“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. . .”

II Chronicles 16:9a

God’s restless eyes are looking today

For those whose long to know Him—

Those who hunger and thirst for His touch

And be freed from sin and all whims.

He already knows everything about you—

Your thoughts and secret sins;

Yet, still He looks and longs to freely give

His peace and joy within.

Although the world seems to be growing more evil

With every passing day,

The Lord of Hosts is still looking for those

Who’ll let Him have His Way.

He longs to show how much He cares

And the changes He can make;

All we must do is yield to Him

And of our sins forsake.

This One Whose Eye is on the sparrow

Is the One in Whom Noah saw Grace;

And, we like him, will see this, too,

If we’ll but yield to His tender embrace.

Yes, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro

Across the face of this earth

To find anyone whose heart will rise up to Him

And will find in Him their worth.

Oh surrender to Him now, all you who hear

That the Savior is looking for you;

Surrender your life into His loving care

By letting Him be Lord in all you think, say and do.

It only takes one look into His eyes

To change your heart within;

Simply open up your life to Him right now

And His new life in you will surely begin.

–Tom Smith

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized. . .”

Acts 2:41a

You can’t go with God and stay where you are.

That’s the message that “pricked the heart” of those who heard Peter’s message that day, causing them to cry out “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). They realized what they’d done and the weight of their guilt was about to crush them. That’s why they cried out in desperation: “Please, tell me what I need to do!”

No one likes going to a doctor or dentist. We especially don’t like being told we’re in need of treatment; yet, we know the pain will not stop until the remedy is applied. And, the same is true when the Holy Spirit “convicts us of sin, the need of righteousness and judgment to come” (Jn. 16:8-11). We know what we need/ought to do; the question is “Will we do it?”

Repentance is never easy. No doubt the road leading home was a long one for the prodigal son; yet, he knew if he didn’t “arise and go to the father” that he’d end up dying of starvation in that stinking pig pen (Lk. 15:15-20).

Yes, the first step is always the hardest.

But, thankfully, the One Who convicts us of our sin is also the One Who accompanies us on our journey Home. And, thankfully, this same One is the One Who “sees us a great way off, has compassion on us, runs to meet us, grabs us in a bear hug and kisses us” (Lk. 15:20).

That’s what happened that day in our Manna.

“Receiving the Word” (believing what the Holy Spirit said through Peter) produced repentance (a turning from self and a turning to the Savior), which resulted in redemption from above and rejoicing within.

“Now, when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Then Peter said unto them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’.”

Acts 2:37-38

Like the movie Field of Dreams, if we prepare it, He will come.

A pricking always precedes a pouring for a vessel must be readied to receive before the pouring begins. Saul of Tarsus was thoroughly convinced he was in the center of God’s Will until that day he met the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). Yet, it was that miraculous encounter with Christ that pricked him in his conscience, causing him to realize he’d actually been working against God rather than walking with Him.

Conviction of sin always brings a pricking of the conscience. Like Saul and those who heard Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, we realize how terribly we’ve sinned against the Lord, causing us to cry out in desperation, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

King David knew full well God’s “washing from iniquity and cleansing of sin. . .the inward purging and hearing of joy and gladness. . .the creating of a clean heart and renewing of a right spirit within. . .and restoration of the joy of His salvation. . .can only come through a broken and contrite heart” (Ps. 51:2, 7-12, 17).

Thus, the question is: Where is the Holy Spirit pricking you today, Pilgrim?

What areas in your thought life are in opposition to “the mind of Christ” (Phil. 2:5), causing you to be “conformed to the world” (Rom. 12:2)? What type books are you reading or shows are you watching that are filling your heart and mind more with the world than God?

What “secret sins” are you harboring in your heart that are grieving the Holy Spirit? Jealousy? Envy? Resentment? Bitterness? Hatred? Unforgiveness? What things are you doing that you know are wrong, causing you to feel condemned and accused?

If you’re a child of God, there’s a need to return to your Beth-el where you first met Him (Gen. 28:10-22; 35:1); however, you cannot do so until you “put away the strange gods that are among you by coming clean and changing your garments” (Gen. 35:2). God will not “pour out His Spirit” upon full or unclean vessels.

“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out My Spirit unto all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. And, on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit and they shall prophesy—and I will show wonders in Heaven above and signs in the earth beneath. . . And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved’.”

Acts 2:16-19a, 21

It’s not a question of whether He wants to do it or is going to do it; it’s a question of whether or not we’re going to experience it firsthand.

“And I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh.”

Did the Lord really mean this when He led Joel to prophesy those words so long ago? And, were they fulfilled and finished when Peter stood on the Day of Pentecost and proclaimed them who’d witnessed an unmistakable miracle (2:1-13)?

There’s no doubt the Holy Spirit’s coming in power that day was a fulfillment of John the Baptist’s prediction of what God would do through Jesus when He arrived (Jn. 1:29-34). And, there’s no doubt the manifestation of the Spirit’s arrival was a fulfillment of “the Father’s promise” (Acts 1:4-5) and their empowering to fulfill the Great Commission (Acts 1:8).

However, the question is “Is Jesus still baptizing with the Holy Spirit?” or is God still “pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh?”