Canaan City of Refuge Church
WORD OF THE MONTH-August’18
Fixing the Outlook
Then Jesus[a] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes,
his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Mark 8:25
Then Jesus
[a]
laid his hands on his eyes again;
and he opened
his eyes, his sight was
restored, and he saw
everything clearly.
Dear believers,
Even at the news of the great political stalwart passing away,
once again the sovereignty of God and the realm of eternity is
brought to the fore.
Life on earth is just the miniscule paradigm of eternal life.
Just like st.Paul says in 1 cor 13:12
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall
see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I am fully known.
What we see now around us, and, of us, is not permanent ..IT
ALL WANES AWAY AS DOES THE BREATH OF LIFE.
In this epistle, I’m going to elucidate the course of events
triggered by the attitude and actions of two prototypes,who were
trying to fix their outlook.
One was the blind man at Bethsaida who was fixing his outlook
while receiving the miracle of physical vision in it’s perfection.
Another was Samson, who was fixing his focus to get into
alignment with his heavenly vision.
So whatever ur need be or vision be,
1.Recognize the need/burden/vision
2. Fix ur focus
3. Align ur faith
In the mark 8:23,context given above, the blind man receives
sight in stages. We do not know why Jesus led him through a
process of healing and restoration. There are other blind men
whom we read of in the gospels who receive sight immediately.
This particular man was brought for healing by a group of
people whom Jesus precluded from witnessing the miracle. The
blind man was personally led out of the village by Jesus’ hand
and was also warned not to enter the village again.
The crowd could’ve served as crutch to the blind man…a crutch
can help the lame walk but not lead, a cane can help the blind
discern but not dictate.
So sometimes, God expects us to express what we really wish
for and whether we want it in earnest apart from what our
intercessors, well-wishers and helpers wish for us.
The other blind men who were healed, cried out with a loud
voice, saying “Jesus,Son of David ,have mercy on me”.(luke
18:38)…
So they were already prepared to receive the miracle and they
had received the revelation that Jesus was the son of God who
was powerful enough to heal them.
They registered their need,
Sought it from the right source
And were relentless in their pursuit….
No body interceded for them…in fact they were hushed by the
mob and were simply asked to shut up..
But nothing could control their powerful urge to be blessed that
matched up to the power of God that flows unbridled when faith
and desperate prayers trigger it.
So they were healed instantly…
On the contrary, in the
case of this blind man
of Bethsaida , there
was nothing that
triggered the power of
healing. There was a
need in the man and
yet, he did not feel for
it neither was he fully
moved to claim the
miracle implicitly.
He was like a mute spectator who was drawn suddenly on to the
centre stage, little knowing that the plot revolved around him…
He was just waiting but not waiting on God…
Perhaps the people who brought him were a band of
disbelievers, with a curious motive to test the power of the son of
God, rather than to wish the blind men healed. They beg Him to
touch the blind man but
1.God leads him astray
2. elicits the earnest desire out of him
3. warns him not to go back
So Jesus had to incite his desire to be healed…
He heals him gradually, thereby raising his belief that a miracle
would happen, unravelling the power that was embedded in His
touch and releasing him to release his numbness to blindness.
In the course of the miracle, he also tests his honesty when
God wants u to be geared up and exited to receive your
miracle…He wants u to claim it and wait on Him to receive it
by faith. If the worldly excitement wears u off,u become only
stale and composed when it comes to God and spiritual
activities like prayer, praise and anointing that breaks the
yokes. Beware that your worldly preoccupations, concerns and
companinships do not become your obsessions that’ll be hard
to wriggle free from.
Once u sense God, opening the eyes of your heart…you will see
what your eyes couldn’t see. Your outlook towards life and it’s
wants, will change and eventually change you into a new
creature in Christ.
As days drag on, you will not be depressed by the emptiness of
life but remain joyful at the fullness of eternal life.
Paul knew, this transient life on earth is just a dim reflection of
the glorious eternal life…
The blind man could’ve remained partially blind all his lifetime
if he did not confess that the miracle is still undone. He who was
mute till then, spoke up for himself and his invigorated spirit
tore out of the misty layer of diffidence and despondency.
Dear believers, are u stranded in your belief…saying I believe
in God and I believe there is a need but do u believe that God
can meet your need.. if not, you are still a partial believer.
The gap between u and God is not ur need, but the absence of
ur conviction towards ur need.
Build a bridge with ur desire and faith as the two walls and let
ur love for God become the bridge path..what starts in need,
desire, and faith will grow into love and the bridge path would
one day rest on the invisible wings of love for God…
If u r lying low in your faith and your needs are like unto the
stones tied to ur self, dragging u to the depths…
Break free from the ropes of despair, release yourself from the
weight of ur need but not the need in itself…see ur stone turn to
stick and ur burdens Into blades that will propel you to the top.
The very pillars that were used to keep Samson bound became
the weapon to destroy his enemies. He just did not see it as an
impediment, but as an indictment upon the enemy. He came to
terms with the heaven’s vision only after the loss of his physical
vision.
So remember, what comes to bind you, supress you and depress
you; be it a sickness, disease, loss, strife or sorrow, our God can
always turn it into a miracle tomorrow.
God’s word says “I will turn over ur bed of sickness”. Get ur
focus tight, set ur goal right , no matter what comes ur way,
remember to look straight and God is ready with ur reward.
U need God not just for ur needs, but to reveal to you what you
need. Because sometimes, satan might blind you to your needs
before blinding your faith on God and finally God himself.
U could be living life to its half with your worldly outlook…live
life to its fullest by looking out to God and his provisions.
Confess that the miracle is still undone…sometimes it is not the
will of God that keeps you away from ur miracle but the lack
of your will.
God is raising the bar…he is working up your faith levels, and
wants u to aspire for greater miracles and the wholesomeness of
a spirit filled life..
Are you game for it…let ur adversity become the bait to ur
victory.
Fixing the outlook through the lens of eternity,
Monicamanoj
- Canaan Church E-magazine August 2018 Download Now
click here Canaan Church First Service of the Month | 01-08-2018
