WHAT DO YOU SEE? (PART 2)

This is a continuation to the Part 1 of this teaching. I never intended to come up with a Part 2 to the teaching, but having blogged it earlier in the day and had gone for church prayer meeting; the Holy Spirit continued to press some vital issues upon my spirit which I just wish to share as a summary to the Part of the teaching.

One of the best gifts that God has blessed us with is not just the gift of eyes, but of VISION-the ability to see things. “Your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). God has blessed us with the capacity to see things. What you see determines what you become. “But we all, with open face BEHOLDING as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18, Upper Case mine). Did you notice that we ‘BEHOLD’ (See) and then we are changed into what we behold? This is one of the reasons we are encouraged about “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2)…we become more like Him by looking to Him. The same way, it is the future you picture (see) that you can feature.

How did Isaac make the error of missing Esau for Jacob? Loss of vision! The Bible says his eyes were going dim; “And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see” (Genesis 27:1). And then the same thing happened to Jacob; “Now the eyes of Israel (Jacob) were dim for age, so that he could not see” (Genesis 39:10). He also did the same by missing the elder son of Joseph for the younger, and then later he placed some curses on some of his own children. Even Eli, “his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see” (1 Samuel 3:2), and by that time open vision had disappeared from him (see verse 1). Loss of vision was among what caused the issues in the life of Eli. It was not that these great men lacked vision…they only lost vision and this had great effect on the generation that came after them.

Now, It appears like every old man should lose the visions of the eyes, but not so, for Moses came, and the Bible says even at old age “his eyes were not dim (and his sight was not fading away), nor his natural force abated” (Deuteronomy 34:7), and no wonder he had what it took to reverse the curses Jacob placed on his children. I believe strongly that men with proper vision have proper understanding and more authority.

Many people are looking, but few people are seeing. I learnt something about Stephen many years ago; when he was being stoned to death, something happened…He lifted up his eyes and “looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). Notice that he looked INTO Heaven not onto Heaven. He saw beyond the clouds and his vision penetrated INTO Heaven. Many are looking unto (and not into) Heaven, just like Nebuchadnezzar did; “I Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes unto Heaven” (Daniel 4:34)…But some people are seeing INTO Heaven; the difference is VISION! With this, nothing moved Stephen anymore, not even the stones being hurled at him. Men of VISION can die for what they are seeing ahead…For them, to die is gain.

Jacob and his sons were affected by the famine that hit everywhere, and one day Jacob sent his sons into Egypt to get food and put an end to famine in their lives. How did he get the information that there was food somewhere? Look at this: “Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons…” (Genesis 42:1). How did Jacob know there was food in Egypt? He SAW! Vision!! His sons were not seeing it, but he SAW it, and this vision put to rest hunger in their family. Vision and poverty cannot exist together; where vision is, there is always a way.

And finally, let me show you how Apostle Paul attained an unusual height in ministry. Galatians 2:1, 2: “Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also” (verse 1). “And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles” (verse 2).

Notice that Paul went UP twice, the first (in verse 1) was by ASSOCIATION (with Barnabas), and this took him 14 years. The second (verse 2) was by REVELATION and was almost immediate. There are two basic ways to climb UP in this context: by association (connection, influence of other ministers and ministries), and by revelation (visions and insights). Association is good, but Revelation is better! Revelation is the accelerator of destiny. If you cannot see things, you cannot be(come) things.

I pray that God will open our eyes of understanding so that we become empowered to see and not just look. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? And certainly the best thing to see is eternal life…keep your focus on making Heaven; Rapture is just about to take place. Let the “Visions of Rapture, bursts on your sight”. God bless you.

(For a better understanding of this Part 2, I encourage you to get the Part 1 of the message from my blog: www.drwilliamsbukola.blogspot.com)