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Chapter 1: How can we recognize God's guidance in our lives?
Too often, people have no sense of direction because they rely on the physical things to direct and guide them in life instead of walking by faith and believing that God's word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Many Christians are in this state of spiritual blindness where they can't see the doors of opportunity that God has lined up simply because they are not looking through the lens of faith.
And the worst thing about it is that many believers who perceive and believe only through physical eyes will end up wrestling with other people, with their friends, co-workers and so on, without realizing that we wrestle not with flesh and blood. We don't fight with people. We fight the spirit behind them. We fight principalities and powers and dark forces who will hide behind people.
Just consider this for a moment. In Matthew chapter 16, verse 22 to 23, the Bible reads, And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord, this shall never happen to you. But he turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
Jesus heard what Peter said, looked at Peter, but he rebuked the devil. He rebuked the devil. You see, there are times when you have to realize that you're not fighting the person, but you're fighting the demon behind the person. You're fighting the spirit behind the person. And Jesus knew this. He knew this because he walked by faith, not by sight.
And you will never discern a spirit behind a person if you're walking by your physical eyes instead of your spiritual eyes. Spiritual blindness means you'll never discern the demon behind the person if you are walking in the flesh. Jesus looked at Peter but spoke to Satan. He saw through Peter and discerned the spirit that was operating in Peter.
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Chapter 2: What does spiritual blindness mean for believers?
Some of you need to pray for this type of discernment because you're fighting the wrong thing. You're fighting the person when you should be fighting the spirit behind them. And you can only see this. You can only perceive this if you are connected to the spirit realm. Only when your spiritual eyes of discernment are opened can you see who or what is really attacking you.
The Bible also talks about sight in many different ways. The sight that a Christian needs to have is divine sight, supernatural sight, spiritual sight, sight that is brought by walking with the Holy Spirit. And we need this because, firstly, we walk by faith, not by sight, meaning that without faith, you're walking blind as a Christian.
But secondly, we need our spiritual eyes to be open so that we may be able to discern. Without discernment, you're walking blind as a Christian. 2 Corinthians 11 verse 14 says, And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. How will you be able to tell a deceiving devil posing as an angel from a real angel sent from God? You need discernment.
Matthew 24 verse 24 says, For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Let's not underestimate the Bible's warning here. Prophets will appear and they will perform great signs and wonders to deceive, the Bible says.
Meaning that a Christian who's spiritually blind will run and say that this is a great miracle by God, but they will be deceived. But a believer who has spiritual eyes and ears will see a miracle, but they will be sensitive to the spirit behind it. So what exactly did Jesus mean when he said, the eye is the lamp of the body in Matthew 6, 22?
When you understand why the Lord made this statement, only then can you begin to understand why it is so important to have your spiritual eyes open, your good eye open.
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Chapter 3: How can we discern the spirits behind people's actions?
Our eyes are the entrance to our hearts and minds, and as such, they provide a doorway to our very souls. It's not just the eyes that we see clearly, but eyes that also perceive clearly. It's not only what we see, but how we perceive what we see that makes the difference between godliness and ungodliness, between light and darkness. Bad eyes are stingy. They lust.
They idolize material possessions, money, and wealth. Bad eyes produce spiritual darkness. Good eyes walk by faith. Good eyes don't see the situation around them. They see the God in the situation. Good eyes see the obstacles, but they also see a God who can overcome obstacles. Good eyes see the sin and hates the sin but loves the sinner and sees their soul.
A good eye walks, sees and perceives by faith. When we walk by faith, we are walking in the confidence of God's word. But the devil wants you to believe only what you can see through your physical eyes when in fact the unseen spiritual realm is more real than what you can see. So let me encourage you today.
Pray that you may be given sight, spiritual sight, spiritual discernment in order to navigate this life. Faith must be part of our everyday lifestyle. When we walk by faith, we are expressing to God that we have confidence in him and his word. Walking by faith should be part of our daily routine. The more faith you have, the larger God will grow in your sight, in your vision, in your life.
To walk by faith requires that we become familiar with the promises that God has given to us. The Bible is filled with promises for believers. Nothing is more encouraging or nurturing to our faith than reading the promises of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And so spiritual sight, spiritual wisdom comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.
The Bible makes plenty of references about the types of people you should not be around. And before I go any further, take a moment to answer the question, would God approve of everyone that's in my circle of influence?
Psalm 1 verse 1 paints a clear picture when speaking of the kinds of people who should be in our lives because the Bible says, There's so much wisdom and guidance in this single verse when you really examine it.
a person is blessed when they are diligent about who they walk with which path they stand on and which seat they sit on so ask yourself the following questions about those around you who am i walking with which path am i standing on and where am i sitting now who are the ungodly people you need to be watchful of those who are morally wrong
those who are actively bad, those who are wicked or unjust. Your faith, your salvation is a precious thing that you have to guard and nurture. For you to walk under the counsel of the ungodly, you are putting your faith and salvation at risk. Now, this teaching is not to say you cannot or should not interact with unbelievers, no.
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Chapter 4: What is the significance of having spiritual sight?
Proverbs 13 verse 20 says, he who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. So let's explore how the company you keep can affect you. Take a look at Tom, who's a Christian. His childhood friend Brian considers himself a free spirit and always teases Tom by saying, at least I'm not bound by religion.
Tom and Brian have many conversations about faith, God, and Christianity. Brian always challenges Tom. How do you even know who wrote the Bible? It's a form of mind control. Why don't you ever want to get drunk with us? Because of your God? Where was your God when your house got robbed? Doesn't he protect you? Tom's faith is constantly being hammered by negative words.
Tom's faith is consistently hammered by words of discouragement, words of dejection. What do you think it'll do to Tom for him to always hear toxic words like that? Inevitably, seeds of doubt will be sowed. If Tom continues a close friendship with Brian, will his faith grow? Will his belief grow? What happens when Tom goes through a storm in his life? Do you think Brian will encourage him?
Chapter 5: How does our faith influence our perception of reality?
Let's take another practical application to Proverbs 13, verse 20, which says, "'He who walks with wise men will be wise, "'but the companion of fools will be destroyed.'" I once heard an interesting illustration about the people in your inner circle. If you run a hundred meters with your friends and you constantly beat them, eventually you will become complacent.
Eventually you'll get to a stage where you won't try as hard because no one challenges you. But if you were to go and run a hundred meters with professional athletes, you might come in last, but your time will be faster. Probably much faster than when you run with your friends and come in first place. But do you know why that is?
The level of effort you put in while running with athletes is greater than you would exert with your friends. And although this example isn't exactly a biblical one, it's another angle that shows that the company you keep can have an effect on you.
Now, imagine if those friends weren't runners, but they were men and women who were on fire for God, men and women who were mightily used by God, men and women who were prayer warriors. Imagine having people like that in your inner circle. What kind of effect would that have on your own walk with God? How much would you grow in faith if you were to surround yourself with such people?
So back to those three questions. Who am I walking with? Which path am I standing on? And where am I sitting? The question is asked in the Bible, Amos 3, verse 3. Can two walk together unless they agree? The people around you, are you walking in agreement and sharing common goal of fighting the good fight of faith? Are you encouraging one another in times of weakness?
Or is the company you keep always throwing questions about your God? Fight to be in the presence of good company. People that challenge you to pray more, to study the word of God more. Your faith in salvation needs to be protected, nurtured, and developed. And just as sure as the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 33, do not be deceived. Evil company corrupts good habits.
Make sure you're not deceived by the mindset that says, the more time I spend with them, the better chance they have of being saved. Your approach should be to love them, minister to them, but don't then fall under their guidance or counsel. Heaven rejoices when sinners repent and we are called to preach the gospel. So do that, but do it with caution.
Do it with love, but also with care for your own faith and salvation so that you are not discouraged yourself. Protect your faith and salvation at all times. Jesus Christ has loved us even as we are. Jesus Christ has and still does show us kindness and mercy and compassion. And in his words, he has given us the commandments to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
And let me tell you, it's in your best interest to forgive and move on, to forgive and let go because Matthew chapter 6 verse 15 says, But if you do not forgive others for their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Bitterness and unforgiveness are inseparable emotions. You can't be bitter about something you've forgiven and let go of.
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Chapter 6: What role does discernment play in identifying deception?
So I encourage each and everyone listening right now, Learn to forgive quickly and strive to imitate Jesus Christ. Let's be people who are full of the love of God in our hearts. Let's do away with arguments and divisions, and let's be kind and helpful to one another. Let's encourage each other in the faith.
Let's be tenderhearted, compassionate, understanding, and willing to advance the kingdom of God over our own self-interests.
I had to get to a stage where I had to stop worrying about the negative comments. I had to stop getting drawn into fights, which are real distractions and energy drainers. Often it's the enemy that tries to throw up all of these conflicts. So you'll waste your time and energy involved in battles that don't matter. Yes, you may be a good person and they may be provoking you.
Yes, what they're saying about you may not be true. But let me tell you, it doesn't matter how good you are, how loving or kind and upstanding. People are people and somebody somewhere is not going to like you. Someone is going to try to discredit you. God can defend you better than you can defend yourself. The way in which we think we should defend ourselves is often not God's will or way.
God says, I am your defender. I am your refuge. I am your strong tower. So we think we have to defend ourselves. We think we have to defend our reputation. We think we have to make them respect us. But in doing so, we are saying, God, it's not enough that you said in your word that you will prepare a table before my enemies. It's not enough that you promised to defend me.
I would rather take matters into my own hands.
The Bible said no weapon formed against you shall prosper. It never said no weapons will be formed. Weapons will be formed by the enemy, but they will not prosper. Weapons will be formed by the enemy, but they will not affect you in any way, shape, or form. These weapons include words because Isaiah 54 verse 17 says, no weapon formed against you shall prosper.
But then it goes on to say, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn. Really get that. Every tongue. Every tongue that rises against you, child of God, you shall condemn, meaning you shall denounce, you shall cast it down. So claim your heritage and speak the word of God over your life.
You see, if you're constantly trying to defend yourself, if you're constantly taking matters into your own hands, it will drain you. It will drain your energy. It will drain your enthusiasm. And the second thing is, if you're constantly taking matters into your own hands, you'll get distracted fighting battles that you were never supposed to fight.
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