Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

Many of you are experiencing profound fear and confusion and feel the nation and the world are spiraling out of control. 

What do you do during tumultuous times? You fix your eyes on Jesus. Follow the work on the Cross as your guide into all Truth. 

Put your trust in the Lord Jesus, not man, not government. 

Jesus will not fail you. Draw strength from His well of Living Water and eat His Bread of Life. 

Jesus died so we could have abundant life, free of fear, doubt, and despair. 

You will have joy despite the storms you face, faith and not fear, strength instead of weakness. 

Stand up, stand out, and have a profound witness this season. 

Stand on the side of what is pure, noble, joyous, and peaceful.  Christ did not come into the world to condemn it but to heal the brokenhearted, free the oppressed, and save the lost sinner. 

How did He do it? With love, humility, compassion, mercy, being a servant, and following the will of Abba Father. 

Perfect love casts out all fear. Jesus Christ is the example of perfect love. Follow Him and gain life; follow the world; death will be your portion. 

Follow along in this episode as Tammy Toney-Butler shows you the love and Light of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Experience peace despite the storm, clarity instead of confusion, and calm instead of chaos. 

Join Tammy on the Reflective Hour Podcast and YouTube channel for healing support. https://reflectivehourwithtammytoneybutler.buzzsprout.com/

You can purchase her book on Amazon Kindle, "When you know, that you know, that you know there is a God." 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tammy-Toney-Butler/author/B0DC1VXP45?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Check out the ministry website at www.reflectivespacesministry.com

Click on the link to donate to further her reach and God's call on her life to minister to the sick, broken, hurting, and marginalized: 
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https://account.venmo.com/u/Reflectivespacesministry

Hotline numbers: https://www.reflectivespacesministry.com/contact

About Tammy: https://www.reflectivespacesministry.com/about

Tammy is available to teach and empower women and men as they journey to wholeness through the Light and Love of Christ.

Transcript

Good morning. Welcome to Reflective Spaces Ministry. I'm Tammy Toney-Butler. Oh, Holy Spirit, come have your way in this time that we have together. May they see you and not me. May they hear you and not me. May your words penetrate their heart. Bring life, peace, joy, and cast out all fear. Oh, Holy Spirit, have your way. Give me the words that I need to speak to your flock as their shepherd. Help me, oh God. For during this time, they need to see you Know the peace of the Lord Jesus, the freedom that comes from the work done on the cross. In the mighty name of your precious son, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen. Many of you are paralyzed by fear, uncertain of the days ahead, have despair, Feel like you're weak. Not sure where to turn. That everything's falling apart. In the nation and in the world. But I'm telling you now. Doesn't matter who's in government. Jesus came to give life. Abundant life. to his believers, his followers. There's no condemnation in Christ Jesus. He came to set the oppressed free, to bring joy. He came as a humble servant, doing the will of the Father above all else. He had no agenda. He had no agenda that wasn't of serving the Father. The humility. The peace. He came to set the sinner free. The oppressed free. To heal the sick. Cast out demons. And show us what abundant life on earth was like. as it is in heaven. Are your actions and deeds mirroring those of Christ? Or are you acting out of fear, loneliness, despair, or some type of agenda? Do you have pride in your heart, ego? Maybe addictions are guiding you. In this hour, in this moment, in these tumultuous times, we can only look to the work on the cross for answers. We can only look to the work on the cross for answers. Anything else will lead to death. Spiritual death. famine, drought. Christ is the wellspring of living water that never runs dry. You can drink from that well as often as you like. There's no judgment when you come to that well to drink. Doesn't matter your race, your gender, your political affiliation, whether you're Jew or Gentile, gay or straight, rich or poor, Christ came for sinners. He came to remove shame and guilt, to bring life, not death. He came to set the captives free, much like Moses did. It's a time of freedom. It's a time of peace and joy. It doesn't matter what's going on in the world. We are to be the bearers of light in a dark world. We are to mirror Christ in action and deed. Are your actions mirroring Christ? Are you following the agendas of world leaders? Are you treating your neighbor as yourself? Are you showing them love? Are you praying for those that persecute you? Are you refusing to cater to hate, to racism, to the oppression of others? Jesus came to give life. We are following true Christianity. Gives life. It sets people free. It does not bring chaos, confusion, hate, agendas. It doesn't. We are to be the bearers of light in a dark world. We're not to show favoritism. were only to express the love of Jesus. Love breaks the yoke of bondage off of people. Love heals. Love restores. Love redeems. Love is for all. Love is for all. Jesus didn't come to condemn the world. That doesn't mean we partner with sin. It doesn't mean that we say things are okay when they're not. Or they're not biblical. But we also need to remember that love heals. We have to have a merciful, love-centered lens at which we portray ourselves to the world because we are to mirror Jesus. He washed feet. He washed feet. He went to the cross and laid down his life for us. That's love. Are you willing to give your life for others? Are you judging them? Are you sowing seeds of hate and following agendas of hate? Our brothers and sisters, our fellow believers, they may not be the same color as you. They may not. But that doesn't mean that They don't deserve love. We are to love. Perfect love casts out all fear. Perfect love casts out all fear. Perfect love casts out all fear. If you're following fear and emotions are guiding you, then ask yourself this question. Am I filled with the Holy Spirit? Am I following the spirit of truth, the compass that points due north, true north? Or am I following the world, propaganda, words of hate, strongholds on the mind, put there by oppressive regimes, political leaders with agendas. Take a pause. Stop. Reflect. Get your Bibles out. Sit still long enough for the Lord to speak to you. Let's break off this deception, this web of deception that's on the world. Let's open your spiritual eyes and your ears. removing all veils and blinders that were put there by the enemy to kill, steal, destroy, and distract you from your kingdom assignment. We have an assignment. We must carry it out for the kingdom. We have to be the light bearers in a dark world. We are not to resemble the world. We are to resemble Jesus to the We have to show the world his love. Yes, sinners need to repent. They need to turn away from that pathway that leads to destruction and choose the pathway of abundant life. I'm a sinner. I was washed clean by the blood of the lamb. He set me free from addiction, from shame, guilt, fear, regret, self-loathing, all these things in the aftermath. Of child sex trafficking. And the loss of my father to suicide. And I coped with all that pain. Those inner wounds that bled open. Through various addictions. And I sinned. And I fell short of the glory of the Lord. But he picked me up out of my gutter. He healed me. Layer by layer. And put me on a pathway of righteousness for his name's sake. so that I could sit here today and preach to you, to give you a word in season, showing you his love and action and deed. There's no fear in perfect love. Anything that's bringing you fear is not of God. Let me say it again. Anything that brings fear Is not of God. It's not of Lord Jesus. It's not. It's not of the Jesus I serve. The Christianity. That I believe in. The work of the cross. Because I believe in Lord Jesus. And his work on the cross. And the Holy Spirit. Guides us into all truth. What's guiding you? Make sure that you are not deceived. The Lord gave me a scripture, a passage that he wants me to read to you to bring your focus back on him and the work of the cross, the peace of the cross, the strength that comes. From Lord Jesus. And fixing your eyes. On him in this season. I'm going to be reading. Out of. The. New living translation. And Isaiah. And he put on me. Isaiah twenty. A message about. Egypt and Ethiopia. Ethiopia. And I may pronounce some of these names wrong. In the year when King Sargon of Assyria sent his commander in chief to capture the Philistine city of Ashdod, the Lord told Isaiah, son of Amos, take off the burlap you have been wearing and remove your sandals. Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot. Then the Lord said, My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign, a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia. For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bare to the shame of Egypt. Then the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt. They will say, if this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? We were counting on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria. Now let me read the same passage of scripture out of the Life Application Study Bible, the King James Version, Isaiah And this is prophecy against Egypt and Ethiopia. In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and fought against Ashdod and took it, at the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amos, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off the loins and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so walking naked and barefoot. And the Lord said, like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia. So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered to the shame of Egypt. And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia, their expectations. and Egypt of their glory. And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria, and how shall we escape? Now let's look at some teaching that's in this Bible that the Lord wanted me to point out. What are our alliances today Government. We rely on government legislation to protect the moral decisions we want made. But legislation cannot change people's hearts. Science. We enjoy the benefits of science and technology. We look to scientific predictions and analysis before we look to the Bible. Education. We act as though education and degrees can guarantee our future and success. without considering what God plans for our future. Do we stop and ask God what He wants us to do for Him to serve the kingdom? What is the occupation He wants us to have? Where does He want us to step? What does He want us to do this season for the kingdom of God as the coming of the Lord Jesus draws closer and closer Medical care. We regard medicine as the way to prolong life and preserve its quality, quite apart from faith and moral living. Financial systems. We place our faith in financial security, making as much money as we can for ourselves, forgetting that while being wise with our money, we must trust God for our needs. Because what if we do if it's all gone? The only thing we can look to is the cross, is Christ. But we don't need to just look to him when things are going bad. We need to always have our eyes fixed on Jesus and let the Holy Spirit guide us every day, every minute. Guide us by spirit and truth. Isaiah warned Judah not to ally with Egypt. He knew that trust in any nation or any military might was futile. Their only hope was to trust in God. Although we don't consciously put our hope for deliverance in political alliances in quite the same way, we often put our hope in other places. A little bit more of the commentary. It says Sargon II was king of Assyria from seven, twenty two to seven oh five B.C. And this event happened in around seven eleven B.C. Isaiah graphically reminds Judah that they should not count on foreign alliances to protect them. God's command to Isaiah was to walk about naked for three years. A humiliating experience. How many of you have had humiliating experiences? I know I have. God was using Isaiah to demonstrate the humiliation that Egypt and Ethiopia would experience at the hands of Assyria. But the message was really for Judah. Don't put your trust in foreign governments or you will experience this kind of shame from your captors. Human governments and institutions can never take God's place. God asked Isaiah to do something that seemed shameful and illogical. At times, we may be asked to obey God in ways we don't understand. We must obey God in complete faith, for he will never ask us to do something wrong. We follow God as believers. The Holy Spirit convicts us, guides us into alter that we have discernment. We know which way to go because we follow the work on the cross. Peace, joy, love, Hope, love thy neighbor as thyself. Love God, put him first. Love, love. Remember religious leaders crucified Lord Jesus. Think about that. The law, Jesus came to save us from the law. That doesn't mean that we are to sin. But I can tell you this. I can tell you this. As someone who sinned, as someone who was promiscuous, who sought love in all the wrong places, trying to replace the love I never received from my father, I was a broken, wounded vessel. I knew I was dirty and full of shame. When I stepped into churches, when I stepped into places of organized religion, I didn't need the pulpit to tell me. I knew it. I knew it. I was dirty. I'd done things wrong. I knew what those were. But I also knew that I was broken and wounded, looking for a savior that I thought had left me and forsaken. because I used to cry out for him to save me when all those bad things were happening to me. But he wasn't there. But little did I know he was there. God didn't fail me. My mother did. She had free will and put me into situations that put me in harm's way. But she did that because she too had unresolved trauma. Generation upon generation Christ set me free despite my sin. And now I'm no longer under the condemnation of that. I've been set free, purified, sanctified, made holy. You are not your past. You are not your past. You are loved. You are loved. Jesus loves you. He wants you to seek him this season. Seek the cross. It will bring you strength. It will bring you into all truth. It will guide you. I mean what does Jeremiah. Jeremiah. For I know the plans I have for you. Declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Hope and a future. It may seem. Like the world is falling apart. There's all this chaos. Especially if you're watching the news. Especially if you're watching the news. You can be drawn into a pit of despair very quickly on social media. Very, very quickly. You can spiral downward. Even as a believer. We need to unify during this time. We need to show the love and light of Christ. Because when they go low, we go high. When they go low, we go high. They slap us on one cheek, we turn the other. We don't set out to destroy God. to condemn them. That is not how you win people to Christ. Love won me to Jesus. And he broke the yoke of bondage off of me and the weight of the shame, the guilt, the fear, the regret, the self-loathing, the addictions. He took it all, set me free, and gave me peace. And peace is priceless. I'm the richest woman in the world because he gave me abundant life. And he's waiting to give it to you too. He's waiting. Like he was waiting on the woman at the well. Don't put your trust in the world systems because they can fall apart and fail. In this season, in this hour, you can only look to the cross. You can only look to Jesus. You can only look to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit guide you. And if you're still in sin, if you're going to church on Sunday, leaving there and have no changed life, and you're still acting in hate, bitterness, racism, that is not of God. And I would ask you, Do you have religion or do you have a relationship with Jesus? Is the Holy Spirit guiding you or is the law guiding you? The law persecuted and condemned and put Jesus to death. Who's guiding you? Because from the moment the Holy Spirit came to live inside of me, I was not the same person. I'm not the same person that even my husband married. I used to cuss like a sailor. The F-bomb was every other word. Ask anybody that knew me in the ER when I was nursing. One day it was all gone. I didn't curse after that. I didn't have the weight of the trauma. He took it. Because I surrendered everything I had, recognizing that I had no control over anything that happened. And that can make someone who suffered trauma feel very, very weak and out of control. I was always following the comfortable known, yet it was destroying me layer by layer, drink by drink, pill by pill, sex partner by sex partner. I was looking for a love that only Christ filled. A gaping hole that only Christ healed and filled. And I surrendered my victimhood at the foot of the cross and the shame, the guilt, the fear and the regret. I let all that go. And I said, Lord Jesus, be the Lord of my life. Help me because I don't know how to be normal. I don't know how to be, quote, healthy. I don't know how to not be a victim. I don't know how to be victorious, but he's a good father. Abba father. He sent his son to show us the way. Jesus showed me the way. And I relinquished all that, that little girl and everything that happened to her. And I laid it at the foot of the cross and I rose up victorious. And I said, Holy spirit, come live inside of me. Make me a new creature. Give me the heart of Christ and the mind of Christ and lead me into all truth. Give me strength. Give me power. Give me freedom. And that came from Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. So I ask you this day, if you still have an addiction, if you still have rage, anger, hate inside of you, bitterness, unforgiveness, do you have the Holy Spirit? Is he living inside of you? Bringing your own human spirit into submission. Letting him truly guide you. Are you saved? You can be saved and not filled with the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit not be guiding you. Ask the Holy Spirit to come live inside of you. Say, Lord Jesus, I know you died on the cross. I know you were fully man, fully God. I know you were the son of God. You died, rose again, seated in heavenly places to the right of the Father. You died so I could live. Your work on the cross, your suffering. You gave me abundant life. And you left so that we could have The Holy Spirit live with us. It's borderless. The Holy Spirit goes everywhere. And no matter where you are in the world, listen to this. The Holy Spirit can fill you up. So you just say, you know what? I'm missing it. This way is killing me. I can no longer continue down this path. I need you, God. I need you, Holy Spirit. Come dwell inside of me. Live inside of me. I repent of all my sins. I want to turn away from that pathway. Whatever that was that's destroyed me. And I want to try a new way. Your way. For the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. I yield everything to you. I surrender. I surrender. I surrender. It's in the surrendering. It's in the weakness. that you're made strong, that you become, that you step into who you were always called to be. Because God knew you before he formed you in the womb. He purposed you. You have a purpose. Remember, we're soldiers in a war for Jesus. We have assignments that we need to carry out. Let's be the light in this season and not the dark. Let's speak up. When we see an injustice, but do so from a place of love and peace and with the Holy Spirit guiding us. Let's be vessels of light and not hate. When they go low, we go high. We go high. Let's show love. Remember, words matter. God spoke the world into existence. Don't let people speak death over you. And don't you speak death over another. Don't you curse another with your words. It is of an hour, of a season, that we must stay focused on Jesus. We must unite as a body of believers, as a church, a true church, a faithful remnant that knows what truth looks like and refuses to be deceived refuse to partner with hate and to be deceived holy spirit fill them up come live inside of them make them fresh and new strengthen them oh god As they go through the season. This time. Cast out all fear. We rebuke any spirit of fear. We rebuke it. We bind it. Loose the spirit of joy. Peace. Clarity. Wisdom. Be with them, Father. As they go through these dark times. Knowing you're the only thing that will strengthen them. The work of the cross. May they seek scripture for strength. May they seek you. Your Holy Spirit to guide them. This season. In the name of the Father and the Son. We pray. Lord Jesus. Sit in that peace for a minute. That's of the Holy Spirit. Oh, Holy Spirit, just fill them up. Give them fresh oil. Their lamps are empty. So many of them, they poured and poured and poured out this season. Give them fresh oil, Father, so that they can keep on warring for the kingdom. They draw strength from you. As they go out into the community and be the change they want to see in the world. As they paint the world that they want to see. It starts with one act of kindness. One act of kindness to your neighbor. Perfect love casts out all fear. We know how it ends. The light wins, not the dark. Don't focus on the dark. Focus on the light. There's hope. There's peace. You've got this. I believe in you. God believes in you. Christ has you. He had me. He can wash me clean. He can wash any of you clean. Trust me. He's got you. Don't have fear. Have faith. But above all, trust God. Trust God. Grow. Grow in your spiritual maturity. You're going to need it this season. You're going to need the fruits of the Spirit. You're going to need the power. The power that comes from knowing who you are in Christ Jesus. The authority that you have as a believer. The healing power you have as a I believe that's all he has for you today. God bless you and keep you. He loves you. I love you. Don't hesitate to reach out. You need me to come minister to your organization, your group, do a prophetic healing session. Just reach out. My steps are ordered by the Lord. Let yours be too. Glory be to Jesus. God bless you.