LENSES

ARE YOU VIEWING LIFE THROUGH A GOD OR WORLDVIEW LENS? 

Two people can look at the same scene and interpret it entirely differently. 

Imagine this scene: A ferocious lion chases down a poor, innocent deer, and the lion shows no mercy. 

From one perspective, it looks barbaric as the lion tears into the helpless deer. But if you were told that the lion has starving baby cubs and that they haven’t eaten for a week, your view of the lion’s actions may change your perception. Instead of seeing the lion’s actions as an unfair, senseless act of aggression, you may see it as a noble act of a dad looking after his loved ones. 

Look at the polarisation around the world. Two people can live in the same country but may have completely different views on life choices depending on what they believe to be true. 

Often, it boils down to the lenses through which you look at life. 

WHAT LENSES ARE YOU LOOKING THROUGH?

The lenses you use to view life will shape your perception and significantly influence your worldview and what is essential in life. 

ARE YOUR LENSES TAINTED?

Sometimes, our lenses are tainted. 

Many years ago, I wore Polaroid sunglasses with yellow lenses. Everything I looked at was yellow and seemed brighter. My friend wore a pair of sunglasses that made everything dark and gloomy. 

What lenses are you looking at life through?

The lenses you use to view life can sometimes distort the truth and give you a different perception of what is good or bad, true or false, and right and wrong. 

EXAMINE YOUR LENSES. 

Therefore, it is essential to examine the lenses you are looking through. 

Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

God’s word makes it clear that we must not copy the behavior and customs of this world. 

WORLD LENSES VS GOD LENSES

Many view life through the lenses of the world. 

If you do so, you will allow culture and worldviews to influence your outlook, leading you to fit in with the culture of our time.  

If you view the world through God’s lenses, you will view things from God’s perspective. 

POLARISATION

In my opinion, the current worldview doesn’t make room for God. 

Viewing life through a God lens measures the standard against a moral high view of scripture. 

Just like water and oil do not mix, the worldview and God’s view are on a collision course, leaving the world more polarised than ever. 

We live in a world where the current lens encourages us to do whatever we believe is “right in our eyes.” This worldview will tell you that it is up to you to decide what your truth is. You design your moral code. You decide on gender. You decide on what is right or wrong. 

From a Christian perspective, we measure what is right and true through the eyes of God. After all, he is the creator and inventor of life. We see the Bible, His Word, as the standard. We look to God. We follow God’s moral code. He is the designer. He decides on gender. He decides on what is right or wrong. 

HAVE WE LOST OUR WAY?

The world seems to have lost its way and let go of God. Many do as they please. 

Today, many voices will tell you that you should do what you feel is right. Try everything. Don’t let anything or anyone influence you. Listen to your heart. Follow your “own” wisdom. Just do what feels right to you. 

And when we look at the results, we see so many broken, hurting people who are left haunted by their decisions, anxious and guilt-ridden by wrong choices, and left feeling abandoned, defeated, and deeply distressed. 

I want to encourage you to consult God. 

Give him your worries, insecurities, shame, hurts, and nightmares. 

Many feel like they want nothing to do with God because they believe in a lie that God wants to condemn you for your shortcomings and failures. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus didn’t come to condemn you. He came to “seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Read your Bible. See Jesus in action. Wherever he went, he had great compassion for the lost, broken, and bound. He brought forgiveness to sinners. He healed the broken. He helped the downtrodden. Yes, he came up strongly against the religious establishment and cultural views when they were causing damage and leading people away from God. But he showed unconditional love to those who had fallen from grace and were desperate in need of being rescued. 

God knows you. Yes, he knows everything. You can’t hide from him. Yet, he doesn’t want to break you and pull you down. He wants to help you, heal you, and set you free. 

We are told that “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn” you, “but to save” you. (John 3:17)

In fact, to those broken, bound, and oppressed, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

We live in a broken and fallen world that can, at times, be so full of overwhelming pain and anxiety. 

But Jesus understands you. He knows your story, and he loves you despite your flaws. He is also able to touch you, heal you, transform you, and save you. 

Yes, one day, God will judge the world. Each one of us will have to stand before him. But you need to know the truth. Jesus forgives, heals, delivers, and sets free. He died on the cross to save you. He paid the full price so you can be forgiven, set free, and spend eternity with him in heaven. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)

Jesus is the Savior. He wants to save you. He understands you. He gets you. He offers hope. 

Today, come to Jesus. Give him your burdens. Give him your fears and failures. Give him your life. Surrender to him. 

Do not try to live life in your “own strength” without looking to God. Don’t just follow your own philosophy without consulting God. 

Jesus told us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus loves you. He is the way to forgiveness, freedom, truth, and life—abundant life. 

Don’t just follow the world’s way. It can lead you deeper into bondage. It will sometimes offer you a false truth and may lead you down a slippery slope of distortion and confusion. At times, it can promise you a pathway to peace but leave you in distress. 

This is precisely what has happened time and time again in history. 

Look back to Bible times. Time and time again, God’s people “did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

This always led them away from God, deep into sin and bondage, into lives filled with pain, hurt, trauma, anxiety, depression, trouble, and confusion.

Isaiah spoke about a time that we are facing at the moment in history. He prophesied, “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark.” (Isaiah 5:20)

In 2 Timothy 3, we are warned “that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

This sounds a lot like the world we currently live in.

IT IS TIME TO SEE THE OPTOMETRIST

It is important to have an eye checkup every now and again. Are your lenses giving you a true perspective of life?

Have your lenses distorted your view of life?

Have your lenses painted a fake perspective of what is right and wrong?

Have your lenses darkened the reality of God and brightened up a new way of life that is messing you up?

I IMPLORE YOU TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH GOD’S LENSES. 

Instead of allowing the world to shape us, we should let God transform our lives by following his ways and allowing his Word to change how we think and view life. By fixing our attention on God and viewing life through God’s eyes, we will be changed from the inside out, and instead of being influenced by the culture of our day, we can learn to know God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will, that he has for our lives and the world. 

HOW ARE YOU LOOKING AT LIFE AND DETERMINING WHAT IS GOOD VERSUS BAD, RIGHT VERSUS WRONG?

Are you looking ? at the world ? through the eyes ???? of the cross ?? and God’s Word ??

Or

Are you looking ? at the God  ?? through the eyes ???? of the world ?? 

Depending on the lens ??? you use to view life, your perspective and interpretation will be very different. 

We live in a world where many view God and his Word through the lenses of what is happening around them. 

Their view of God and his Word can become distorted, and they must adapt to fit in with new ideologies and cultures. 

If this is the lens through which you view things, then you will be left disillusioned and lost. 

Colossians 2:8 warns, “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”

The Message version says, “Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him so you can see and hear him. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.” (Colossians 2:8-10 MSG)

God’s Word urges us to watch out that no one takes you and me captive through hollow and deceptive philosophies. Do not depend on human wisdom, empty traditions, and evil ideologies that will try to lead you away from God, down the slippery slope towards destruction. Dark spiritual forces are at play that will try to influence you to get your eyes off God. These demons will try to persuade you to let go of God. They come with the counterfeit and will distort the truth and lead you not only away from God but will try to put you on a collision course with God.

Don’t let anyone or anything deceive you. Instead, look at life through the lens of God’s word. Keep Jesus at the center. If anything doesn’t align with God’s word, reject it. 

Instead, look to Jesus and test everything. Make sure that your outlook aligns with God’s word. 

God’s word tells us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)

Test everything. Watch out for false prophets who will spread false narratives and do everything they can to lead you astray.  

How can we know the truth from the counterfeit?

1 John 4:2 gives us the answer, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”

DON’T BE DECEIVED

Watch out. Don’t let the enemy sucker you. Don’t fall for the lies. Don’t be deceived. 

Jesus told us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Jesus also said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

The enemy will try to entice you and offer you the world with fun and fame, but he comes to cause destruction. Give him your thoughts and attention, and he will try to take your soul. Instead, live with Jesus at the center of your heart. He came to bring abundant life. 

What lenses are you viewing life through?

SUPERNATURAL VISION 

God wants to bless you with supernatural vision. 

“And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the beautiful things God has freely given us.” (1 Corinthians 2:12 )

But, without God, you can’t have it. 

“But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them, and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

When you surrender your life to Jesus and put your complete faith in Jesus, you will receive “the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

God will remove the enemy’s deceptive counterfeit and make the truth known to you as you surrender yourself to Jesus and are led by the Holy Spirit, who whispers the Spirit of Truth. 

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1-2)

Today is your day of new beginnings. Let go of the false. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Today is your day of fresh revelation.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)

SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO JESUS. HE WILL CHANGE YOU

FROM THE INSIDE OUT, INSTALL NEW LENSES THAT WILL GIVE YOU NEW VISION AND A NEW DESTINY. 

I implore you to surrender your life to Jesus. He paid the total price for your sin on the cross. He shed his blood to deliver you from your past. He brings forgiveness. He offers a peace that nothing in this world can match. He brings purpose and will put a new passion in your soul. He promises that he will never leave you nor forsake you. He offers abundant life and new beginnings. 

He will reveal the lies and deception of the enemy. He is mighty to save. He delivers. He heals. He sets free. 

When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, he will change you from the inside out. He will clean up your life, change your heart, and fill you with his Holy Spirit, who will remove the old lenses and replace them with new, Godly lenses that will be filled with hope and give you a new, fresh, pure vision. The distortions will be removed. You will never be the same again. Your outlook will change. You will know peace and a deep inner joy.

You will begin to see life and the world through the lenses of the finished work of the cross. Faith will arise, veils of deception will fall, and you will face the future with a brighter outlook. 

If you want to start or restart your walk with God, click here to pray a simple prayer we have set up for you.

NEW LENSES

When you surrender your life to Jesus, he will remove the LENSES of HOPELESSNESS. The dark and gloomy lenses infected with negativity will fade. These lenses that once left you feeling fixated on the problems, heavy, overwhelmed, depressed, and disillusioned, will be replaced with LENSES OF HOPE when you fix your eyes on Jesus. These new lenses will help you look on the bright side of life and present you with solutions, seeing the opportunity instead of being held back by the obstacle. 

When you take Jesus as your Lord and Savior, he will remove the LENSES OF GODLESSNESS. He will draw you into his presence as you draw near to him. Faith will arise in your heart, and you will know that you are God’s beloved child, surrounded by his undeserved grace, mercy, and kindness. You will realize that you are loved. God will replace the lenses of godlessness with GODLY LENSES, and the light of Jesus will fill your heart, warm your soul, and ignite a fresh vision and purpose for the future. 

When you invite Jesus into your heart, he will remove the lenses that made you see yourself as the VICTIM, which left you feeling angry, betrayed, vengeful, and oppressed. He will replace the victim mentality with lenses of VICTORY. These lenses will reveal that you are a new creation and that despite your past setbacks, you will see yourself as victorious, a child of the King with a fresh purpose and a destiny to fulfill. 

When you accept Jesus as your all in all, the LENSES OF LIES that the enemy has used to deceive you will lose its grip and be replaced by the LENSES OF TRUTH. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. 

However, you will need to keep a close watch on your life and thoughts as the world will try to draw you away from God.

 As we already looked at in Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

Don’t copy the world. You need to continually check your views and perspectives.  You need to continually renew your mind. Test and evaluate your thoughts and ensure they line up with the Word of God and God’s view. 

MAY GOD GIVE YOU A GOD FOCUS PERSPECTIVE. 

If you build your life on a foundation of God, you will gain a new perspective. The old life will be obliterated, and all things will become new. 

Today, invite Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour. He sets you free. Come, just as you are. Come, find a new life.

My prayer today is that God will remove the veil, give you supernatural revelation, and bless you with crystal-clear spiritual vision. 

When you put your faith in Jesus, you are born again. The Holy Spirit comes to live in you. You are forever changed, and God will reveal the mysteries of his Kingdom to you. 

So, fix your eyes on Jesus. Line up your life and what is happening around you, not from a worldview, but through God’s lenses.