Discernment through spiritual eyes

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength. Ephesians 1:17-19

The Apostle Paul interceded for the Christians in Ephesus that God will open the eyes of their heart so they could understand and appreciate the life they have in Christ. This is what God wants every believer to constantly experience; that they will have the spiritual insight and apply God’s wisdom to their daily activities. The more you appropriate this ability that God provided, the Holy Spirit will help you grow in discerning God’s will for your life. “And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will” (Romans 8:27). When you were not yet a follower of Christ, you did not have the capacity to understand spiritual matters for they are spiritually discerned. “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:14). Without the Spirit of God in you, you will have difficulty to ascertain the activities of God even if you are in the middle of it. There is a great difference between having spiritual eyes over human perceptions. With spiritual eyes, you can see an event or circumstance and have a godly perspective that will help you respond properly. You will seek God’s purposes, rely on His leading through the Holy Spirit, and change the direction of your life based on His revelation. A person without spiritual perception and reliance alone to human perspective will not lead to a realization to the eternal or spiritual significance of the same event or circumstance. Spiritual eyes will search for God’s direction while human perspective will hear new philosophies or popular trends in society. So when you are in a confusing situation, even with the noise of the world around you, because of your resolve to hear from God’s voice you will remain calm and steadfast. You know that God is Sovereign and in control of everything and you realize that He alone can be trusted for He is alone is God. This is what Job learned when he started to place his trust in God even in the midst of his difficulties. “Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:1-3). Daily, ask God to help you discern the circumstances of your life and ask Him to provide you spiritual eyes that will help you surrender your will to His will.

Blessings,

Noel De Guzman Westside Baptist Church Los Angeles, CA