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“The problem isn’t the opposition. The problem isn’t nasty attitudes. The problem isn’t small mindedness and jealous. The problem isn’t people who hate us for being Christians. The problem is our perception of that. If we look at the power of God, then all those things become absolutely nothing.” (barry wood)

So you might not know this, but I’ve been wearing glasses since I was at least 4. I know this because I’ve got a picture of me wearing nice thick 70’s style glasses before I was 5. And yes they were my own glasses. Back in the day, they didn’t have the miracles of thinning the lenses, so by the time I was 16, with my eyesight in the -5.00’s (not good), I had huge thick lenses in big thick plastic frames. When I was about 24, my parents suggested that I get laser eye surgery. I’d broken enough pairs of glasses through basketball, and fallen asleep with contact lenses on too often, that my parents figured it’d be better for me to just get my eyes lasered.

“Wow. You’ve had laser eye surgery? Wait. You still wear glasses! What happened?”

Yes, you may have noticed, I am currently wearing glasses again. They’re about -1.25 in each eye, which is a far cry from the -8.25 just before i had the laser eye surgery.

Turns out, my eyes have gotten worse again. Too much computer? Too much eyestrain? Bad genes? I don’t really know, but i am thankful that my eyesight isn’t nearly as bad as it used to be. In fact, I’m typing up this post right now without my glasses on.

Recently, I’ve discovered that my own relationship with God seems to be a bit dry and weary. And the strength and courage I speak about on Sundays, seems difficult to implement in my daily life. But as God spoke to me this Sunday, I was reminded that I need to be seeing things with spiritual eyes. In many ways, I’ve been going blind. My eyes have been fogged up with the haze of this world, my heart confused with the desires of this world, my mind numbed by the culture around.

It just shows you what a fool I am. Because God has corrected my vision. I mean, he’s healed me so that I can see again. He’s given me new eyes, new heart, new life — but like Sarah the wife of Lot, my head turns from his way, and I find myself becoming a pillar of salt. So being with God, letting my heart and soul begin to see again – the way he intended me too. Letting him correct my vision.

So as I enter these 40 days of Faith, I prepare my heart again for Christ. I remember the power of Christ’s victory. So I hear John the Baptist crying out, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is near!” And hear Christ speak into my life saying, “Your sins have been forgiven, Go and sin no more.” And I respond with strength and courage, walking with Him.


This was the seventh episode in our series on Joshua. You can hear the message as well as the worship at the BCEC Sermon Page or or listen to the sermon directly – Joshua 2 (episode 7).

Posted in 2011 Love Beyond.