Which Eyes Are You Using?
You have two sets of eyes, the ones in your head and the ones in your heart. The eyes in your head see the outer world while the eyes of your heart can see God. However, the eyes of your heart can also focus on your outer world, which is not a good thing.
The obvious goal is to keep the eyes of your heart focused on God, who lives in you and is not separate from you. This is walking by faith, this is how you look not at the world but at the unseen, this is how you set your heart on things above, this is how you have great faith, and this is how you stay in perfect peace. The list goes on and on, I bet you can find several more.
““I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened...””
You have two sets of eyes, the ones in your head and the ones in your heart. The eyes in your head see the outer world while the eyes of your heart can see God. However, the eyes of your heart can also focus on your outer world, which is not a good thing.
The obvious goal is to keep the eyes of your heart focused on God, who lives in you and is not separate from you. This is walking by faith, this is how you look not at the seen but at the unseen, this is how you set your heart on things above, this is how you have great faith, and this is how you stay in perfect peace.
You have a part to play in what your heart is looking at. You can choose to inwardly be aware of God’s presence, his influence, his promises, and his truth, or you let your heart be overwhelmed by the world. Your new heart can’t be corrupted but it can be deceived. Meaning, in your inner man, the place you believe, you can believe lies. The way you become persuaded and influenced by lies is when the eyes of your heart are looking to the world for understanding rather than to God.
It takes humility and faith to not look at what you see and turn to God for a proper perspective. Having God’s perspective and opinion on a matter is vital for success and transformation. It takes humility because you have to lay aside your emotions and opinions to receive God’s perspective and faith because you have to trust God in the midst of the issue.
Great faith is when you can make God bigger within you than the situation is outside of you. The mystery of the kingdom is that as you behold God within you, the external world starts to align with God’s truth. The kingdom is in you to grow out of you, as you keep your inner man focused on him.
What Are You Looking At?
The basis for your heart’s gaze is your hope in Heaven. Scripture teaches us that we have a hope in Heaven, and the message of that hope is the Gospel. We’re also told that that message, that Gospel, that hope that is in Heaven is bearing fruit in the whole world.
How is our hope in Heaven bearing fruit in the world? Through the hearts of humans. The Gospel is not an abstract substance that filters into the world from God, it’s a message about a greater reality. That message is conveyed to humans, deep within our being, in our hearts. Heaven’s message, when received by a heart focused on God, will bear fruit first in itself (the human heart), then in the world around it.
It is vital for Jesus followers to allow God’s message of our hope in Heaven to bear fruit in our lives so we can distribute it to the world around us. Heaven’s fruit in you begins with righteousness, peace, and joy. Your heart’s eyes must be focused on God to allow time for that fruit to grow. We are quick to turn away and look at the condition of our lives and the world if we look away too long that fruit may wither and have to start all over again.
It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person or you’ve lost your salvation, it just means you’ve looked away from God too long.
I realize this message is convicting but some of us need that conviction. Not condemnation but a reminder of our role in discipleship. Your role is to trust God, to keep your inner eyes on him so that when he leads you, you will be familiar with what he looks like and will follow.
Try This
Try this meditative exercise. Sit quietly and think about God, whatever comes up is fine. Focus your attention on him until your awareness of him is “bigger” than anything else. Think about him until he’s the most prominent thought in your mind. Then let your thoughts shift toward that issue you’re dealing, whether it be your spouse, your job, your kids, your finances, your health, and see if you can allow God to stay “bigger” than all of those things. Acknowledge him in each and every issue, acknowledge that he has wisdom and revelation for you. Notice the smallest, most subtle idea that arises. Make not of it, make sure it’s consistent with scripture, then act on it. You hear and see God better than you think, try it and watch him lead your paths.
Hold A Vision of God's Word in Your Heart
Carnal thinking: I am depressed
Spiritual thinking: The joy of the Lord is my strength
It's really that simple...or is it?
Knowing the truth is simple but applying it takes wisdom. We know that carnal thinking leads to death and spiritual thinking leads to life and peace (Romans 8:6). The question that should leave you with is this; how do I think spiritually and how does it produce life and peace?
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Carnal mindedness isn't necessarily depraved, sinful thinking, carnal thinking in its most basic form just leaves God out. Carnal thinking reasons based on what seems logical according to the way of the world. Spiritual thinking reasons based on God's ways and the fact that God can make a way where there is no way.
Carnal thinking is influenced by what it can see, spiritual thinking realizes there's an unseen element in the equation that can change things. Spiritual thinking realizes that with God, all things are possible. If you are facing a challenge and don't see how God can do anything about it, you're limited to what makes sense carnally and you simply need to repent.
Carnal thinking: I am depressed
Spiritual thinking: The joy of the Lord is my strength
It's really that simple...or is it?
Knowing the truth is simple but applying it takes wisdom. We know that carnal thinking leads to death and spiritual thinking leads to life and peace (Romans 8:6). The question that should leave you with is this; how do I think spiritually and how does it produce life and peace?
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Carnal mindedness isn't necessarily depraved, sinful thinking, carnal thinking in its most basic form just leaves God out. Carnal thinking reasons based on what seems logical according to the way of the world. Spiritual thinking reasons based on God's ways and the fact that God can make a way where there is no way.
Carnal thinking is influenced by what it can see, spiritual thinking realizes there's an unseen element that can change things. Spiritual thinking realizes that with God, all things are possible.
If you are facing a challenge and don't see how God can do anything about it, you're limited to what makes sense carnally and you simply need to repent, change the way you think.
This article is more than an exercise in defining carnal and spiritual thinking, it's an exercise in wisdom, taking the next step to apply the truth.
I have a question for you, do you really believe that spiritual thinking is life and peace? How is it life and peace? Why is it life and peace? When exactly does spiritual thinking become life and peace? Is there something magic about spiritual thoughts that makes things happen?
To answer those questions you have to understand the nature of influence and the concept of seedtime and harvest. Over and over Jesus instructs us to hold his word in our hearts. He teaches that holding his words in our hearts will bear fruit. That fruit is the very thing that God expects from his children, in fact, it's the only way to actually bear the kind of fruit he expects. But the question remains, how does holding his word in our hearts and spiritual thinking produce life and peace?
Here's the answer...it transforms you. That's it. As you think about what's true and get a vision for it in your heart, it grows into your life. As you begin to think like Jesus thinks, you will live like Jesus lives. It's really that simple. It's so simple that we think it's too simple and we just don't do it. Or we think about his words in terms of laws and we become focused on our lack of holy living and boil the whole process down to performance-based religion.
Spiritual thinking works because it changes us. As we change, our choices and actions change. As our choices and actions change, our lives change.
I wish I had something more mystical or profound to tell you but it's just really that simple. Thinking like Jesus thinks brings about the changes we want to see in our lives. It shapes us to follow him into the good plans he has for us and the abundant life we can experience.
Try this...
Think of an area in your life where you're frustrated and it seems like prayers aren't being answered. Maybe you're depressed, your marriage is in trouble, your grandson is on drugs, your job doesn't pay enough, a loved one is sick, etc...
Now think about how that makes you feel when you pray about it. Does it seem like it's impossible to change the situation?
Now ask yourself this, can Jesus change this?
Look in the Gospels and see if you can find a place in Jesus' life that relates to your situation.
Now see Jesus facing your situation as he faced it when he walked the earth. See it to the degree that it begins to feel possible that something can be done about what you're facing.
There's nothing magic about meditation or visualization, it just makes God's promises and intervention seem like a possible option. Getting a vision of God's intervention in your life, based on the track record of Jesus, makes his promises believable. I pray that you engage the process to the degree that God's faithfulness to his word and his promises in his word not only seem possible to you but they begin to be more real and true to you than the thing you're facing.
You can trust God, he is faithfiul and he will show himself faithful to you! God keeps his promises!