The Power of Right Believing: 7 Keys to Freedom from Fear, Guilt, and Addiction (11 page)

Know What God Doesn’t See

Let me give you even more reason to rejoice as we learn to see what God sees. Let’s go back to the words that God placed in Balaam’s mouth: “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel” (Num. 23:21). Let’s pause for a moment. Was there iniquity in Israel? (When God used the word “Jacob” here, He was referring to all the children of Israel.) Was there any sin in Israel? Or was everybody in the encampment perfect?

If you were to zoom in from the top of the mountain into the encampment of Israel, you would probably hear all kinds of murmuring and complaining against Moses and his leadership. Surely there were some who had trouble keeping their tempers, and
perhaps there were one or two who were coveting their neighbors’ donkeys. It’s not hard to imagine that a wide variety of imperfections, sins, iniquities, and wickedness was present in the camp. But the question is, did God see it?

Look at Numbers 23:21 again. Notice that God did
not
say there was no sin or iniquity in His people. He simply said He did not see it. Similarly, He is not saying that there is no sin in you. What God says is, “I don’t see it.”

Wait a minute, how can an unbendingly holy God not see sin in me?

My friend, it is because those same holy eyes saw all your sins punished in the body of Jesus Christ. Your sins were punished into nonexistence.

In the Israelite encampment, even though there were iniquities, sins, and wickedness, God did not see any of them because the blood of bulls and goats, which they offered up to the Lord daily, covered the children of Israel. How much more true that is for us today, we who are washed clean forever by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, our beautiful Savior.

Under the old covenant, the Israelites enjoyed a
temporal
covering through the animal sacrifices, but for us, the atonement and payment for all our sins by Jesus Christ is
eternal
. That is why God does not observe sin and iniquity in you nor has He seen wickedness in you. When God looks at you today, He sees you as a righteous, forgiven, healed, favored, blessed, accepted, and beloved son or daughter because of the cross of Jesus. Now, do you see yourself as God sees you?

Perfected in Christ

I believe that we struggle to believe this truth because we know ourselves so well, too well, in fact. We are so acutely aware of every little flaw in our physical and emotional makeup. We know, remember, and replay in our minds the sins, failings, and mistakes we have made. Mistakes that we made ten or even twenty years ago are still fresh in our minds as if they were made yesterday.

I once saw some women being interviewed on television who, when asked what their best features were, had a really hard time coming up with an answer. However, when asked to name the features they disliked about themselves, they unanimously said, “Oh, where do I start?” and they went on and on about every part of themselves—their hair, their noses, their ears. They could even find something about their shoulders they didn’t like.

Our propensity to zoom in on flaws doesn’t end at just our looks. Have you noticed how our attention is drawn to even minute flaws in anything we look at? Just imagine standing before a big whiteboard. Instead of seeing the broad expanse of the clean, white surface, we’re very likely to find and focus on the tiny black speck at the bottom left corner of the whiteboard if there is one there. Our natural minds are just so inclined to latch onto the negative and
imperfect. Correspondingly, we have a tendency to focus on and condemn ourselves for even our smallest flaws instead of focusing on how God really sees us—perfect in Christ.

Jesus, the Source of Our Faith

This is why it takes faith to believe that God sees you righteous. It takes faith to believe that He does not see you in your sins, that He does not observe sin or iniquity in you. It takes faith to believe that He means what He says when He says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Heb. 8:12). It takes faith to believe that God will not remember your failings and mistakes!

But Pastor Prince, my sins are staring right at me. How can I have faith to believe that God doesn’t see them?

My friend, the key to faith is found in looking to the source of faith—Jesus. As the Bible says, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Heb. 12:2
NASB
). Your faith to believe is found in Jesus! The Amplified Bible puts it this way: “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader
and
the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection].”

In other words, turn your eyes away from your own flaws, imperfections, failings, and mistakes, and just fix your eyes on Jesus. The more you see Jesus and His finished work, the more faith arises in your heart to believe that all your sins are truly forgiven. You can start on a clean slate and have a brand-new beginning in Christ. The old is gone, and the new has come!

The Power of Beholding Jesus

You may be thinking to yourself, “But that sounds so impractical. How can my life change just by fixing my eyes on Jesus?”

Well, it didn’t seem that impractical when Peter fixed his eyes on Jesus.
He walked on water!
Only when he turned away and looked at the boisterous waves did he begin to sink.

Similarly, when we fix our eyes on Jesus and make Him the center of our lives, we will be transformed supernaturally and walk above the churning waters of guilt and condemnation. However, when we turn our eyes away from Jesus and start to look again at the waves of our failures, mistakes, and sins, we will, like Peter, begin to sink into the raging tempest of guilt and condemnation. But even when that happens, you can take heart because Jesus will be right there to pull you out and rescue you, just like He did for Peter.

I believe that Jesus is doing that in your life right now. Is there something that you have done in your past that you just can’t seem to shake off, that seems like weights around your feet holding you
down? Today is the day for your breakthrough. Learn to see what God sees by fixing your eyes on Jesus.

You need to understand that what you see or how others see you is not as important as how
God
sees you. Many people think that God sees them in their sins and is just waiting to pounce on them to punish them. This wrong belief produces wrong living. If you see God this way, you can’t help but be in constant fear, insecurity, and anxiety over your past sins. Today, make a decision to turn your eyes to Jesus, for He has already made you righteous with His blood!

In fact, the more you behold Jesus, the more you are transformed from glory to glory. The Bible tells us that “we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18). Fixing your eyes on Jesus is the greatest holiness. Many think they have to
do more
in order to be more holy, accepted, and loved by God. The truth is, when you behold Jesus more and see His love, His forgiveness, His abundant grace, and His gift of righteousness purchased for you with His own blood, you will be transformed supernaturally.

Holiness is a by-product of seeing Jesus in His grace. When you see Jesus and receive His love and grace every day, your heart is transformed inwardly. This is not outward behavior modification.
This is real change that is sustained by a heart touched by His grace and by an emancipated conscience that is forever freed from guilt. This is when that addiction begins to drop from your life. This is when that fear begins to dissolve in His perfect love, and that condemnation arising from your past mistakes is cleansed by His precious blood. What a life! This is the life that God wants you to experience. Can you see it? Can you see what He sees?

You Are Precious in His Eyes

I want to show you another aspect of how God sees you today through a beautiful truth hidden in the breastplate of the high priest of Israel. The Bible gives us very detailed information about what the high priest wore in the days of ancient Israel and there are no insignificant details in the Bible. Today, Jesus is our High Priest, and when we examine the breastplate, we will see something powerful about the way the Lord sees His people.

Notice in the following illustration that there are twelve stones on the high priest’s breastplate. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are engraved on each of the stones. For example, “Judah” is engraved on the sardius stone set in the first row, and “Gad” is engraved on the diamond set in the second row.

The high priest of Israel: The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are engraved on twelve precious stones found on his breastplate.

These twelve stones represent God’s people today. Notice how God depicts His people, you and me, as precious stones. He didn’t use common rocks and pebbles that are in abundance in Israel. He deliberately chose very costly, rare, and precious gems such as sapphire, topaz, emerald, amethyst, diamond, onyx, and jasper to represent you and me (see Exod. 39:9–14). Also, of all the garments
donned by the high priest, the breastplate is closest to the heart. This speaks of how much the Lord values you and His desire to keep you close to His heart. In His eyes, you are very costly, precious, and loved. If you have ever been told that God sees you as a dirty, rotten sinner, then know that it’s a lie from the pit of hell!

I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that the names of the tribes of Israel were not merely written on the gems. The Bible tells us that they were
engraved
(see Exod. 39:14). This means that once you become a believer in Jesus, your name is forever engraved in His Book of Life. If your name were only written, you might think that it could easily be erased or blotted out. But the truth is that Jesus has
engraved
your name on a precious stone, and He keeps it close to His heart.

Can your name ever be blotted out of its place on God’s heart? Just look at what Jesus promises those who are born again: “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Rev. 3:5). Beloved, through Christ Jesus you are an overcomer, and in Christ Jesus, you are eternally secure. Rest in the assurance that your name will not be blotted out from the Book of Life. It will remain engraved on stone and close to God’s heart for all eternity!

You Are an Overcomer through Christ

Now, how do you become a “he who overcomes”? Don’t let anyone twist this verse to make it all about you. Many wrong beliefs are birthed out of man-centered teachings that focus on what man
has to do, or in this case, what man has to overcome by himself through his own works. Make sure that what you believe is Christ-centered teachings that focus on what Jesus has done and continues to do in your life.

Let Scripture interpret Scripture when in doubt. In this case, a few chapters later, Revelation 12:10–11 tells us, “for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

How do you overcome the devil, who comes to accuse and condemn you for your mistakes? By the blood of the Lamb that washes you from all unrighteousness, and by the word of your testimony that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior! Heaven and eternal salvation have nothing to do with your self-efforts. It’s all about your belief in Jesus and everything that He has done for you at the cross. No one goes to heaven by his own righteousness. We are ALL qualified only by the blood of the Lamb!

Whenever your guilty conscience or the accuser of the brethren, the devil, condemns you for your mistakes, keep this beautiful picture that God paints of us in His Word in your mind. See and believe in your heart that you are, like the gems on the high priest’s breastplate, precious in His eyes and close to His heart. It’s not about how you see yourself, how your spouse sees you, or how
your relatives, friends, and coworkers see you. The most important thing is to first learn to
see how God sees you
.

Gems Sparkle under Light