Whose minds the god of this age has blinded,
who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
2 Corinthians 4:4
When you are blinded, you cannot see things as they really are, even though others around you see them clearly. You cannot experience the full reality of all that is around you. You may feel you are experiencing all that there is to life, yet you may be unaware that you are missing what God desires for you. You may even be in danger because of your blindness and not know it.
Paul warned that the “god of this age” can blind you to the reality of Jesus Christ. Christ's presence can make a significant difference in your life. However, if Satan convinces you to doubt that Christ can do what He promised, he will have blinded you to the reality of what your life is really like and to what it could become. Others may see what your unbelief causes you to miss, but you will be unaware of it. Your life may be steadily moving toward disaster, but you will be oblivious to it.
Christ comes to you as light (John 1:4–5, 9). He illuminates your sin so that you see its ugliness and destructiveness. He reveals Himself so that you can appreciate the glory of His person and the marvelous riches He brings. His presence lights your path so that you can see impending danger. Don’t let the god of this age distort your spiritual vision. Don’t be fooled into thinking that everything is as it should be when, in fact, you are missing out on so much that God wants to do in your life. Ask Christ to illuminate your life and let you clearly see your spiritual condition.
- Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
One of the most impressive movies at its release was The Matrix. The visual effects used were unheard of. Since then most movie companies have used the same or similar techniques. Whatever can be cheaply done to fool the eyes might not be your takeaway from that. I often look behind the scenes as to how things work. Pretty much have been that way my whole life.
In that movie, as the plot goes, Neo awakens after surgery. He complains about the bright lights. Why do his eyes hurt? He asks. Because you've never used them. Was the response.
We live in a world where truth is being increasingly hidden. There's no way to tell if what you see on television is real or created. There's a pretty well known video that was created, I believe at someone's home not a business, that looks and sounds exactly like a live video of a plane making an emergency landing on a freeway out west. If you look at how realistic battles are in science fiction movies. None are real. Yet we are sucked into their realism.
We live in a world of illusions when it comes to temptations. Satan so cleverly disguises everything from the smallest to the greatest in disguise so that both the believer and unbeliever falls for it. The only truth to be found is in the unchanging Word of God. You honestly cannot trust newspapers or reporters. Cannot trust doctors or lawyers. Cannot trust politicians. Yet Satan has so cleverly worked things that regardless we are forced to rely on them. I am not going to say all are deceptive but I will say that if you want to know...educate yourself before engaging. There's a blindness of indoctrination that has happened to many generations til now in this country. Slowly and methodically ideas are quietly challenged until change happens. People on one side really do believe everything they are told only because that's how the indoctrination works.
Blindness is one of the big miracles that Jesus cured people of. But note that in every case it wasn't simply their physical eyes that were opened. Their spiritual eyes as well. Look at how often Jesus spoke of the blindness of people. Especially the Pharisees and Sadducees. The blind leading the blind. Speaking to those who had been indoctrinated into what they were doing. Paul speaks to a little of it when he mentioned his own persecution of the Church. He believed everything he was taught growing up.
In the New Testament we read of warnings of people within the Church teaching ideas that are controversial and yet somehow eventually get accepted. Spiritual blindness.
Jesus said that the Helper to come would teach us all things. He would open the Spiritual eyes of all who would receive Him.
We look at our world and wonder just how did it ever get so bad. Honestly look at it well. There is a plan being worked out. It's not random at all. History repeats itself because lessons are repeated. People forget what had happened then there they are repeating the mistakes.
Jesus spoke of having eyes that see. In Christ, we are given those. We are shown great things of God at times. We are taught that the world isn't going to get it. The natural man does not understand the things of God because they are Spiritually discerned. Blindness.
Quite often those who are in that blindness don't understand that they are in that state. They really believe they are doing good. Doctors today are not at all like those from those even 70 years ago. Slowly medical treatment became a business not a service. You are given treatment to slow or maybe stop something, then put on maintenance drugs for the rest of your life. Doctors of today just are not of the same caliber of those back then. As it's been said, Healthy people don't need a Doctor. Again, not all are bad, but to find a true Doctor who only cares about honesty helping to cure is near impossible. They are now all taught to do medicine one way.
God gave us a brain with the expectation that we would use it. We take way too much at face value and believe it. We who are in Christ were given eyes to see yet so many close them when faced with difficulties. We believe that the rules of the Bible and the rules of the physical world aren't to be crossed. We live two separate lives. One in the company of believers the other in the company of the world. Another deceptive practice of Satan.
Now this isn't to say to stay away from Doctors or lawyers or politicians. The way Jesus spoke and how He dealt with people was that He entrusted Himself to no man. For He knew what was in the heart of man. His life was about His relationship with His Father. We develop relationships as He did to introduce people to His Father. Let them start their own relationship with His Father. Opening their eyes to see. The scope of examples today is to show that blindness in today's world is rampant. Not to tell you to run the other way from them. As Scripture says we are to be lights in the world. Not to hide that light. That light is from Christ. The light illuminates the darkness and shows people what is there. Light reveals truth. Light makes eyes that hadn't been used before to work. It's painful to look at a bright light. If you have been totally acclimated to darkness, even a candle light would hurt your eyes.
Satan wants a wholly fast paced world that doesn't have time to stop n question. He wants people to shed any dependence on the God of the Bible. In everything. From your physical needs to your political. Satan has but one goal. He wants God's Throne. He wants the worship of people. To do so he is currently fighting the Holy Spirit who is restraining him. People aren't getting worse, regardless of the newspaper. More light brings more exposure to the deeds of darkness.
Blindness is everywhere around us. In everything we go through in this life there's a potential for it to be there. We must rely on Christ for direction. We must. Watered down churches are succumbing to the blindness. People not relying on Jesus are giving in to blindness. We do indeed need Doctors, even lawyers and politicians. But do not put more faith in them than in the God of the Universe.
Ask for your eyes to be opened today. I warn you it might hurt. But it is a request that is sure to be granted by God. Believing just because someone taught you can be dangerous. Believe believing because the Spirit taught you can never be dangerous.
Jesus asked the question of would He find the faith when He returns. Only you can answer that.
Personally I do use Doctors, I don't shun them. I do at least listen to them. They are not always right though. They do as they have been taught. Just like lawyers and politicians and those in the news reporting. I will listen. But when it matters the most I will only listen to what God has to say.
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