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FAITH.005
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1992-10-03
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FAITH PRINCIPLES No.5.
THE EYE OF FAITH
Rev. Jerry Falwell, one of America's most notable preachers,
founder of the 20,000 member Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia,
and the driving force behind the quasi-political organisation Moral
Majority, declares that "the difference between mediocrity and
greatness is vision". The Bible states this premise clearly- Prov.
29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish", or as
alternate versions state it, "Where there is no ongoing vision, the
people run amuck'', or "where there is no progressive vision, the
people dwell carelessly". In other words, in order for us to
aspire to the greatness for which God designed us, a clear vision
of our future and its possibilities must be held in clear focus.
1. UNFOCUSED FAITH
one of the major reasons why many people are not successful in
their faith life, and achieve little, is because of the
vagueness of their vision. They have no goals or definite
expectations and have never "focused" their faith on anything
specific. Consequently they drift through life, being
manipulated by circumstances and other people. Hab. 2:2
declares that we should "write the vision and make it plain
that he may run that readeth". our goals and aspirations in
God need to be so specific that they can be written down and
made plain to those we seek,to communicate them to. The prime
prerequisite for a clear vision is a word or "rhema" from God.
I Sam. 3:1 tells us that there was no word (rhema) in Eli's
day and there was no open vision in Israel. Eli was also
blind - but it has a physical manifestation of a spiritual
condition.
Is. 28;7 says that "the priest and prophet err in vision and
they stumble in judgement" and this is an apt description of
the condition existing in Eli's time.
2. THE PURPOSE OF THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Contrary to popular Pentecostal opinion, the Holy Spirit is
not given to us merely to:
a) bless us;
b) make us speak in tongues;
c) work miracles; and
d) give us power to witness,
although He will produce all these effects and more.
Joel 2:28-29 shows us that the Holy Spirit comes to make us a
"Prophetic people" fulfilling the cry of Moses, "I would that
all the Lord's people were prophets" (Num. 11:29). Part of
this prophetic facility is released in the ability to see
visions and dream dreams. The power of the Holy Spirit
enables us to see God's plans and desires, to conceive God's
ideas. The natural man cannot do this. God says that His
thoughts and ways are higher than man's ways and then declares
that when He sets an idea in motion, it will not return to Him
void but will produce results, and He likens the process to
sowing and reaping. (Is. 55;8-11) We need supernatural insight
to grasp God's intention and this ability is released to us in
the Holy Spirit. He searches the mind of God and reveals it
to us so that we can have a valid vision. 1 Cor. 2:10.
3. A VALID VISION
God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Human negativity
and unbelief cannot conceive Divine plans. we need the Holy
Spirit's revelation so that we can dream dreams, plan plans,
think thoughts and see visions that are big enough for God to
fit into. Most of our ideas are so puny, so shortsighted and
devoid of the element of faith that God cannot fit into them.
For example:
a) Moses had a desire to bring deliverance to his people
while he still
lived in Pharoah's palace, but his plan was so puny. He
tried to bring about release for one individual instead
of "seeing" the loftier vision
of deliverance for the whole nation.
b) Gideon went out against the Midianites with 30,000
soldiers, but it left too little room for God to work.
When the army was reduced to 300, God
had room to move in the situation (judges 7:2) and was
glorified instead of Israel.
c) One of the basic requirements for a miracle is an
impossible situation. without an impossibility we do not
need miracles and can work it out ourselves without God.
He has most latitude when we have none. Man's extremity
is God's opportunity.
4. THE POWER OF VISION
When we focus our believing, either positive or negative, we
are laying hold of things in the invisible realm and bringing
those unseen things into this tangible world by "seeing it"
before it can be naturally seen.
One of the clearest examples of the power of our vision to
work either positively or negatively is found in the situation
of Israel's twelve spies in Num. 13:28-33.
The spies saw the problems. They focused on the sheer size of
the task before them and consequently they were in their own
sight as grasshoppers. Their vision was negative but it had
power to produce a powerful result. It bound them with fear
until they were incapable of going into Canaan.
Caleb and Joshua saw the possibilities and declared that they
were able to go in at once and so powerful was the result of
their vision of the possibilities, that they alone out of that
entire generation finally did go into Canaan. Caleb, forty
years after his original vision of victory was able to
overcome the sons of Anak and gain his desired portion of
Canaan.
Dr. Yonggi Cho calls this spiritual vision the "spotted and
speckled principle". The experience of Jacob putting rods
before the eyes of the cattle and sheep when they were
conceiving - Gen. 30:37-43. whatever type of rods were in
their vision at the time of conception was the type of lamb or
calf they eventually bore. In other words, what we see is
what we conceive and produce.
This spiritual "pregnancy" in us is begun by a "rhema" from
God. If we will "see" it, the thing desired will grow in the
unseen realm until the time of its birth.
we see the project by:
a) Desiring it, or mentally visualising it. Denis Waitley,
a well known psychologist and motivational expert states
that the brain cannot differentiate between that which is
real and that which is vividly imagined. He concludes
that if a person can see the thing he or she desires as
a fact, they will be enable to bring it to pass, ie
"Reality equals Desire multiplied by Vividness".
4. b) Seeing it in an illustration, object or picture.
c) Describing it constantly
d) Confessing it as a fact-
Canon Jim Glennon of St. Andrews Cathedral, Sydney, and
greatly used in healing ministry states, "Once having seen the
promises of God and having accepted them as applying to you
personally, you must ever afterwards describe yourself in
terms of that faith vision".
5. FOCUS ON THE INVISIBLE REALITY
Since almost all of the things we need to bring to pass by
faith are impossible or invisible at the moment, we must learn
to see beyond the obvious into the unseen realm. Although
these things cannot be felt they are none the less real.
d) 2 Kings G shows us that although the servant of Elisha
could not see the angelic hosts, they had been there all
the time and Elisha could see them. His servant had to
get his eyes "opened" to be able to see into the in-
visible realm.
b) Heb. 11:1 declares that faith is the evidence of things
not seen. We can know things as a fact which other
people cannot perceive.
c) Noah was able to see things not seen as yet - Heb. 11: 7.
d) Abraham left behind his tangible things and "looked" for
a city which was invisible.
e) The old Testament patriarchs had "seen the promises" afar
off.
f) Moses was not destroyed as Pharaoh commanded because his
parents saw he was a special child - Heb. 11:23.
g) Matt. 6:22 tells us that the "light" or revelation of the
body is in the eyes. Vision lets in light,
h) it was this ability to see into the invisible realm which
altered Job's circumstances (job. 42:5). His restoration
began with "seeing" God.
i) Heb. 11:27 - Moses endured "as seeing Him who was
invisible". As a result of his vision of God he saw that
Egypt's power was broken and forsook Egypt not fearing
the wrath of Pharaoh.
Israel saw only the visible and faltered, but Moses
focused on the invisible reality and triumphed.
CONCLUSION. Paul Meyer, founder of Success Motivation
institute outlines the process of faith in these terms:
"Vividly imagine, sincerely believe, ardently desire,
enthusiastically act, and it must inevitably come to pass."
Jesus said, "What things soever you desire when you pray,
believe that you receive them and you shall have them" - Mark.
11:24.