The enemy wants to blind us

This is the third post on eyes. The last two posts have addressed the subject of opening our eyes and seeing all that the Lord has given us. Open eyes (revelation and illumination) are key to having victory, so it is no surprise that the devil would want to blind us.

Here are some Old Testament illustrations about this point of blinding the eyes.

1. Sampson

He was a powerful man and a force to be reckoned with. His enemies knew that and conspired to trick him and capture him by deception.

Judges 16:21

Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

The Philistines blinded Sampson, bound him, and put him in prison. It is interesting to note that the first thing they did to Sampson was to put his eyes out.

2. Zedekiah

2 Kings 25:7

And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

When Jerusalem was overtaken the enemy took the king and blinded him.

3. The men of Jabesh Gilead

During the time of King Saul the enemy came to this town to overtake and to intimidate.

1 Sam 11:1-2

¹ Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you."
²And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel."

While this situation was overturned by Saul, it is another example of the enemy coming in with the goal to blind the people of God.

The point here is quite clear, vision and seeing who we are is vital to maintaining victory in the Lord. If the enemy can blind our eyes or restrict us from seeing, he can deceive us and try to control us.

This discussion will be continued in another post that addresses some New Testament examples of the enemy wanting to blind the people of God.

Open his eyes that he may see

This is the second post on the eyes and seeing.

The context of the following verses is that Syria is at war with Israel and Elisha and his servant are in a place where the Syrian army comes and surrounds them.

2 King 6:15-17

¹⁵And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"

¹⁶So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." ¹⁷And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

After this, Elisha declares the word of the Lord and the entire Syrian army is blinded and captured.

The point to focus on here is to understand, to see, that Elisha lived with a depth of spiritual sight that most do not have. He saw past the natural and into the spiritual. In this specific instance he already saw the hosts of heaven in the mountains. When his servant was in great fear from what he saw in the natural, Elisha simply asked the Lord to let his servant see what he (Elisha) was already seeing.

No wonder Elisha was calm in the presence of his enemies, because He knew the Lord and His army was with them and greater in number than all the enemies that came to intimidate and attack. Elisha knew in these times before Christ and before Paul’s New Testament writings, that if God be for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31). He knew what John wrote about when he said; greater is He in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

When we know how strong our position is we can be at peace and rest, because we know we have the victory. In sports or in war there are so many stories and examples of when the army/team was so strong and overwhelming that victory was assured before the conflict even started. (The battle is over before it ever starts.)

Our position in Christ is even great than this. In Col 2:14, 15 we read that Christ overwhelmingly triumphed over the devil at the cross. In Eph 1:15-23 it declares the position of complete dominion and authority that Christ has. He is above all that was or is, or is to come.

Having said this, let us go back to the account of Elisha’s servant. When he saw the armies of Heaven he knew at that point they had the victory. The overwhelming might of the Lord was so great that there was no contest. The battle was over before it started.

It was this revelation that David had when he wrote in Ps 23 that even in the midst of valley of the shadow of death, he would fear no evil for the Lord was with him. This was what David saw when he won his victory over the lion and the bear, and then over Goliath in 1 Sam 17. He cried out, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God, and he told Goliath that God was with him and that he would kill the giant and take off his head. He was not arrogant or assuming, he simply knew the might of God was greater than the strength of a giant.

This is the same vision that Joshua and Caleb had when they went into the Promised Land with the other 10 spies. Their report to Moses and to the people was that they would easily overcome the giants (Num 13).

This is the truth and the reality that Christ has provided for all Christians, and the more we can see and know this, the more we can rest in His victory and in His finished work of the cross. Having eyes to see is vital for us. Christ has done so much, His victory and His power is without compare, and the more we see this and understand this the more we will be able to walk in the victory and dominion that He has provided for us.

Upcoming notes will discuss how the enemy has sought to blind us, and how people today (both Christians and non Christians) live in bondage and fear because they do not see what the Lord has done for us.

Open our eyes Lord, that we may see the greatness of Your power and Your love.

Opening our eyes

I will be writing a few posts about having our eyes opened and revelation. In that I will also discuss having our eyes closed, or being blind, and the consequences of that. So here are some introductory thoughts.

One of the things that excites and inspires people is getting new revelation. Seeing new things and having one of those “ah hah” moments where things become clear can be energizing. How many of us have been bogged down by something, but have then had something happen and our eyes are opened – we get a new hope, we see clearly, and we are able to take action.

Revelation is an exciting part of prayer; it opens up new vistas and new possibilities never seen before. This works in the one praying and also in those being prayed for, it is one of those things that God does so well.

2 Peter 1:3 & 4 tell us that we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness, that we have been given great and exceeding promises, and that we are partakers of His divine nature.

This section of scripture that has so much in it, and when we can begin to get a glimpse of what He has given to us, we will be changed.

Let’s join together and look to the Lord to open our eyes and the eyes of all His people. Can you imagine how much hope and energy and inspiration could be unleashed if we, if all the people of God, start seeing and understanding who we are in Him and all that we have been given? We are not limited, we are not out on our own, we are not without vision and hope, for He truly has given us so much more than we realize.

Lord, open our eyes, give us revelation and understanding of what we already have in you, and let this be a new time of hope and inspiration and action because revival and enlightenment is coming forth in Your people.

Thoughts on Keeping a Journal

Taking time, on a regular basis, to write out thoughts and prayers is more than just going through the motions. There is something about writing that helps to crystalize our thoughts and help us to remember all that the Lord has done, plus those things we would like to see happen.

Writing in a journal also allows a means to get ones thoughts out from inside so they can be expressed and not just held in. Some hesitate to do this because some of what they would write would be complaints and the expression of negative thoughts towards people and/or circumstances. Well, if you think this is wrong because it is negative, then you should avoid reading many of the Psalms written by David. In so many of his writings he is full of complaints, and even lashes out at God, yet before he is done he gets things reconciled. The same thing can happen with us, the writing gives us an opportunity to get our thoughts out and be able to "unload" which can be a very liberating experience. Many find this a good way to keep negative thoughts from piling up inside, where they become very heavy to carry, and even depressing at times. Prayer and crying out to God can do the same thing, yet I have found more ongoing help as I have been able to write things out. I don't know whay it works that way, but it seems to for lots of people.

A friend of mine writes out things that he prays for, including the date, the person/event, and a short description. Periodically, he then goes back through the journal and takes time to write in how and when the Lord answered prayers. This is somewhat like a spiritual checkbook, where one reconciles answers to prayers instead of checks that have cleared. Even though this sounds simple it is a powerful tool that demonstrates the fact that God answers prayer, and does so on a very regular basis.

I like to write out verses from scripture and what they mean to me, or what way I can apply them. There is something powerfurl about writing out the scriptures, it's like there is some connection to my mind (spirit) that happens as I write that doesn't when I just read or hear the verses. I also find that as I write out the verses that I wind up remembering them very well. I don't go out of my way to try and memorize, but I find that memorization is a side benifit of writng the verses out.

One last thing (at least for now), is that when I write verses out I also will write down the meaning of the words, mostly from the Strong's Concordance (for both the Hebrew and the Greek), but I also use the dictionary and other study aids, or even commentaries. This helps me to get the word into my life, to not just read the words, but to gain more understanding as I see how I can apply it in my life. There are times the Word excites me and gets me into praising the Lord, there are other times that I see promises or keys to pray for (in my life, for others, or in certain situations), and sometimes I get convicted by the Holy Spirit as I see short comings and sins in my life, which will then give me an opportunity to confess and recieve forgiveness. This is putting John 1:9 into action - why don't you write that one out and see what the Lord shows you.

Journaling is a practice that I recommend, and something I will write about in future notes.

Praying in the Spirit and Encouraging One Another

This is a description of a powerful two-fold process.

Part 1 – Praying in the Spirit

Here are a couple of scriptures on praying in the Spirit – these are like a prescription from the Lord, to take/apply continually throughout the day.

1 Cor 14:4a
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself

Jude 20 & 21
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

God moves in and through Christians, the Spirit of God that is in us and is alive and active. This is why it is so important to apply the above two verses. This is letting the stream of life flow. John 7:38 tells us that the Spirit flows out of our innermost being, out of our heart.

Keep this flow going, keep speaking in tongues and don't try to figure it out. After you think you have prayed in toungues enough, do it some more. Paul told us that when we speak in tongues our mind is not fruitful but our spirit is moved (1 Cor 14:14). He tells us to pray both in the Spirit and with our understanding.

Here is the point - this process cleans the vessel. The flow of life is like a spiritual dishwasher, it cleans you up. When water flows through a pipe or a channel, it is kept clean. Only when the flow is stopped is when the debris starts to build up. When we keep the flow of the Spirit going in us, it keeps us cleaner and it also strengthens us.

Part 2 – Encouraging one another.

Jesus told us that we need to wash one another’s feet (John 13). We need this because the dust of the world accumulates on our feet as we walk in the world. Remember, even the perfect and sinless Lord needed to get His feet washed. Walking in the world made Jesus dirtyon the outside and He needed the foot washing.

Today we can do spiritual foot washing, where we refresh one another with the life and the flow of the Lord. (This comes from Chapter 8 of a book by Watchman Nee, called Love not the World) As we share life and scripture with each other it cleanses us on the outside and washes us from the dust of the world. We all have those times and days were we get bogged down, and when a brother/sister shares life with us it has an almost immediate effect of lifting our Spirit and refreshing us. This is like the washing of the feet by others to clean off the dust and the trappings of the world.

Now the really wonderful and powerful thing about this is that we can do both of these things together and we get cleaned and refreshed on both the inside and the outside.

As we practice both speaking in tongues and sharing life and encouragement with one another, we help to strengthen each other. This is what Paul talked about as he spoke of each joint supplying for the needs of the body, and how we grow together in love.

I pray this has been a blessing to you.