouge my eyes out?”
We must recognize the good, created purpose of our eyes – to see, notice, and be drawn. However, we must accept the responsibility to steward our eyes. It is not wrong to see or notice, for if we did not, we would not be able to make a sound, biblical decision to respond appropriately. We need to celebrate and enjoy things, such as the beauty of our spouses, and flee from sinful images. We must notice what is happening and make intentional, wise choices.
Stewarding our Eyes
How do we do this? Well, as the verse in Job says, we must make a covenant with our eyes. There is a standard, and God has the perfect purpose for our eyes. We must understand and recognize that there are worthless things to see, and we should stay away from those. Be intentional.
Temptations: What should we do?
When we are tempted and tugged by our hearts and eyes, I tell my guys to take notice, flee, and learn from the experience. Learning is knowing how to keep from getting in the same spot again or continuing to practice fleeing or turning away. If we do not do this, we can move into lingering and lusting, which is a sin. We must not only turn away from evil; we must also repent. God is so gracious to give us a warning light in the face of temptation and tug our hearts through the noticing of the eyes. There, we may see that his grace is sufficient to help us turn away. We are not to be of the world but in it; therefore, we must fight daily for his glory.
Stewarding is hard. It takes prayer, wisdom, discipline, and direction. The Spirit and Scripture will equip us well. We must also have accountability. We must ask each other, “How are you stewarding your eyes?”. Trust me; you will get some funny looks.
Ask yourself:
- What are my eyes drawn to?
- What does God want me to look on?
- What can I do daily to steward my eyes?
- Who will ask me about my walk?
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
1 Cor 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Let us redeem creation because of the renewing power of Christ and our salvation. No longer live in fear and try to hide. Be committed to the walk of stewarding your eyes for God’s Glory.
by Troy Snyder MS, NCC, LPC, CCSAS, CPCS
Roswell and Woodstock Locations
troy@restorationcounselingatl.com, ext. 113
Troy Snyder’s passion for working with sexually addicted clients has led him to obtain special certification in this study area. He is a “Certified Clinical Sexual Addiction Specialist” by the Christian Sex Addiction Specialists International (C-SASI, formerly IACSAS). He works with men and couples and takes a holistic approach to helping his clients by working closely with the parents, spouse, family members, and friends to help create a better foundation for success.