Walking with Spiritual Eyes Wide Open

Walking with Spiritual Eyes Wide Open 

by David Brenneman 

The truth of life is there is no hope in wishing.  Wishing gets a mind going with no direction for it to achieve.

As we're getting closer to Easter, some reading plans are already covering the time in the Garden of Gethsemane, the beatings, the mock trial, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  I know mine is.  

Jesus, in praying, we read Him telling His Father wanting His will to be done, not His own. 

We're creature's of sensory perception as well as creature's of thought perception.  

However, in praying, we're going beyond both.  

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1.

In a lesson with His Disciples, Jesus taught concerning having faith as a mustard seed...note that typical description is that particular seed is the smallest of all seeds.  This lesson followed them being told they couldn't cast out a particular type of demon because of the littleness of their faith.

Their faith at that time wasn't even as big as a mustard seed. 

Last night was a rough one for me.  Physically I was in pain. Not sure what was the cause.  Prayer was where I went with it.  Not the doldrums of wishing.  

With our desires comes great responsibility...have you ever considered that?  Jesus's prayers were not of His will but only that of His Heavenly Father.  Consider well the disastrous consequences of King Hezekiah's prayer request about his pending death. Had he chosen the Lord's will to be done, his offspring wouldn't have been born who became one of the most evil of the Kings.

Our lives in Christ are to be about His will being done as well.  In Proverbs we read of the wisdom of King Solomon...yet had he too listened to his own counsel His own kingdom wouldn't have resulted in a split of the children of Israel. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.  Jesus was standing on this when He prayed "not my will, but yours be done".

I could have just as easily wallowed in my misery last night and put off my evening Bible readings...but that wouldn't have been His will for me.  That would have been my will for me.

Weeks ago I wrote of a plan of action concerning temptations...to remind myself that I have been given the ability to properly respond to temptations with "No! I love Jesus more than ______". 

We also choose to pray or choose to not pray.  We choose to either trust God or trust our own desires.  

My Dear Reader...choose wisely.  We all will give an account of our choices. Choose wisely...with your Spiritual eyes wide open.  

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.