Thursday, April 19, 2012

Spiritual vision comes when………

“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.   But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness.   And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”   Matthew 6:22-23

“But if your eye is evil.” (KJV).  The evil eye refers to self-centeredness and covetousness, insincerity, critical spirit, sinful intentions, selfish desires and self-centered motives. (Deut. 15:9), (Proverbs 28:22), (Matthew 20:10-15), (Proverbs 23:6, 7), (Mark 7:21-23).

 If the eye of the heart, the eye of our understanding, the eye of our desires, motives and intention be focused on the satisfaction of self or on the praise of men, our actions will be the results of the darkness within.

 If our hearts receive not the light of God’s Word, if our conscience is darkened and unenlightened, if our motives be impure and selfish, if our actions be directed by sinful thoughts, then our conduct, character and behavior will be works of darkness.

We shall be judged by God and shall be punished in everlasting darkness, eternally separated from God and from the light of His glory.

We need single-mindedness, a single eye, pure motives, pure minds, an affection completely fixed on God and His glory.  Then shall we walk, moment by moment, in His light, preparing to live in the eternal light of glory with God and Jesus.

The parable in verses 22 and 23 further explains these messages.  The illustration of the eye in relation to the body is used: there are two kinds of eyes - a single eye, meaning a sound, healthy eye and an evil eye, meaning a diseased, dim, darkened eye.  The single, sound, healthy eye gives light to the body, helping one move towards God and heaven.

The evil, darkened eye cannot see the eternal future, making one to walk in darkness, which will ultimately lead to eternal darkness. The “evil eye” speaks of a heart, mind and conscience darkened by sin, self and Satan. The actions and motives of the “body” directed by an “evil eye” will be sinful, self-centered and Satan-controlled.



Our spiritual perception determines our spiritual fate.  Therefore great care must be taken to respond to the light that leads to truth. Jesus is the light of the world and He has been placed for all to see.  His teaching is given openly, but it must be received.

 We are responsible for our spiritual condition by how we respond to that light. If we take in Jesus’ light, we will be spiritually healthy.  We will be able to discern the choices of life with spiritual perception.  We will be able to give off light, reflecting God’s truth by the way we live. But rejection of that light has a tragic ending: it produces darkness and leads to certain destruction.

Jesus declares in John 12:46, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness”.  Spiritual vision then comes when you turn your eyes away from the world, away from self, away from materialism, and turn your eyes wholly upon God.



May God speak to each one of us and give us a clear perception of spiritual things. We want our eye to be single. We want to come to Jesus, the light of the world, with single-hearted devotion to Him.




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