THE EYES OF FAITH - PART 2

The eyes of faith is used to detect the reality spoken of as "unseen". It is the key to transcendent life in Christ. It is the eye through which we focus on the fulfilment of God's promises now or moment by moment, even when it seems distant. Today's Scripture reference will explore an idea in the context of those who demonstrated faith in the unseen, even in the face of the unknown or uncertainty.

Reference: Hebrews 11:10 The Passion Translation (TPT) "His eyes of faith were set on the city with unshakable foundations, whose architect and builder is God himself."

Understanding the perspective of a Biblical patriarch like Abraham will help us a lot in exercising our eyes of faith. The Bible says, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise" (see Hebrews 11:8-9). Why was He looking ahead to see the city with unshakable foundations, whose architect and builder is God Himself? It's because his eyes of faith had pictured and captured it in the spirit realm. So he was able to function with this kind of perspective.

Exercising the eyes of faith can be defined as trusting and relying on God's Word, holding on to the pictures or images of His promises as an evidence of the unseen and looking forward to seeing their quick or future manifestations. It helps us to continue to journey in our faith walk until we see and experience what we believe or what is revealed. Even when we don't fully understand all the details, the eyes of faith helps us to go on and move forward in the direction of God's purpose. Everything we see in the material world was called forth from some great reality in the spiritual realm. The whole creation was first visualised in the mind of God before He called them forth. In other words, God formed a mental image of all creation before His wisdom called them to exist in the natural.

Our fellowship with the Holy Spirit and our relationship with God, work effectively through the eyes of faith. With this eye, we perceive sufficient wisdom to discern His presence in our lives, to hear from Him and to follow the guidance of the Spirit. With the eyes of faith, we can recognise or acknowledge angelic presence or protection around us. For instance, the servant of Elisha - a great man of God - got up one morning and went out early, only to realise that an army with horses and chariots had surrounded their city. Being afraid, he screamed toward his master, "Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?" Elisha assured him not to be afraid, saying, "those who are with us are more than those army with horses" (see 2 Kings 6:15-23). Did Elisha lie? Physically, no soldiers or armies were with Elisha and his servant but he wasn't lying! It just means that Elisha was speaking from the spiritual standpoint because His eyes of faith discerned the hills full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding him as Elisha (2 Kings 6:17 NIV).

When God spoke to apostle Peter concerning Cornelius, Peter was about to eat his lunch being prepared, but he fell into a trance and entered into another realm. As the heavenly realm opened up, he saw something resembling a large linen tablecloth that descended from above, being let down to the earth by its four corners. To put the story briefly, Peter saw the vision with the eyes of his spirit, which is the eyes of faith. He was able to hear from God and grasp His immediate purpose for Cornelius because his spiritual senses were actively clear and quick-witted (Acts 10:9-16 TPT). This same perspective is important for us as Christians because through the eyes of faith, we are guided by the Spirit of God to see the unseen in a world beyond the human sight. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Isaiah 32:3; Luke 24:31; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Ephesians 1:18.

Exuberant Declaration: Excellent and wonderful are the power of my eyes of faith. It is a quick-sighted grace that detects divine realities and revelations from the great distance of spiritual realm. Daily, I exercise my eyes of faith within the vast compass of God's Word and it takes me deeper and deeper into the divine mysteries. By its certainty, I'm able to discern and apprehend things that are yet to come, and bring them to existence in the world around me. Glory to God!