Thursday, July 19, 2012

Real Eyes-Realize-Real Lies

     I awoke this morning and rubbed my eyes to get used to the sunlight peeping through the curtains.  Unfortunately, it felt like I rubbed my right eye with a cheese grater.  I got up and fumbled for my glasses to look at my then throbbing eye but they weren't were there....must have sprouted legs, because I always put them in the same place (or in a few places).  When I checked all the usual places: jewelry box, under the pillow, tangled in the sheets, under the bed, and on my craft table...I was still blind!  If you know me very well, you know that I can't see my hand in front of my face, so this was not an easy feat.
     I thought about calling my husband to come and find them, and then thought about waking my son.  Neither seemed like a good idea, Shane had to work and I need my quiet time.  Ahhh, quiet time, and then it hit me...what else can you study when you wake up with an irritated eye and no glasses but vision and sight.  So I resolved to look again and there were my glasses!  Thank you, Lord for sight!
     Although God used my physical circumstances to guide me to this study, it is a spiritual vision that we as Christians need.  Even more than vision, we need sight.  What is the difference?  Well, in the references that I can recall, the Bible mentions "vision" as a dream or a prophecy.  I liken it to my childhood vision of being a criminal psychologist.  Sight, on the other hand is referred to as having the ability to see things in God's light.  You might have heard people talk of having spiritual eyes, that is sight, my friend!  Sight allows us to keep a vision in mind but not be distracted by obstacles.  It gives us the ability to walk by faith daily, all the while knowing that the days of little steps are leading us to our appointed destination.
     I recommend reading Daniel 1-4 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%201-4&version=NKJV ).  We all know the story of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego but did you notice that King Nebuchadnezzar was given a vision but he had no sight.  He called on other men:  magicians, astrologers, and sorcerors, but none could discern the dream.  Yet, Daniel a kidnapped and captive Jew was able to make sense of the dream.  So, what made Daniel so intuitive, intelligent, powerful?  Daniel 1:8 said that Daniel "purposed in his heart not to defile God".  His eyes were set on pleasing God, not the king, not himself, and not even his family back home, but God!  Daniel had sight that allowed him to look past his circumstances and do what God called him to do.  God blessed him with the ability to discern the King's dreams.  Surely, as a young boy Daniel did not plan to be captured and taken from his home.  Yet, he walked by faith daily. 
     As I mentioned before, I had a vision as a very young child that I would be a criminal psychologist, or something like it.  For most of my life, though, I lacked vision.  Through it all, God was using my circumstances to keep me on the path he had planned for me, even though I never saw it.  The devil had me distracted many times but the Lord kept me!  Now, I am almost finished with my degree in Christian Counseling (aka criminal saved by grace psychologist) and I am walking daily by faith.
     If God has given you a vision, don't let the devil distract you.  Don't believe the lies that you can't do it, and don't get lost in the vision, just purpose in your heart to please God.  Walk by faith in all that you do, because if your steps please Him, your walk will get you where He wants you.  If your path of faith doesn't lead where you expect, don't worry God always has better plans than we do.  Look at Daniel, he was held captive but rose to power...and Old King Nebuchednezzar, well he praised the God of Daniel!!!


2 Cor. 5:7  For we walk by faith, not by sight.
     

1 comment:

  1. This reminds me of a verse "Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Proverbs 29:18 What great insight and inspiration we have when God directs our sight.

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