We all have promises in our hearts and dreams we believe in but sometimes they seem so unlikely to happen… We don’t see how the challenges will change, or how we will meet the right person. However, seeing things with the eyes of faith is key to a desired result. The scripture talks about the heroes of faith and all the amazing things they accomplished! (Hebrews 11)
The scripture tells us how God showed up and did what only He could do: parted the Red Sea for Moses, brought down the walls of Jericho for Joshua, and closed the mouths of lions for Daniel. They were all in situations that looked impossible, no way out. Such challenging situations could make it easy to get discouraged and think that it’s never going to happen.
The scripture gives us a secret of how they saw with the eyes of faith that the promises will come to pass. It says “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth”. (Hebrews 11:13)
When every circumstance said, “It’s never going to happen. It’s been too long. The opposition is too big”, they just kept seeing it with the eyes of faith. Their attitude was, “Maybe a long way off, but I still believe what God promised. I still believe what He started He will finish. I still believe He can make a way where I don’t see a way”.
When the promise is far off, doubt will try to fill your mind, “You can’t have the baby, you saw the report. You will always have this addiction, everyone in your family struggles with it. You can’t start your business, you can barely pay your bills”. If you agree with the doubt, it’s going to push the promise away.
Most of the promises God puts in our hearts start with the eyes of faith: the dream, the healing, the breakthroughs, they start with the eyes of faith. It seems unlikely, we don’t have the resources, we don’t know the right people, and the opposition has more influence, and more equipment. That is the way it was with the heroes of faith.
Every thought said, David, “The giant is too big. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego the fire is too hot! To the woman who had the issue of blood, “You have been sick for 12 years”. They had every reason to get discouraged, and think that it could never happen, but they understood this principle and saw it with the eyes of faith.
Your healing may look impossible… Your freedom, abundance, and meeting the right person may also look challenging but don’t allow discouragement to overwhelm you. See it with the eyes of faith. Don’t let anything talk you out of what God put in your spirit. You may hear a whisper, “It’s too far away. It’s not possible, Don’t believe those lies, God wouldn’t have put that in your heart if He wasn’t going to bring it to pass.
You have to keep seeing it with the eyes of faith. Calling it in by faith, thanking God that is coming, and expecting things to change in your favour. It may have been years but get ready, healing is coming, that baby is coming, your promotion is coming. Suddenly things are going to change. You can’t explain it, God can speed up what should take years.
One touch of His favour and what you see with the eyes of faith will suddenly become a reality. If Abraham were here today, he would tell you, “Don’t get discouraged by the duration. Don’t quit believing because it is taking long. You are closer than you think. You are on the verge of seeing God do something you have never seen”.
DECLARE WHAT GOD SAYS!
The people of Samaria were in a drought for three and a half years, and they were barely surviving. God gave a promise to Elijah that there was going to be an abundance of rain. He was so confident that he told King Ahab, the man who ruled that area, that the drought was coming to an end. (1 Kings 18:1)
He didn’t just hear the promise but he declared what God said. I’m sure Ahab thought, “Elijah, not a cloud in the sky, it’s no sign of rain, that doesn’t make sense” but faith sees what other people cannot see. Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel and began to pray for something that seemed far away.
He asked his assistant to go to the other side of the mountain to see if there was any sign of rain. He is hoping to get a little encouragement, “God, I’m seeing it by faith, but at least let me see a few clouds, let me see a little change”. The assistant came back and said, “Elijah, nothing. The cloud is clear.
The assistant didn’t mean anything wrong but was just reporting the facts. To stay in faith you have to ignore the negative reports. Everyone can’t see what you see, they didn’t hear what you heard. It’s too far in the distance for them to see it. They will tell you, “It’s not going to rain. You are never going to get well. Never break that addiction”. Let it go in one ear and out the other. They don’t determine your destiny, God does.
Elijah asked the assistant to go look again. He came back and said the same thing, “Nothing. This happened six times, with the same negative report. Sometimes when you are looking for what God promised, it may be so far in the distance, that you can’t see anything with your natural eyes. Use the eyes of faith to see through!
The seventh time the assistant came back, he said, “This time I saw a small cloud about the size of a man’s hand in the sky”. Significantly, God could have had a big bank of clouds roll in, all the sky get dark and allow it to become obvious that it was going to rain… But notice how this came about in stages: nothing for six times, now just a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand.
Elijah could have gotten discouraged, “God, I must have heard you wrong, maybe it’s not going to rain”. Now, when he saw that small cloud, he came off the mountain, and told King Ahab to get in his chariot and hurry to another city or he would be stopped by the rain. He didn’t just see it, he made plans like it was going to happen. It wasn’t long till the heavens opened up and the drought came to an end.
There may be promises God has spoken to you but they too seem so far off, it’s tempting to quit believing. Like Elijah, you have to keep seeing it with the eyes of faith, expecting things to change in your favour. When you welcome it, you will permit it to come.
If Elijah had doubted and talked defeat, let that assistant convince him that it wasn’t going to happen, we wouldn’t be talking about it. There is a level of your destiny you cannot reach without seeing it with the eyes of faith, believing when it’s far away and doesn’t seem possible. This is what separates ordinary people from heroes of faith.
Where God is taking you is much bigger than you have imagined, with more influence, more resources, and more anointing but for that to happen there will be things that seem over your head, out of your control, and not possible. It’s not going to rain, Elijah, you are in a drought. You can’t take the throne, David, king Saul is chasing you”.
When it seems far away, that’s okay, just keep seeing with the eyes of faith, and believe when every circumstance says “There’s no way”. Like with Elijah, that little cloud way off in the distance will suddenly turn into a downpour, an abundance of rain, and you will see what God promised.
Doubt will try to talk you out of it, “Come on, there are no clouds in the sky. Look beyond all that. See what other people can’t see. Make plans for what God put in your heart. It may not happen for them but it can happen for you. You are not ordinary, you are a hero of faith. There is greatness in you.
I know you may have been doing this, faithfully believing when you don’t see any sign. Even if you have not been doing this, you can start now! God is bringing you closer than you think! So, I decree and declare that like with Elijah, there is about to be a downpour of favour, a downpour of healing, a downpour of freedom and a downpour of new beginning in Jesus’ name.
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’!
