"...the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."--Ephesians 1:18(NKJV)
Did you know that your understanding has eyes? It's true! Please allow me to illustrate this biblical truth.
Recently, my husband dropped a "heavy revy" (revelation) on me. He said, "Sometimes, the only thing you can change about your situation is your perspective." Wow, right? His words resonated with me as I thought about all the serious things in our lives that are problematic, worrisome, upsetting, etc.--yet we are unable to change them. When we are in distress and overwhelmed with present realities; you know, when things really look bad--a child has become prodigal, a loved one is in medical crisis, a job is being shut-down, or a family member is struggling with an opioid addiction. What do we do in those moments?
It's vital to remember that we have an anchor in the word of God. This is not to minimize the severity of any given situation or the magnitude of stress that it can bring to our souls, but in our most difficult moments it's good to remind ourselves that God has endowed us with supernatural grace, goodness, and mercy to overcome adversity. However, in order to fully embrace these truths, we need to change our perspective and put our faith to work. In so doing, we will experience the peace(Philippians 4:7) and comfort of God (Psalm 23), renewed hope and strength (Isaiah 40:31), divine empowerment (Philippians 4:13), and angelic help (Psalm 103:20).
What you choose to look at will determine the success of your outcome. Will you arise victorious or succumb to defeat? It's all about perspective.
Greek Word Study of Ephesians 1:18
Recently, my husband dropped a "heavy revy" (revelation) on me. He said, "Sometimes, the only thing you can change about your situation is your perspective." Wow, right? His words resonated with me as I thought about all the serious things in our lives that are problematic, worrisome, upsetting, etc.--yet we are unable to change them. When we are in distress and overwhelmed with present realities; you know, when things really look bad--a child has become prodigal, a loved one is in medical crisis, a job is being shut-down, or a family member is struggling with an opioid addiction. What do we do in those moments?
It's vital to remember that we have an anchor in the word of God. This is not to minimize the severity of any given situation or the magnitude of stress that it can bring to our souls, but in our most difficult moments it's good to remind ourselves that God has endowed us with supernatural grace, goodness, and mercy to overcome adversity. However, in order to fully embrace these truths, we need to change our perspective and put our faith to work. In so doing, we will experience the peace(Philippians 4:7) and comfort of God (Psalm 23), renewed hope and strength (Isaiah 40:31), divine empowerment (Philippians 4:13), and angelic help (Psalm 103:20).
What you choose to look at will determine the success of your outcome. Will you arise victorious or succumb to defeat? It's all about perspective.
Greek Word Study of Ephesians 1:18
- eyes--G3788 opthalmos: eye, sight, the eyes of the mind, faculty of knowing
- understanding--G1271 dianoia: mind, understanding, imagination, way of thinking, feeling, desiring, thoughts--either good or bad
- enlightened--G5457 photizo: to give light, illuminate, give understanding, make to see
- know--G1492 eido: to see, perceive, discern, discover, pay attention
- hope--G1680 elpis: hope, expect good, joyful, confidence of eternal salvation
- calling--G2821 klesis: divine invitation to embrace salvation or God
***Greek word study from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance***
