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Bible reading: Numbers 13:25 – 33, 14: 1 – 9
Numbers 13:25-33(NKJV) “And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Seeing is a function of sight but perception is a function of the heart. It is possible to see and not perceive. So, perception takes a deeper understanding of what is seen. (Mat. 13:13 -14). Two people may see the same thing but perceive differently as in the scriptures we jus read.
As previously outlined in the preceding part (that is, part 1), two levels of seeing are noted namely:
1. Physical seeing, which is produced by sight. This can only see things that are physically appealing to the eye. This degree or level does not always consider other factors that may influence or affect what is being seen. It cannot see beyond the immediate. And the interpretation of what is seen is always as it is.
2. Spiritual seeing, which can only be produced by spiritual sight (the mind eye or the eye of the spirit). At this level, the physical things you see trigger off spiritual antenna or searchlight to see beyond the physical, so that instead of seeing defeat, you see victory, and instead of failure, you see success.
What you see, and you allow to shape your world largely depends on the state of your heart. The interpretation your heart gives to what you see is what you will get. Your thought is a product of your heart, and your height in life is a product of your thought (Pro. 23:7a).
What do you see – Grasshoppers mentality or winners’ mentality?
The realities of what the spies saw were only realities created by the prevalent situation, they however had power to create their own realities like Caleb and Joshua did. Seeing through the eyes of faith entails creating your own reality and live in it through your absolute reliance on God.
How should we see as Kingdom representatives?
1. Maintain your positive trust and confession even at the face of fierce tempest
2. Look to Jesus in a difficult situation and let Him lead you through
3. Put your total reliance on the words of God. If God says it, He will do it
4. See from God’s wisdom perspective. See through the eyes of faith
5. Seek to see Jesus before seeing your problems. Possess the mind of Christ in all situations – Phil. 2:5
Building the required sight to see the way God sees
1. Through the word of God – Constantly be in touch with the word of God – Col. 3:16
2. Through prayers and faith in God
3. Through fellowship with the Holy Spirit of God
– Pastor Femi Atode
