See No Evil, Hear No Evil....

18 "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the LORD ?
20 You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing."  (Isaiah 42:18-20)

This statement from Isaiah many years ago reminds me very much of similar statements I am hearing from pulpits in America today. It seems God is trying to tell us that we are not paying attention. We have let ourselves be hardened, and thus blinded in such a way, that we miss important things. Words are being said to us, but we walk away as if we never heard them. Wonders are being shown to us, but we turn the other direction as if we never saw it.

I have tried to seek discernment regarding what I allow in my home and what I do not. For this reason, our viewed channels have changed significantly in the last few years. However, I have learned that children see much more than we do. My children will tell me something is bad without even trying. They didn't pray about it or seek wisdom. They just know. Their spirits just sense these things before mine does. I can flip a channel and within seconds, one of my kids will tell me if it is a bad show. They do the same with music on the radio. So, I have learned that if you are trying to live a pure life, you should keep children around. They will always speak up if you missed something.

For adults, we have seen so many things. We have exposed ourselves to media outlets, the Internet, and even some books until we no longer pay attention to things that are not good. One day in prayer, I had a vision about a veil of darkness over the Earth. In the vision, prayers of the people were opening up holes in the veil and light was shining through. Since then, I have spent years praying for God to remove the blinders, praying that I can see the unseen, and I still have a long way to go.

The world itself is constantly fighting for us to not see what is really going on. It is a constant effort on our part to remain alert. Often, God is trying to show us things or speak to us, and we are too distracted to pay any attention. Confusion rules our thoughts rather than knowledge. When we can't decide what is right, we go the easiest route. The easiest route is often the way of the world, while God is right in front of us trying to tell us to take a detour. God will always supply us with everything we need to follow the right paths, but we too often ignore Him without even realizing it.

In our personal lives, we often allow Satan to perform magic acts and acts of illusion so that we can't determine what is real and what isn't. As humans, we focus a lot on feelings. Satan loves to bring up feelings of anger, insecurity, entitlement, bitterness, jealousy, etc. as he performs his act. We will be distracted on one side while he shows us all the things he wants us to believe in order to provoke these feelings. On the other side, God is trying to get us to listen and see what is really happening and to approach situations with love. Often, our negative feelings win out. It is tricks like that which allow marriages to crumble and friendships to dissolve.

No matter what you are facing today, God has the perfect view and He can see every detail. As you are walking down your path, God knows where the next speed bump is, the next caution light, or the next detour. Ask Him to show you truth. Ask God to help you see and hear more clearly today.