Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes (5 page)
Read Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes Online
Authors: June Hunt
(P
SALM
32:7).
T
he Nazis wielded terror over all who were not like them in race, religion, or rule. During World War II, the primary target of hate was the Jews: Their power stripped, property confiscated, people confined—and killed—in concentration camps. In Nazi-dominated Holland, the Ten Boom family had carefully hidden hundreds of Jews in their “hiding place”—a secret place in their home above their watch shop.
Then on February 28, 1944, what they feared most happened—the hiding place was discovered! The Gestapo arrested the Ten Boom family. Their crime? Hiding Jews. Their punishment? Immediate transport to a concentration camp.
As two of the sisters in the Ten Boom family (Corrie and Betsie) waited in line to be searched, Corrie asked God if He would keep the Bible tucked inside her clothing hidden from view. “Dear God…You have given me this precious Book; You have kept it hidden through checkpoints and inspections.” The woman in front of Corrie was searched three times. Corrie’s beloved sister, Betsie, standing behind her, was also searched. Miraculously, the officer never touched Corrie. Her Bible now had a hiding place in a German concentration camp!
7
Filth, disease, beatings, and rape became a part of their struggle for survival. Many probably became embittered toward their captors. But as God spoke to Corrie through the Bible, she knew His Word would keep hatred from her heart. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).
Is there a hiding place for you? A place of healing for your damaged emotions? When you have been treated harshly, you can be free of hatred. Because God hides His truth in you, you are protected from wrong thoughts and choices. The adversary of your life has no power to trap you as long as you stay hidden in the shelter of God’s wings, where you are safe from emotional destruction, hidden from emotional ruin.
The Ten Boom family had their hiding place but only for a brief while. As God’s child, you are hidden in Christ, and by seeing yourself through God’s eyes, you can know you are safe forever!
Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort and there I am blest.
8
Personalize these verses in your own words:
Psalm 17:8
Colossians 3:3
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I am secure because…I am hidden with Christ.
“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the L
ORD
. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’”
(I
SAIAH
1:18).
“He chose us in him before the creation of the world”
(E
PHESIANS
1:4).
S
chool was in session, and everything was fine…fine until it was time for teams to be chosen. As the team captains called out the names of their chosen players, the air filled with awkwardness—at least for one timid teenager who was anything but agile.
Oh God, I hate being chosen last. Please, let somebody want me!
Have you ever longed to be chosen because you were really wanted, because you were really desired? Child of God, the Lord chose you “before the creation of the world.” He chose you because He
wanted
you—not because of your strength, scholarship, or skill. You can take no credit or merit in being chosen. Jesus clearly states, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16).
Many years ago, another child found himself in a situation of being chosen. The Lord sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem, saying, “I have chosen one of his sons to be king” (1 Samuel 16:1). What an unfathomable honor for a family! Yet after Samuel had surveyed Jesse’s seven sons, he said, “The L
ORD
has not chosen these…Are these all the sons you have?” (1 Samuel 16:10-11). Well, there was David, the youngest. But he was away tending sheep—and he certainly was not “king material”! At the prophet’s insistence, however, the lad was brought in. Immediately the Lord told Samuel to choose David, “and from that day on the Spirit of the L
ORD
came upon David in power” (1 Samuel 16:13).
Later, in a most critical battle, we see the giant Goliath completely terrorizing the army of Saul, king of Israel. However, God uses the young, inexperienced David as the man of the hour. Imagine the Israelites’ amazement as they watched David, without armor, approaching Goliath. Just how could this young man be confident of conquest? David knew this simple principle: Whatever God
chooses
for you to do, He will
equip
you to do. In a moment, David single-handedly slew the nine-foot-tall titan. His secret? He understood the true source of strength, declaring before the confrontation, “The battle is the L
ORD
’s” (1 Samuel 17:47).
What truth for you today! When you face the “Goliaths” in your life, remember this: You have been chosen
by
the Lord. As you now see yourself through God’s eyes, have confidence
in
the Lord—the battle is the Lord’s!
Personalize these verses in your own words:
John 15:19
Romans 8:33
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I have confidence because…I am chosen by God.
“You must be born again”
(J
OHN
3:7).
N
o sentence in Scripture has been subjected to more contemporary cynicism, sarcasm, and satire than the impossible-sounding, “You must be born again.” Born again? Jesus left no other option. He said it is a must! But why?
In God’s original creation, Adam and Eve were made in the image of God. The Lord told them they could eat from any tree except for one, or they would die. So what did they do? They took a bite of that forbidden fruit—and what a bitter aftertaste!
They were immediately expelled from their life in the garden paradise. And some might wonder,
But why didn’t they die?
Obviously their bodies didn’t die, nor did their souls (their personalities). But they became spiritually dead. Likewise, all who were born after them were born dead in their sins.
Upon your physical birth you were born with a sin nature (Psalm 51:5). You were born lost, alienated, spiritually dead. What is the only thing a dead person needs? Life! Not sincerity or education, culture or finances, or even religion. When you are dead, you need life.
Spiritually, when you accept Christ, the Savior, to live inside you, you go from death to life. You receive Christ’s life! As a result, you are given a new nature—His nature. And you are given a new spirit—His Spirit.
The phrase “born again,” in the New Testament Greek text, literally means “born anew, born from above.” When the Spirit of God so transforms a life, it can only be described as a dramatic new birth. Oh, child of God, marvel at the beauty of being
born from above!
The critic says, “Impossible! How can a person be born again?” Yet in nature, God has given us the little caterpillar to unravel this mystery for the whole world to see. This drab and dull creature worms its way through life until it dies to its caterpillar existence. Then the impossible occurs: The death of the caterpillar brings forth the birth of the butterfly. Behold—the miracle of the monarch! A two-inch worm unfolds to become a creature with a four-inch wingspan. A pallid, pale green is transformed into a regal, reddish gold. A former creeping crawler becomes airborne and is enabled to make a migratory trip of nearly 2,000 miles in flight!
So it is when you are born anew that you can see yourself through God’s eyes. The old is gone, and the new is alive—to soar to heights unknown.
Now, spread your wings, child of God…soar to new heights!
Personalize these verses in your own words:
2 Corinthians 5:17
1 Peter 1:3,23
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I have confidence because…I am born anew by God.
“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith
—
and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”
(E
PHESIANS
2:8).
M
y brother’s family was excited about moving into their new home. The carpet was down, the curtains were up, the furniture was in. Only a few items remained to be moved. Then in the early morning just before the family was to take up residence, a fire broke out, and their possessions went up in flames. Personal items, precious mementos, and priceless pictures were all lost.
When I arrived at the charred frame, I had expected to see my brother. Instead, he and his family had gone to the homes of two firemen who, to my horror, had lost their lives in the blaze. The cry of all our hearts was, If only they could have been saved! Only against such a black backdrop could the significance of salvation become so desperately real.
Saved…who wouldn’t want to be saved? The word
saved
obviously implies being saved
from
something. Oh, if only all humanity would comprehend what Scripture says they can be saved from: an eternal existence of complete anguish, a destiny of living in darkness. Who wouldn’t want deliverance?
Just think: As a Christian, you were delivered from this dominion of darkness. In the New Testament, the Greek word for
saved
means “to be delivered, to be preserved.” This is the eternal benefit resulting from your decision to accept Christ’s offer of salvation.
But the scope of spiritual salvation doesn’t extend just to being saved from the
penalty
of sin. As a child of God, you are also saved from the
power
of sin. You are actually “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11). Simply put, you can break free from any sinful habit! And that’s not all. One day, in heaven, you will be saved from the very
presence
of sin.
For me, the most phenomenal aspect of salvation is not what we’ve been saved
from,
but rather what we’ve been saved
for.
God’s desire is not just to get us
out
of hell, but to get the Savior
into
us…not just to rescue us from eternal death, but to conform us into the likeness of our Rescuer, Jesus Himself.
With His presence in you, you have His power, His wisdom, His forgiveness, His love, and His strength. It is His life
in
you, living His life
through
you!
What incredible value! And the amazing fact is that it’s a free gift. But it’s not cheap. It cost Christ His life. Salvation is a free gift to you and me because Christ paid for it, and you now can see yourself, your immense value, through God’s eyes.
Personalize these verses in your own words:
Exodus 15:2
Hebrews 7:25
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I have confidence because…I am saved by God’s grace.