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 have been walking our way through it. Let’s get back to it today.
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).
We have been focused in on the line: “But we don’t think that way now.” Flowing in this vein, I shared several scriptures with you last week and I briefly discussed each. One of the scriptures was Deuteronomy 1:8, where the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have given you this land.” (Deut 1:8). The Lord had already promised this land to Abraham some 440 years earlier. The Lord even told Abraham that his descendants would spend 400 years in bondage in Egypt. So in the fulness of time, God chose Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. However, that was only half the story.
When Moses had his encounter with the Lord at the burning bush the Lord said the following. “I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries when the Egyptians hurt them. I know about their pain. Now I will go down and save my people from the Egyptians. I will take them from that land and lead them to a good land where they can be free from these troubles. It is a land filled with many good things. Many different people live in that land: the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. I have heard the cries of the Israelites, and I have seen the way the Egyptians have made life hard for them. So now I am sending you to Pharaoh. Go! Lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:7-10). Notice a few things here:
— The Lord said He was going to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. So while Moses is called the “deliverer”, he was simply the person God chose to use.
— The Lord said He was going to do two things: 1) Deliver the Israelites from Egypt and, 2) Lead them into the land promised to them. So when Moses and the newly freed Israelites were in the wilderness, they had only completed half the story.
— The Lord told Moses up front that the Promised Land was inhabited, so this should not have been a surprise later.
— When it was time to take possession of the land, the Lord said, “See, I have given you this land.” They needed to be able to SEE it. Once again, if you can’t SEE IT, you can’t HAVE IT!
— 10 of 12 spies could not SEE IT, so they and millions of people died in the wilderness, missing out on the Promised Land, all because they were not able to SEE what God was giving them.
So what does this mean to you today? I’ve already covered a great deal, but I will share a few more nuggets.
- God has made many plans for you, but if you can’t SEE what God is attempting to give you, you will never HAVE what He promised.
- While much preaching is done around the focus and determination required to endure the opposition the comes in the space of time between SEEING it and BEING it, the fact is the process does not even start until you SEE it. If you can’t SEE it (in the Spirit), you can’t say you are standing or believing God for anything, because you don’t have anything to stand on. It all starts with you SEEING it!
- Until you are able to peer into God’s realm and SEE what He has already given you by grace, you can’t even release your faith.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I bring my life into focus in 2016. I spend time peering into the unseen by faith. I live by faith and not by sight. Everyday, I fix my eyes on the realm of the unseen. The unseen is more real to me that what I see every day. Your will shall be done, on earth, as it is in heaven, through me! I am able to SEE what You have already given me. As I do, my heart says, “Yes”. Faith says, “Yes”, in time, to what You allow me to SEE in eternity. Faith says, “Yes”, in the earth, to what You allow me to SEE in heaven. Because I can SEE it, I know I will HAVE it. For You it’s already done. For me it is merely a matter of time before I hold in my hands what I have already seen in my heart! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
