Watch How We See & Hear

Why is this needed?

It is because how we see determines what we receive.

–   Matthew 6: 22 – 23

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is in darkness, how great is that darkness!” (NKJV)

–   CEV

Your eyes like a window for your body. When they are good, you have all the light you need. But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. If the light inside you is dark, you really are in the dark.

Recently, I come across people who have negative ways in how they see things, and I can easily predict the outcome. They lose the things that could actually bless them. Personally, when I face such people, I prefer to draw back, in case I get accused later on.

#THE RIGHT WAY OF SEEING THINGS

The way we see things is the same as us wearing glasses with blue, black, red, brown lens and etc. What we see is determined by the colors of our lenses.

Here is one example that I often try with others and also myself. There is obviously a great advantage to it.

A few years ago a couple that had a toddler liked the house that I lived in, in a real estate in Jakarta. The house was located in a 3^rd class street with a dead end. There were only 5 houses facing each other in that street.

They negotiated the price of my house because it was on a dead end, and not on a main street.

I tried to give my opinion (my point of view): “My house is actually exclusive, on the same street, there are only 2×5 houses. There are not many vehicles coming to this street. All the vehicles that pass by are those of the neighbors or their guests, who go straight to their garages. Hence, the speed of these vehicles is relatively very low. Thus, it is very safe for your child to learn how to bike. Also, as it is not located on the main street, it does not get dirty easily, as there is less dirt and less noise. Besides, thieves will be afraid to rob the houses here, they will not be able to rob the house, there is no way out!”

In the end, the couple bought the house without negotiating the house any further.

What I did wasn’t manipulating, I was only giving them the advantages and the positive points of the house, as they were customers. They also liked it after I told them all the advantages.

# LISTENING BY PAYING ATTENTION TO 

Revelations 13: 9, “If anyone has an ear, let him hear!”

God said this repeatedly. I believe that God means to listen and to pay attention here, not just hearing as it goes by. Listen to His word and put them inside your minds.

Thus, take note of how we see and hear, because it will determine what we receive. In fact, the real tool that should be used for listening and seeing is actually our HEARTS, and we standardize its relevance by considering it using our MINDS.

#THE HEART, A TOOL FOR SEEING:

The words that one says is very much associated to what he is feeling. If you want to have the condition of your heart guarded well at all times, it is very important for you to know how to guard it.

One of they ways is to possess a good self-image.

–  A good self-image is not determined by the praises you get from other people, but it is determined by how God sees you and what God has to say about you, and knowing that God accepts us the way we are.

When we have good self-images, we feel secure, and because we are able to see ourselves positively, we are also able to see others positively, even under a negative situation.

–  We should also possess the right self – worth, that is equivalent to the price He paid using His life.

No more and no less, everyone has the same value.

–  Negative self – image and self worth.

Negative self image and self worth makes us feel lousy and makes us feel negative, bad, rejected, jealous, treated unfairly, low in self esteem, easily offended and easily made angry, bitter and many more. negative self – image and self worth has a very negative impact on how we treat others.

–  We should have the right amount of self image, no more and no less (Romans 12:3)

People who have more or excessive self-image than they actually are, become over confident and they look weird.

Moses had a really bad self-image (Exodus 3 – 4), and God was still patient with him and used him anyway. Likewise, Gideon also had a poor self-image. On the other hand, Amos had the right amount of self – image (Amos 7:14 – 15). From the 12 spies, 10 saw themselves as locusts and 2 saw that God was on their side.  David also saw God and himself very precious.

From the above examples, we see that having the right self – image and self worth is very important for us, for God’s usage.

# THE MIND, A TOOL FOR SELECTING:

All of the information we receive enters the mind. The consideration of all things takes place in our minds, for which the standards are the values of righteousness.

GOD’S PROMISE:

As far as our eyes could see, that far God wants to give His promises to us, that is what God promised Abraham and his descendants. This includes us, we are spiritually the descendants of Abraham, for we have been adopted by Jesus Christ. Thus, let us pay special attention to how we see and hear.

Just like weighing scales need to be adjusted from time to time, likewise, are our hearts in need of good maintenance regularly, and our knowledge in need of the right update and upgrade with the right kind of new knowledge.

I long for all of us to possess the right kind of way of seeing things, so that we do not lose what’s good for us.

It is written in the bible:

1. Queen Vashti lost what were good, all her glory and her position as the queen because she ignored the invitation of the king. As Esther, after a tight selection, replaced her as the queen.
2. Joseph saw that his siblings threw him away because that was God’s way to bring him to Egypt, as a time that had been allocated for him, and in that due time, Joseph could be a blessing for many people.
3. The 4 lepers had a few options (2 Kings 4)

–       If they went into the city (Jerusalem), there was a great famine there. Besides, they could be killed for lepers were seen as a disgrace according to the law.

–       If they stayed and kept quiet at the doors of Jerusalem, they would also starve to die.

–       If they went into the tents of the enemies where they could also be killed. However, they also saw the possibility there that there was a large supply of food there. And they made the right decision for when they secretly tip toed to the tents of their enemies, God made the sounds of their footstep sound like huge footsteps with many horse carriages. They chose to see the possibilities amongst all impossibilities. They possessed a good point of view in the midst of bad situations in front of them.

Let us leave all kinds of negative points of view, which are affected by jealousy, fear, worry, discontentment, hatred and many more. 

All these negative feelings will greatly bring a disadvantage to us, we will lose so many blessings because of our negative attitude. The desire to be rich (to live in luxury), makes one unable to be fruitful. It is just like a growing seed that is pressed by stone, it will soon die. That kind of people will not be fruitful in life.

Contentment in a person will enable him to give thanks because he is contented and happy for he can be fruitful for other people.

– Thanksgiving precedes a miracle. Gratitude determines our altitude. If we live in gratitude, we will have the right attitude. And our attitude determines our altitude.

Do not wait on a miracle, but make yourselves a miracle to those around you.

A miracle is something that is beyond a person’s reach or his expectations. When we are doing something that is beyond what we are expected of, we are already a miracle for others. Make ourselves a reason for others to give thanks and glorify God. And God will repay us beyond what we can even think or imagine.

MOST OF ALL: HEAR THE VOICES, NOT NOISES

There are many voices we hear everyday.

Voices of truth and untruth.

Voices of optimism and pessimism.

Voices of healing and harm.

Voices of kindness and crime.

We can’t ignore all of them, but we’ve chosen to listen His will in all situation.

Jesus said, “My lambs know My voice. 

Therefore, if we call ourselves one of His lambs, it is expected of us to “recognize” His voice. Hence, we should listen to voices and not noises.

Those who possess a good self – image and self worth will also possess a good point of view in how he sees and listens to things. And this is what determines how the promises of God will be fulfilled in his life. (RH/DS)

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