You Must See the Invisible, p2.
(2 Corinthians 4:17-18) The Apostle Paul was being afflicted and contrasts the lightness of this present affliction with the tremendous glory that shall be ours. He’s contrasting pain and glory; and, that which can be seen and that which cannot. Let’s see how tap into the resources made available to us in the invisible spiritual realm.
1. Invisible Power:
a. There are three great enemies of our faith: Appearance, Emotion, and Reason (Hebrews 11:1). Hope means, “joyful anticipation with assurance.” Faith is the evidence of anticipation with assurance. Often we want to see something we can experience in the natural (John 20:25). Appearances or, the desire to see—is a hindrance to faith. Simon Peter learned that we are not to live this way (1 Peter 1:8).
b. Another thing that keeps us from tapping into what God has for us are our emotions. Sometimes, it’s what we see that battles against our faith, other times it’s what we feel or don’t feel. If we can’t see it, then we want to at least feel it. Don’t let your emotions keep you from believing God. Your emotions really don’t have a lot to do with the work of God. And there are times when your emotions are a hindrance. When you come to God in prayer, don’t offer Him the will of your emotions. Pray in the Name of Jesus. How you feel doesn’t much to do with it. It’s not what you see; it’s not what you feel. It’s Who He is.
c. Sometimes reason tells us that God is not working. Remember when Jesus wanted to feed the multitude and Philip said to Jesus, “It would take a year’s wages to feed this people. Send them away.” But Jesus said, “They don’t have to go away.” Don’t be limited by reason or logic. Faith is not contrary to logic or reason. It goes beyond those things.
d. And we must ask ourselves in this new year, “Am I simply calculating and figuring, looking and feeling, relying on human reason and logic, rather than trusting the Lord in 2024?” When a child of God sees the invisible, they’re going to tap into the Unknowable, who is truly knowable, the Lord. And then, He’s going to do the impossible (Mark 10:24-27)!