Change your Perspective

 

In recent times, I am beginning to understand better that the things that happen to us in life, and how we choose to respond is a function of our perspective of God, and on the issues. It means that for you as a believer, your perspective of God determines how your life will eventually play out. If your perspective of God is not consistent with the word, then you will have varying expectations of God, like thinking that sometimes He may come through for you, and at other times He may not. Having the correct perspective means that you understand that the nature and character of God is consistent with the Word, and it cannot be otherwise.

Taking a look at the story of the twelve spies that Moses sent out to spy out the land of Canaan, those were actually leaders of the people, but the men had different perspectives from each other.

Numbers 13: 26-33

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.

And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Ten of them gave a different report based on their perspective, and it wasn’t actually as though their report was wrong. They gave actual situational report of what they saw in the land that the people living there were giants, that the land was good and the people there were people of might. This was a correct situational assessment, but what made their report evil was that they put fear into the heart of Gods people by saying that they were not able to take on the inhabitants of the land and to possess the land.

The report given by Joshua and Caleb were not any different, because these two men did not contest the other report, it was just the same correct situational assessment, but their perspective of God was different. In spite of their size and might, they knew, and posited that they could take them on with God on their side. Everyone in life has got challenges, but your perspective will determine how you see your challenges, and determine whether you will run away or you will face them head-on with God on your side.

David was another man who had the right perspective, he saw a giant just the same way everyone else did, but had the correct perspective of God. This giant, in David’s eyes, was not any different from other challenges that God had seen him through in the past, and so he faced Goliath head-on instead of running into a rat hole.

So how the can you begin to correct your perspective so that you can face your challenges rather than running away, here are a few steps;

• Discipline yourself to put away from your view or hearing anything that attempt to belittle the power and ability of God in your life.
• Spend time to study and meditate the Word of God, concentrating on scripture that talk more on the character and ability of God, and what God has made you as a new creation through Christ’s finished works.
• Spend time in fellowship with the Lord and in prayers.
• Determine to put the Word of God to work for yourself by practicing the Word always, and engaging the power of God to confront challenges.

These steps are not exhaustive, but as you engage them, you will begin to experience a change in your perspective of God. This will turn out to affect how you respond to the challenges that come your way, and you begin to experience victory over the challenges of life.