How to Develop 20/20 Spiritual Vision

We see God’s handiwork in gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, the beauty of a starry night sky, and intricate flowers in every shade of the rainbow. He made our physical eyes with over 2 million working parts that produce sight. Light reflected from what we see signals our brains to turn electrical signals into images. But the Scriptures have another view on vision- “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) We have never seen God, but by faith, we live and become more like Him. We are not following Him blindfolded, however. That’s where our spiritual vision takes over.

Spiritual Vision Meaning

The Bible tells of a spiritual realm we cannot see with our natural sight. God, Heaven, angels, and the devil, with his legions of demons, all exist in the spiritual world.

If we want to “see” God, we need spiritual vision.

Our spiritual vision is the ability to see clearly what God wants us to do and to see the world from His point of view.

It becomes clearer as we learn discernment and understanding of God and His spiritual truths.

Spiritual Blindness

We are all born with a sin nature that gives us spiritual blindness. We can’t fully understand God’s love and goodness or His spiritual truth.

It is not until we put our full trust in Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins that we receive our spiritual eyesight.

“The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4.

Even though Satan is at work, no one is an innocent victim of spiritual blindness. Jesus tells us:

“Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19.

Jesus came to cast out darkness; His life brings light to all humanity. That’s why He is called the Light of the World.

Just as we need light to see our physical world, we need the light of Jesus to see spiritual things.

It is a moral decision to reject the person of Jesus. Many love their sins, or don’t want to face them. They are blind to His teachings and His authority in their lives. They fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah:

“You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” Matthew 13:14.

What are Spiritual Eyes?

Jesus speaks of the choice we have between two visions:

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If our eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matthew 6:22-23.

The eye is like a window which brings light into a home. If the window is dirty or distorted, the light cannot penetrate, and the house remains dark.

When we hang on to our own selfish desires, motives, etc., our spiritual eye becomes distorted, our spiritual vision distorted.

If our spiritual vision is clear to see Jesus; our motives, thoughts, and actions will mimic His. He will flood our life with His light.

I had cataract surgery years ago. Cataracts are sneaky. They slowly blur your vision, dulling the world around you.

Satan loves to “blur” our vision by inserting fear, doubts, and “what if” storylines into our thoughts.

He wants us to lose sight of God and all His promises.

While an eye doctor can repair our vision through surgery, we need a different restoration for our spiritual vision.

Spiritual Eyes in the Bible

God frequently opened the spiritual eyes for people to see the divine intervention He was providing for them. Here is just one example:

2 Kings 6:15-17

Elisha (Elijah’s replacement as prophet) awoke one morning to find himself surrounded by an enemy army. Elisha’s servant was beside himself-

“Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

“And Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

The servant’s fear dissipated when he saw that Heavenly army. Our spiritual vision, ignited by faith, tells us God is constantly working “behind the scenes,” doing more than we can ever see with our natural vision.

If we don’t see God working in our life, we have a problem with our spiritual vision.

How to See with Your Spiritual Eyes

The moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us forever. It is then He begins His work in our lives, helping us become more like Jesus.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him- but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10.

Open the Eyes of My Heart Verse

The Apostle Paul prays for the church in Ephesus (and us!) to have a spiritual understanding:

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.” Ephesians 1:18.

We need the Holy Spirit to give us the spirit of wisdom and open our eyes to the things of God.

There are times we forget how God’s power and strength work in our lives. We can doubt His timing or even His desire to work on our behalf.

Sometimes we can’t see past our own wants and needs to see the needs of others.

If we want to improve our spiritual sight, we need to see ourselves and the world as He does. When we are in step with Him, we experience a clear spiritual vision.

When we drift away from Jesus, our vision becomes clouded. We rely on our physical eyesight instead and are blinded and insensitive to the spiritual realm.

We revert to seeing with a different perspective, one that looks to the physical side of life. It is a daily battle!

How to Open Your Spiritual Eyes as a Christian

Use these 7 steps to improve your Spiritual Vision:

●Begin as Paul did- pray!

Lord, open the eyes of my heart! I cannot truly see without you. Give me your wisdom and understanding to see your people and my life as you do.

●Paul also prayed, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:17.

We will know God better and have a deeper understanding of Him when we study His life. He wants us to read and study our Bibles so that we can know Him and see Him clearly.

God never wants it to be just an exercise to please Him or done out of obligation. He wants us to desire the vast spiritual wisdom available to us.

●When we have questions, we can ask the Spirit to shine His light on the Biblical principles we are studying. He will give us understanding to see our way clearly towards the right path.

Psalm 119:105

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

●20/20 spiritual vision does not require a degree in theology or a MENSA IQ! To truly see God, we only need a heart that honestly wants to know Him better.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21.

God is not a lofty, unattainable, or unknowable Spirit. The person of God loves us and wants a meaningful relationship with us.

●“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7a

Persist in pursuing God! Having a keen spiritual eye takes not only faith, but follow-through. Ask Him to change you into who He wants you to be. Keep asking and seeking, and the door will open.

●Be obedient to His Word. It enables us to see God and stay focused on Him. We will feel His presence more acutely and learn to lean on Him each day.

●Ask Him to help you see yourself as He does– chosen, forgiven, precious, accepted, loved, redeemed, protected, and treasured, just to name a few! A rock-solid understanding of how He sees you keeps us connected to Him in a deeper way.

When God Opens Your Spiritual Eyes

God desires to open our eyes to a more profound comprehension of His love and plan for us in every stage of our Christian life.

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” Matthew 13:16.

Jesus’ life showed us how He sees- with compassion, mercy, and sacrificial, unconditional love. He wants us to have that same vision.

Jesus will always have spiritual truth to show us and give us the tools to apply them to our lives. He wants you to daily know of the hope we have in Him so that we don’t fall prey to discouragement or worry.

Sometimes the stress of life, losses, pain we’ve endured, and desperation can cause our spiritual vision to blur. It happens to all of us at some point.

But He always stands right before us, waiting for our spiritual vision to clear and lean on Him for what we need.

Here’s a verse to meditate on this week that sums up what having 20/20 spiritual vision looks like:

“Do your best to improve your faith by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love. If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. But if you don’t grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.” 2

2 Peter 1:5-9 CEV

Blessings!

AnnMarie

All Scripture is taken from the NIV unless specified otherwise.

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