2 Corinthians 4:18 AMPC
[18] Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.
What you see determines what you get. A man is either limited or set free by what he sees. There is actually a hidden power behind what you see, and that is how you choose to interpret or apply what you see. Different people will look at the same situation and come to different conclusions. Different people will come into a place of worship and service, and leave with distinct and diverse experiences. It means that there is a hidden, private process that is linked to what I see, and which will impact my earthly and eternal phases of life. It is not a good defence to say that 'I do not have a choice on what I see or what I hear.' The consequences that are tied to what I allow into my life are too great to be left without some careful consideration and deliberate application.
I have to live on the earthly plane, so there are things I have to process with my physical senses. However, because I am also a spiritual being, with an eternal destination in view, I must prepare the right way for my eternal destination. Even when things around me look confusing, I am not focused so much on the physical reality, than on what God would have me know by the things I can see. I am not ignoring the physical, but I am trusting God to help me see what He is actually doing in and on me. Men may see and interpret the physical as they please, but because I am a child of God, and subject to His leading, guidance and control, I know that there is a work that is going on inside me, which will manifest in the process of time. It is not always easy, because the physical can atimes be overwhelming, but I keep my gaze on the One who says that He is always with me.
That is what the focus has to be. If I fix my gaze on the storms or the wind, at some point, they will look so big. I have to keep my gaze on the One who can hold me through the fierce storms, and still land me safe on the other side. The things I am seeing now, in terms of physical experiences, are all for a season. The best this life has to offer may be 130 years on earth, but there is an end to all we see down here. In fact, God promises a new heaven and a new earth, so what is there on this earth that can be an effective substitute for that which is eternal? What can I hold now that is sufficient consolation if I miss eternity? That is why I focus on the eternal, even whilst living out the physical. I must remember that this earthly phase is at best temporary, along with all it offers. I must make sure I have secured the life that has no end, because that is what really matters. Have you secured the eternal? God's time of favour is here.
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