VISION – SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT

“The EYES of your understanding being ENLIGHTENED…” – Ephesians 1:18a

God guides us into Purpose by means of VISION – SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the EYES of your understanding being enlightened…” (Eph.1:17-18a). Vision is the seeing of a sight with the eyes of your spirit. It manifests as the Father of Glory blesses us with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Vision is born of God, not self-fabricated!

Divine visions deal with realities, not fantasies, empty imagination, soulish fabrication or wishful thinking. There are material realities, but also spiritual and eternal realities. Every human being has two sets of eyes: physical and spiritual. Visions involve seeing beyond the material and natural into spiritual and eternal realms through the activation of our spiritual eyes. Just as our physical eyes can see things in the material or natural realm, our spiritual eyes – when activated or enlightened – can see into spiritual or supernatural realms. The ability to lay hold on divine visions comes through our spiritual eyes.

Paul’s reference to “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened,” was to the spiritual and not physical eyes. Every believer in Christ has the ability, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to SEE the fullest possibilities in God. We are empowered to see ‘things’ with our spiritual eyes long before they materialize. If we only depended on what we see with our natural, physical eyes, life would be extremely limited and we would be utterly vulnerable. May our spiritual eyes be enlightened to begin to see into the supernatural, spiritual, and eternal realms, in Jesus name.

The Television set (TV) is a simple but useful illustration of the spiritual reality of visions. The TV set is an equipment which brings into the privacy of our homes and lives pictures of people and events which have either been recorded or are taking place ‘live’ at the exact time we are watching them on the screen. These pictures originate from local, national or international transmitting stations and are conducted through the atmosphere in the form of ‘waves’. The TV set – the Receiver – when tuned to the right frequency channel, picks up the waves by means of an antenna and reflects them in the form of audio-visual images on its screen. Similarly, a person whose spiritual antenna is awakened – whose heart is divinely connected and tuned to heaven’s frequency can readily receive divine visions on the screen of his or her heart.

Isaiah 26:3 describes such a person as one “whose mind is stayed on (God)”. Colossians 3:2 admonishes that you “SET your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” That is, fix your spiritual antenna on heaven’s frequency, where you can receive spiritual signals and see spiritual and eternal realities. There are two classes of ‘things’: “Things above” are spiritual and eternal realities; while “things on the earth” are material, natural realities. The key question is: Where is your mind, affection, and attention focused? What are you focused on: the ‘temporal’ or ‘eternal’ things? (2Cor. 4:18). Prophet Habakkuk had to SET himself “upon the tower” like an antenna, before he could lay hold on divine vision (Hab. 2:1-2).

A divine vision must be seen. If it is not seen, then it is not real. But it can only be seen with your enlightened spiritual eyes. There are however three dimensions of SIGHT that pertain to Divine Vision: Insight, Foresight, and Hindsight.

Insight is the ability to see deep within your spirit-man. Foresight is the ability to see far ahead in life. Hindsight is the ability to reflect on the past. Insight and Foresight are inseparable: one leads to the other. The deeper you can perceive the plans of God within your heart, the easier it becomes for you to see far ahead, know ahead and forge ahead in life. Insight without foresight makes one a mere dreamer. Vision begins with insight, but must be pursued with foresight, while tapping into the lessons of hindsight. A wise person said: Vision is seeing the future, in the present, built on the past!