"A NEW PERSPECTIVE

'My advice to you is to buy pure gold from me, gold purified by fire - only then will you be truly rich. And to purchase from Me white garments, clean and pure, so you won't be naked and ashamed; and to get medicine from Me to heal your eyes and give you back your sight,' Revelation 3:18 (Living Bible).

I observed a man the other day struggle to read an article; I really felt for him. I discovered he was myopic (nearsighted). People who are myopic wear corrective lenses which compensate for the distortion they have: astigmatism. It seems rather common in our culture, but is easily corrected. See your friendly neighborhood opthamologist, have a frame fitting, a week of waiting, a refitting and adjustment, and a slightly painful financial transaction, and normal vision is restored.

While being myopic is somewhat common, let me suggest another kind of nearsightedness that is not so easily remedied. It results from an inner distortion. It's called spiritual myopia. Most believers suffer from it, but it is particularly acute in middle-class North American Christians.

It's a deceptive disease, for we like to think we have a clear grasp of what happens around us, both near and far. But we generally only see whats close in, what seems to affect us or concern us most. The rest is blurred and obscure. We talk a lot around here about touching our world, shaping our world, changing our world. Let's go a layer deeper and start really seeing our world.

The Lord is calling us to enlarge our hearts, enlarge our vision and broaden the orbit of our vision to include the larger picture. There is a new perspective I'd like to suggest. With a bit of a squint, I see the Lord moving toward us possessing His full inheritence for us. Here are several things to look at:

(1) See that we are in a new era, not expecting one;

(2) Let the Holy Spirit keep your vision clear;

(3) Allow for ongoing deliverance in your life;

(4) Hold fast to the basics: a) heart-felt praise; b) childlike worship; c) steadfast prayer; d) confession and repentance; e) observe appointed fasts; f) hunger for His word; g) keep filled with His Spirit;

(5) Love one another

(6) Develop a passion for lost souls

Seeing more clearly,

Ron Mehl"