Blinders are used to prevent a horse from seeing behind and beside him. Horses that pull wagons and carriages wear blinkers to prevent them from becoming distracted or panicked by what they see around and behind the wagon. (animals.mom.me)

The key words are derived from prevention, distraction, and panic. These words are also the keywords that define most of us today. We try to move forward but frequently stare into the rearview mirror, i.e. behind us. We ask for God’s assistance and help in determining our path, but continue to look behind us, and to our sides. The view causes us to become distracted, anxious, and often panic-stricken. We continue to look behind at our failures, missteps, and poor decisions. We look to the side to see what those around us are doing and if they are doing ‘better’ than we are doing. As we continue to look back and to our sides, we fail to see what lies before us and ahead of us. Our past tells us looking back and to the sides can be calamitous. How can God lead us if we are focused on the past, or on life’s distractions? The Lord instructs us to let our eyes look straight ahead, and our gaze to be right before us. (Prov 4:25) God instructed Lot and his wife not to look back, at Sodom that was behind them but to focus on what was ahead. Lot’s wife, in her humanness, looked back to see the destruction, and God turned her into a pillar of salt, forever frozen in time.and our gaze to be right before us. (Prov 4:25) God instructed Lot and his wife to escape and not look back at what was behind them but to focus on what was ahead. Lot’s wife in her humanness, looked back to see the destruction, and God turned her into a pillar of salt, forever frozen in time. I believe most of us at some point in our lives felt frozen, eyes locked on our past of who we were before we received Christ as our Lord and Savior, rather than who we have become. The Word is our blinder. If we wear it, we can focus on what lies ahead and stop focusing on our past and the distractions that keep us from moving forward. The wagon driver guides the horse, similarly,

God guides us if only we would wear the blinder and bridle, commit ourselves to His Word and follow the plans He established for us, which we can only find through prayer.

Forget what is behind and struggle for what is ahead.

We struggle because we are involved in a battle over our souls. God instructs through the Word, and Satan disrupts by redirecting our focus away from God and onto the things of this earth.