*** Note: Isabella and I made it to the Dominican Republic and we have a busy schedule planned for the next few days. Thank you for keeping us in prayer.
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Focusing on Dying To Self”. A couple of weeks ago I introduced you to the following passage and we began to walk our way through it. Let’s get back to it today and continue.
The Apostle Paul said, “The love of Christ controls us, because we know that one person died for everyone. So all have died. He died for all so that those who live would not continue to live for themselves. He died for them and was raised from death so that they would live for him. From this time on we don’t think of anyone as the world thinks of people. It is true that in the past we thought of Christ as the world thinks. But we don’t think that way now. When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new!” (2 Cor 5:14-17 ERV).
Yesterday I focused in on the line: “But we don’t think that way now.” The focus of the message was on spiritual perception. Your ability to “see” in the Spirit is absolutely critical to maximizing your purpose and potential, and to accomplishing your divine assignment in the earth. What I will do today is share a few scriptures the Lord impressed on my heart, that drive home this point, and just briefly say something about each. Over the next few days we will look at these scriptures in greater detail.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things. Let’s get to it.
- The Lord told Abraham, “All the land that you are able to see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.” (Gen 13:15). The Lord spent time with Abraham, working with him to develop his ability to “see”. In the case of the land, all Abraham was able to perceive, he was able to receive.
- The Lord told Moses, “See, I have given you this land.” (Deut 1:8). The Lord had already promised this land to Abraham and it was now time for Abraham’s descendants to take possession of it. However, they needed to be able to se “see” it first. If you can’t “see” it, you can’t have it.
- Paul knew the importance of being able to see in the Spirit. He could not have accomplished what he accomplished without an ability to see. So this was his prayer for the believers in Ephesus: “I always pray to the great and glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that he will give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. The Spirit will let you know truths about God and help you understand them, so that you will know him better. I pray that God will open your minds (other translations say, “Flood your eyes with light”), to see his truth. Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious.” (Ephesians 1:17,18). Paul prayed that believers would be able to “see”. Why? Because if you can’t see it, you can’t have it. You will never take possession of things you can’t see in the Spirit.
- Paul told the believers in Corinth what we, as Spirit-filled children of God, should be focused on. He said, “We focus our eyes on what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Cor 4:18). Paul taught us to spend time looking at things we cannot see, with our natural eyes. We are supposed to spend time looking at things we can see that are beyond our physical eye’s ability to look. In the Spirit we can see into eternity, from time, and come back equipped to live informed by that revelation. In the Spirit we can see into heaven, from the earth, and come back to LIVE OUT what we saw.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I bring my life into focus in 2016. I want to live my life with a greater level of focus and clarity. To do so I develop my ability to SEE. I declare that You flood my eyes with Spiritual light. You have given me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. I am able to see beyond where my eyes can look. I am able to see into Your realm, Your reality, Your truth, and Your plans for my life. I see in the Spirit and I then come back from that reality to LIVE OUT what I saw in the earth. This is how I live by faith; a faith that accesses Your amazing grace. I experience divine victory because I am able to SEE! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
