Lift up your eyes and see: Guard your heart – Part 3

The basis of this title originated from God instructing Abram to “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are…” Read Genesis 13:14 (ESV). Now, I found an interesting contrast in a verse before God instructed Abram. Prior to Abram’s instruction, the Bible says, “…And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.” Read Genesis 13:10 (NKJV). Now I find this interesting because Lot also looked, and he saw what he thought was a beautiful land; not knowing that the land he looked at and saw was going to be a real problem for him. Lot saw with his natural eyes, and that caused him a whole lot of trouble. Here we can see the implication of natural sight as against spiritual sight.

What might seem an innocent ordinary look might turn out to be the start of a massive problem; as we see in Genesis 14 (Lots capture and rescue). Sometimes my beloved, seeing is not believing, Lot saw with his natural eyes and believed, but Abram saw with the eye of his heart, and that was more real than what Lot was looking at. I believe one of the main differentiator between how Abram and Lot saw was down to how their hearts were prepared. And I think it is time you and I pay attention and learn some lessons from Abram and Lot. I believe, one of the greatest challenges facing the Body of Christ in our time is an inability to see with the eyes of our heart. Recall the Bible saying, “A heart that is not prepared to seek the Lord will do evil.” Read 2 Chronicles 12:14 (KJV). And quite clearly, we see this play out in the life of Lot.

The Bible says, “Guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life.” Read Proverbs 4:23 (NLT). Watch this, the course of your life I believe is determined by what you can see through the eyes of your heart, hence the question arises again; what do you see? The Bible further mentions “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart.” Read Luke 6:45 (NIV). In other words, if your heart is filled with darkness, what you see would be obscured, but if filled with Gods word, then the produce of your heart will lead to frutifulness. Jesus made this amazing statement when He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; He has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see.” Read Luke 4:18 (TLB). Jesus was not referring to physical blindness, but an inability to see through the eyes of the word. And I truly believe God has orchestrated things in the realm of the Spirit in such a way that it can  only be embraced and seen with the eyes of our hearts. And I think, this is where a lot of us Christians fail, but God has given us His promise in saying, “I will enlighten the eyes of your heart to see...”

Abrams and Lots outcome is evident by the relative peace of Abram compared to the stress Lot went through, and this was as a result of their ability or inability to see. If you want a peaceful life, then see what the Lord wants you to see with the eyes of your heart, only then will you have it made. The Bible counsels us like this by saying, “The people who walk in [spiritual] darkness will see a great Light; those who live in the dark land, the light will shine on them.” Read Isaiah 9:2 (AMP). So here we can see there is hope for the person who is not able to see well. The Lord will cause great light to shine; when you lift up your eyes and look through the eyes of your heart. 

What do you see? I am not just asking a blank question; my intention is to challenge us to dig deep, search our hearts and soul. It is critically important you and I respond to this question. It might just be the trigger you and I need to experience the God kind of life in this earth, and the God kind of life the Bible says is “Out of His fullness, have we all received, grace upon grace, blessings upon blessings, favor upon favor.” Read John 1:16. Hallelujah

Finally, God is saying this to us, “Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. Read Proverbs 4:25 (AMPC).

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