Set Your Gaze on the Unseen

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 TPT

16 So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day. 17 We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison, 18 because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.

Man, these 3 verses have been my everything as I walk through my current season of life. I cling onto these words for dear life! I meditate on it daily, multiple times a day, and I even wrote a song around it that I sing to the Lord because it brings much comfort!

We all know how life can sometimes be overwhelming at times. Some days we feel we are standing as tall as a giant on the mountaintop. And then there are those days where we are so deep in a valley that our mountaintop experience feels as though it has vanished.

First let me tell you that you are not alone! You have a community here if you ever need prayer or support – just send a reply to this message or contact our team through the site and we’ll reach back out. But even greater than this, God is with you in the valley holding your hand!

I love these scriptures above because it gives us deeper understanding and perspective on how to handle difficult situations – especially as we mature and grow in our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes I fear that many people give up on their walk with the Lord because they have this false perception that when we receive Christ all suffering will cease and life will now become a walk in the park. Before we go any further, let me correct this form of thinking by letting you know that we’ll all go through difficult times and seasons of despair. Jesus makes this very clear to us in John 16:33 where he says “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” So I just want to give comfort to whoever may be reading this and wants to give up on God because you feel that He isn’t real or near due to your past or present circumstances. He is real, He is with you, but you have to hold on! What you are facing is not to break you, but to build you!

In today’s newsletter, I want to share my perspective on how the Lord has taught me to walk through my valley seasons with Him, filled with hope, confidence, peace and assurance that He’s near. I’m in a season now and can speak from experience, you’re not alone!

In 2 Corinthians 4, we are taught that our troubles on earth are temporary in light of eternity. We are taught to focus our attention on what is unseen and not on what is seen! This is sooooooo good! Whenever we feel stuck, frustrated, disappointed, angry, hopeless, etc. the enemy’s tactic is to have us gaze on what’s not going right. His scheme and plot is to have us fixated on what we see with our natural eyes. But the true secret in making it out of your storm victorious is to be intentional on where you rest your lens! If we are going to walk this walk in maturity, we must fix our eyes on the eternal prize of meeting Jesus. I am not negating that what we experience does not cause real pain and distress! Our emotions are valid and it’s important to acknowledge them, but we cannot stop here. We have to come to the place where we can say “Lord, I know this is my situation, but I am looking to you! I am setting my gaze on you knowing that what I experience here on earth is temporary and being in your presence is eternal!”

The enemy loves to distort the concept of time in our eyes. He tries to make us feel like we’ll never get through our troubles. He wants to make us feel like God won’t come through for us because it’s been too long. But the devil is stupid and he’s a liar. I hate him! Listen to me clearly, God is with you! These troubles that you face are absolutely short in time when you focus your gaze on eternity. When you realize that earth is not your forever home and that your current situations will fade, it produces a peace and confidence to walk through the valley with your head held high! Does this mean that you will no longer experience pain, heartache and frustrations that come with whatever difficult season you are experiencing? Not at all! You will still experience these feelings at times. But you will have more peaceful days than not! You will develop a deepened hope in Christ knowing that He will come through. It will build your faith in Him and mature your fellowship and intimacy with Him.

There’s a reason why the Lord is allowing you to go through whatever season you are in. When we shift our gaze from what is seen to the unseen realm (eternity), the scripture above says that our difficulties become a substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison. Could God be allowing certain circumstances to happen because He wants to deepen you in the knowledge of who He is? How many times have we prayed, “Lord, I want to know you more! Show me your glory! Take me deeper!” I know I have countless of times. But what I am realizing now is that my difficult seasons are the answers to these prayers above. As I sit at the feet of Jesus, pouring my soul out and shifting my lens on eternity, I am growing deeper and deeper in Him. I am receiving revelation from the Father that I could have only experienced through these tough moments of life. My troubles now are producing a weighty glory as Paul speaks of above!

I say all this to say, don’t run away from God in your difficult moments. Don’t fall into self-pity thinking it’s not fair that your story is written differently. Don’t even ask God to quickly take you out of a season you know you have to walk through. But endure till the end! Shift your lens on Jesus. Set your gaze on eternity. Remember that earth is not the final destination and that your current obstacles will diminish in the light of eternity. Remember that submitting to the Father in seasons of weeping and mourning will produce a weighty glory. It will give you greater insight into the heart of the Father. And when you come out victorious, your story will bring glory to those who hear it!

The only way to go deeper in God is to set your gaze on Him at ALL times! Never change your lens outside of His face! May God’s glory surround you and cover you as you pursue Him in every season.

Prayer:

Lord, I pray for every person who has read this newsletter today. I pray that today was a reminder that you are Emmanuel – our God who is with us. Father I pray that your sons and daughters receive strength to hold onto you and to further pursue you. I pray that they will set their face like flint, knowing that they will not be put to shame. Lord, I pray you give them a revelation of eternity as you did for me to help them deal with earthly troubles with confidence and assurance that you are near and worth enduring for. Lord give them your peace that surpasses all understanding. As they hold onto you through their journey, I pray that a weighty glory will be produced far beyond all comparison. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Love you all! Until next time…