The eye of faith is the inner eye of the inner man which is opened by the Spirit of God to the revelation knowledge of the word and purposes of God -the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling. Ephesians 1:18.
Faith gives birth to hope, and with revelation of purpose comes the unequal expectation and anticipation. The eye of faith is convinced of the clarity of what he sees, and therefore the heart is fix and determined to walk towards fulfilling the purposes of God, transport and conveying the believer into the realm all possibilities with God — believing and co-​operating with God for the accomplishment of what others cannot see happening — foreseeing celestial goal with possible attainment and success through the inner witness of the power of the Holy Spirit. Many shall despise the days of small beginning, but the eye of faith sees through its growth, sustainability, fruitfulness and enlargement. I will admit that there are many surprising intervention from God with solutions, blessings, deliverance with sudden miracles we are not expecting (when thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou came down; the mountains flowed down at thy presence. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waits for him. Isaiah 64:3 – 4) to make us believe, because miracles are to make believers out of the faithless. In general, the kingdom rule is obedient to faith and it’s law is the law of faith, requiring spiritual sight and walk of faith, if we are to please God and arrive safely at our spiritual Canaan-​land as over comers. We do not walk by sight and we must first believe before we can see the glory or receive anything from God, but the spirit of revelation also play a major impactful and effective developmental role of faith– filled life for moral or psychological support, aid and courage to wait in patience and endurance, increasing in hope through the power of God, and believing God for what others had lost hope and unable to wait for a– head in position or time with binding commitment with joyfulness in great anticipation of the manifestation of such promise and purpose of God before its actual realization. It is not impossible for a believer walking in revelation to keep walking and waiting for the promise of God in hope for its manifestation, though prolonged. It is not easy but with grace, he can see the light afar off at the end of the tunnel (such as the shepherd followed the star until it brought them to Christ’s manger) to hold on and stand on the promises of the infallible spoken and revealed word of God until the fullness of time for its fulfilment in time or in eternity. With revelation comes a great difference in our spiritual walk in elevation to great dimension and position with God. When God at first made the promise to Abraham, he embraced it with head knowledge (Genesis 12:1 – 4) but after thirteen years God confirmed and strengthened it with revelation. This revelation (and, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, this shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:4 – 6) was the driving force of Abraham’s faith, when hope was against hope, his heart was not sick, but rejoiced in hope-​giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that God will do exactly what he says he will do.
The eye of faith is the revelatory light and sight in a steady and continuous manner to focus (by faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Hebrews 11:27) not on things which can be seen (temporal) but on the things which are unseen (eternal) in a long gaze and fix look on Jesus without any distraction (looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 – 4) away from our Rock through the enemy’s intimidation in the storms of darkness and waves of the sea. Men and women of settled minds in the kingdom of God, whose resolution is to continue in the faith grounded and settled, and determined not to be moved away from the hope of the gospel laid up in heaven are them with the eye of faith. They are not sway by what they have or have not. They are not moved by the threats from the powers of darkness and the gates of hell: but are willing to live for Christ at any cost, and to be absent from the body, and present with the Lord at any time -for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:14-16. Colossians 1:23.
Let us therefore desire and pray that we might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, and to make earnest request before the Lord to open the eyes of our understanding to the scriptures (then he opened their eyes to understand the scriptures Luke 24:45) by his Spirit in us, the sole link to the deep things of God, so that our confessions and present walk and attitudes can corresponds with the great cloud of witnesses of the examples of the faithful servants of God who has gone before us.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God. Daily devotional time with practical lifestyle in the word of God gives us access to a certain degree of revelation. The word of God is light to our paths and lamp to our feet if we chose to walk in obedience and keep his precepts. Increasing obedience is the ground and preparation for the manifestation of Christ to believer as promised by the Lord – he that hath my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21. Note: obedience can be a gradual process in us since it originates from love and volition submission to Christ, until it becomes a perfect obedience through perfect love in the heart for Christ. As your faith also increases, your obedience immeasurably increases as well to prepare you for more intimacy and revelation. Is there anything you shouldn’t believe from the word of God? I don’t think so as it is written, every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar: all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Proverbs 30: 5 – 6. 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17.
If my obedience is increasing in the word of God, it means my love for Christ and faith in him is growing as well. If I subject myself to live by every word of God and tremble before God in reverence to the scriptures lest they any fall to the ground in my life like Samuel, this is the completion and fulfilment of my obedience in the word of God. I can with the power and authority of this position with God in Christ Jesus revenge all disobedience, and shall not be an hypocrite who seeks to remove the mote from his brother’s eye, but considers not the beam in his own eye. Obedience gives a perfect faith in the assurance and confidence that comes within from the Spirit of God that we shall receive whatever we request from the heavenly Father because we are doing those things that are well pleasing in his sight. This type of personal assurance or conviction is the reward of increasing-​great faith great which knows beyond natural understanding and sees beyond natural perception. Note: the measure and strength of your faith (little faith – great faith –weak faith – strong faith) in the word of God is the casual element and factor to the quality of your spiritual sight and its brightness – short-​sightedness, near sightedness, foresightedness in your ability to exhibit clear and deep perception — insightful eyes.
If you are a dull hearer having ears, but hearing nothing: and having eyes, but seeing nothing, you will never improve in spiritual growth than to be tossed to and fro and carried away by every winds of doctrine, by the cunning craftiness and sleight of men whereby they lie in wait to deceive. It is not possible that the undiluted word of God is mixed with faith because your corrupt heart is divided in opposition to the incorruptible word to work effectively in you. In this case, you are in the category of itching ears believers, limited to sanctification by the washing of water by the word through yielding to God, and to increase in faith and transformation from glory to glory meant for those with open face with a ready mind beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The natural man is living in a total spiritual blackout and darkness of life. He was born spiritually blinded and is in a state of spiritual blindness and spiritual death in relation to his spiritual life as he that is without God in the world and without Christ, the true light of the world and true light of life. Spiritual blindness could also be the situation of a man who is born– again as a new creature into lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead with divine nature of Christ in him, but failed in his spiritual arithmetic and additional personal assignments to add to faith, virtue, and to virtue knowledge etcetera. The bible says that such believer is blind and cannot see afar off (spiritual short-​sightedness) and is forgotten that he has being purged from his old sin. 2 Peter 2:5-9. Note: without the clear view of what and whom we believe, by taking more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time they should slip, giving all diligent to work out our salvation awaiting for the blessed hope of future eternal glory through the eyes of faith, we may likely fall into the trap of spiritual negligence of responsibility thereby failed to make our calling and election sure, without counting the cost and paying the price with our eyes focus on the great prize –the recompense of reward.
It is impossible for a spiritually blind believer or short sighted Christian to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. Such are they that are walking through the wide road and broad way to heaven– they can’t see very well from the scriptures that its end is destruction.
The sole entrance into the kingdom of heaven is to walk by faith through the narrow way and the straight gate, in contention for the faith once delivered, defend and keep it to the end. The difference between the wide gate and the narrow way believer is that one failed to come out of the world, refusing to die to its affection and lusts, while the other came out of the world, though he is in the world, but he lives an unspotted lifestyles to the world because the world is crucified to him and he is crucified to it as well. He has died by faith in practice to the world, its affections and lusts. Unless you can see clearly by faith from the word of God to embrace the embodiment of truth as it is in Christ, to put of the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, you will be living a delusional and shadow and spiritually shallow life, and your overall performances and lifestyles in terms of your preparations and expectations for heaven is jeopardize by your present walk in the kingdom.
In Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love. Faith is not unfeigned if it does not produce obedience in anyone, just as Abraham believed God, went out, not knowing where he was going. The love of God is not of a pure heart if it does not unite my heart to obey and serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear. The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. Galatians 5:2 – 3. I Timothy 1:5 – 7. Christ is the sight and the object of view – he is the light: and in him was life, and the life was the light that shines everyman that comes into the world. All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and it is profitable for teaching, correction and instruction in righteousness that the man of God should be made perfect…..but if we ignorantly or wilfully ignore or fail to embrace the full gospel to fashion our conducts and lifestyles in conformity to the doctrines of Christ, it means that we have created a viewpoint and limit the spiritual revelation of the riches of Christ and of what God has in store for us– limitation of his manifestations in our lives. If the eye of faith is not cloudless, but softly bright and radiant to the immutability and permanence of the word of God (thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endures forever. Psalms119:160) it will manifest in the lifestyles, confession and attitudes or actions of serving God with a perfect heart and taking God for his word, just as Abraham in the demonstration of his love for God to offer his son Isaac in obedient, accounting that God will raise him back to life. Abraham never once imagined a dead but resurrected Isaac in whom the promise shall be fulfilled: as it is written, in Isaac shall your seed be called. Oh that we can see through what God has spoken and is saying and will say! Note: the anarchistic spirit in man and the unbroken parts of him that are yet to be crucified to the world and the world to him will resist and dispute for the part of the word of God and scriptures to believes and obey as alternative to the pulling down of every strongholds and casting down imaginations and every high –things in him that he should bring his thoughts in captivity to the obedience of Christ — the structure of life shaped by Christ, to complete his obedience and to be able to revenge all disobedience.
Eye is the light of the body according to Christ own word, but very unfortunate that in the other scriptures, the Lord speak of some as having eyes, but seeing nothing. Physical eye is so important but relatively limited for visual images, but in the absence of sharp and focus spiritual eyes for a steady and becoming walk and relationship with God, we are doom for destruction. Abraham had no visual perception of a region or any idea of where he was going when he was instructed by God to get out of, and to forsake his patrimonial to another country he will show him for an inheritance. It is better to possess the latter and loose the former (if spiritual duty demands — Jesus said unto them, if ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, we see; therefore your sin remains. John 9:41) that we might indeed see. This is the problem with people who thinks of themselves above the word of God in their personal belief or judgement, while they alter the word of God to please men, seeking to be well spoken off by the world that crucified Christ at the expense of corrupting the word of God.
All that come to Christ to be cleansed, saved and justified in preparation for their final glorification in heaven must first see and intently look with the eyes of faith to accept, call and beg for salvation from him that was pierced –look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22.
Unbelief is a damnable sin originates from an evil heart, when we failed to differentiate the fact of our circumstances which are never what they appear from the truth and outcome of the word of God — without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
If you cannot see everything from God’s viewpoints, outlook and context, then you are not rooted and built up in Christ, and established in the faith. Note: faith is another informative and expressive name of God. If God is a spirit (John 4:24) and his spirit is the spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13) and his word is the word of faith (Romans 10:8) and that word was God (John 1:1) his name therefore is FAITH.
Why is God’s name faith? It is faith because known unto him are all his works before the foundation of the world –that is fairh. Beforehand, he knew ahead of time that whatsoever he wishes to call into existence that is not in existence shall surely come into existence; therefore, he framed the world by himself — by the word of God or by the word of faith, the world were made, so that the things that were made are not made of things that do appear. I hope you can see and think through and out of this by the spirit of God. Hebrews 11:3.
If by the grace of God, we submit to apply godly and not worldly or carnal mind and perception on what we are instructed about jewellery’s and ornaments — to see clearly with the eye of faith that the made-​up of celestial streets we are about to step into and to walk therein in heaven are of pure gold, and are instructed to sacrifice the putting on of our earrings, chains, trinket of jewellery and other outward ornaments to contribute as our quota and demonstration of love and obedience for the material construction of the golden street in conformity to the adornment of the old women that served God in their past manner of dressing and adornment and beautification, should we not have done that with joy? Genesis 35:1 – 4. 1 Peter 3: 1-5. 1Timothy2: 9-10.
Enoch saw himself as a man to be taken alive to heaven, and he was translated that he should not see death. Enoch boldly declared his mortal body immortal while in the flesh and he walked with God and was taken alive away to heaven as a man that pleased God in the eye of faith, just as Abraham differently saw the wrinkled womb and dry breast of Sarah’s at ninety years as fresh and strong enough to conceive and give birth, for with God nothing shall be impossible – what you see, is what you get.
It requires faith-​filled and Spirit-​filled heart to walk worthy of God to the end, even as Stephen did. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Acts 7:55-56. For you to be able to gauge the scope of your spiritual sight, to know how far you can see by faith in order to walk worthy of God, you should honestly ask yourself of the rate or degree of your submission and reverence shown to the word of God – twenty percent, fifty percent or an hundred percent submission and obedience. If we cannot see by faith, how then can we walk by faith? How can we do the works of faith? First, we must see it happening in the spirit realm before the state of being imminent and liable to happen through persistent-​positive confessional faith to create or make it happens in the visible realm according to God’s unfailing time. Whenever we rush into anything that is not first seen in the invisible world to make something happen or come to pass, it is most likely that it’s going to be an act that does not succeed, just as Cain did in his offering without revelatory instruction and Abraham in the birth of Ishmael. With the eye of faith, the heart believes to have receives whatsoever he asks for in prayer with heart-​felt thanksgiving as the evidence of things not seen…..by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which be obtained witness that he was righteous…..the demand of Abel’s offering and acceptance could only be from revelation (which could only be through the eye of faith, and those that has it shall be obedient and faithful to tithing to shun the diabolical disagreement conversations of the stingy worshippers, carnal and agents of Satan who are seeking to sabotage the economy of God’s house and of his kingdom, though the greedy shepherds shall receive greater condemnation for diverting the common wealth budgetary –finances for their personal enrichment for self aggrandisement) and by his obedient to what he saw, offered the firstling which is the glory of all giving; and though he was killed for his righteousness by faith; his offering speaks for him. And of Joseph, Moses the man of God through inspiration and revelation (eye of faith) blessed and said, his glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns; with them he shall push the people together to the end of the earth: and they are ten thousands of Ephraim and are the thousands of Manasseh. Deuteronomy33:13-17.
What did the swindler (Jacob) saw in his dream at Bethel — in his first encountered with God as he ran away from home? He was taught by God in his dream to know the power and revelation of tithing. It was the revelation that led to his vow to give God the tenth of all his blessings, if all the promises are fulfilled. Those who can’t see it with the eye of faith can’t and won’t practice tithing in obedience against their loss.
There should be a strong and sharp spiritual perception, insight and foresight for the eye of faith to see for tongue to confess the right word in correspondence with the right action (work of faith) to dictate the outcome of your expectations — the desire of the righteous shall be granted — after these things the word of the Lord came unto Abraham in the vision, saying, fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him saying, this shall not be your heir, but he that shall come forth out of your bowels shall be your heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, look now (see with the eyes of faith) toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham. How was it reckoned? When he was in circumcision or uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: because the law works wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickened the dead, and called those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:1-7. Romans4: 9 -22.
God is the Father of endless possibilities, but the just shall live by faith, and those that will not walk by faith are spiritually incapacitated (spiritual disability — blindness) and are mobility reduced to the extent they can walk with God. The acting of Noah’s faith, a warning he had received from God of things as yet not seen, moved him with fear to obey, and he became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Imagined the laughter and mockery Noah subjected himself into for the building of the ark in preparation for the great deluge of judgment of the then ungodly world that saved him and seven others.
The eye of faith is clear and strong, able to see promised mercies at a great distance and can overcome all adversaries in defiance to that which is against divine will and purposes….by faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw (through the eyes of faith) he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. Hebrews 11:23. Note: those that has formerly met with God and had seen him with the eyes of faith in their burning bush or other experience, have an advantage from the effect of such vision and its transformative power on them which is able to make them staunch and bold with uncommon supernatural courage to walk with God to the end in the face of destruction and death…..by faith he (Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Hebrews 11:27.
While the men of Jericho were busied mobilizing the armies and fortifying the security of the nation against the invasion of the Israelis, Rehab the harlot was negotiating for her predestined new life in association with the people of God. When the soldiers of Jericho were searching for the spies to be taken as prisoners, she hid them on the roof of her house as her new fellow citizens and compatriots, and she sent them another way in peace for her salvation. It makes all the difference in the world, if by the grace of God, the believers are able to see beyond the lusts of the eyes and the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life: to see, not as the world sees, and are living, not as the world, but by God’s thoughts and ways with the eye of faith in expectation for the eternal reward to sow to the Spirit and not to the flesh.
Rehab in the eye of faith saw a trembling and defeated Jericho, while by faith she made the right choices and an alliance with the victorious armies of the living God. The eye of faith shall re-​position us to re-​adjust our ways and to come out of any carnal, safe and comfort zone; though we need to renew our dedication and bring ourselves under oath to live by every word of God – it is he that swears to his own hurt and changes not that shall receive blessing from God, even salvation from the God of Jacob. The eye of faith envisages a future harvest and sow into the land, while the natural eyes observe the wind and do nothing than to despise and talk against it. It is a rare thing for a natural man not to dishonour and despise anyone in their precarious situation or circumstances without considering or giving second thought of what may change or may not change aftermath, though they knew nothing of what God is doing with such life, where they are coming from and where they are going, or what they were and what they shall be. After such mistreatment, humiliation or whatever injustice that may have been meted out to him that is afflicted can be regretted afterward in the reversal of fortune, what a fool and pretender, a miserable friend or comforter they might have make visible or noticeable of themselves to be?
Nabal, the husband of Abigail who was called the rich fool saw a fugitive and untrustworthy servant of King Saul in David who he thought to himself deserves no help or sympathy, not worthy of any respect or attention, for he judged him his present training in the wilderness of life with God. Not so with the rich man’s wife (Abigail) through her eye of faith, she saw a man fighting the battles of God and the next king to be. She therefore spoke with the feelings of profound respect fitted for king who is seated on the throne, while in honour besought that her gift which does not merit for value or price to honour such a great and future king of Israel be accepted. Thus with the eye of faith, she saw David on the throne and herself besides him as queen and from that fact or reason as the result of her action and confession, she became the king’s wife when David ascended the throne – oh Lord, open the eyes of our heart, that we might see clearly to walk by faith in Jesus name. AMEN.